Developing students’ soft skills in the context of teaching foreign languages at higher education institutions

Abstract

The article deals with the methodological issue of building soft skills in the context of teaching modern foreign languages to students of higher institutions. The analysis of the available scientific and methodological research works devoted to the problem of developing students’ soft skills, especially in the process of teaching foreign languages, reveals that even though soft skills are crucial for securing employment of graduates they are still underdeveloped in the system of higher education, which results in a growing need for institutions of higher education to address the defined gap. The paper suggests some ways capable of bridging the gap and fostering the development of personal and interpersonal XXI century skills in the process of teaching foreign languages. It focuses on intra-curricular approaches to classroom management (e.g., pairing or grouping students) and methods and content of classroom activities (case study, debates, discussions, project-based learning, etc.), which have the potential to equip students with the core skills through real-life scenarios and different learning experiences. The author emphasizes that speaking and listening activities, being undoubtedly highly beneficial for soft skills development, are not the only ones that can be used to enhance learners’ soft skills. Students’ soft skills can be significantly improved while reading or writing, so the key point is to organically integrate diverse activities and teaching strategies. Therefore, before planning a class, teachers have to understand how soft skills are developed, choose what soft skills they want their students to learn, and select corresponding instructional methods and tools to model a situation in which soft skills could be naturally acquired. Particular emphasis is also placed on the question of how and what soft skills can be developed during self-assessment or peer-assessment practices. The article finishes with a few recommendations regarding possible aspects of further research.