Diagnosing Soft Skills in Primary School Students within the Context of the New Ukrainian School Reform

Abstract

The paper presents findings of the study conducted on soft skills (transversal skills) in Ukrainian primary school students. The study sample encompasses students representing 150 schools of various types, including experimental schools involved in piloting of the new State Standard of Primary Education. Six students were randomly selected among third graders (aged 8-9) from each school. The study employed such methods as case study, observation, content analysis and survey. Their combination allowed for a comprehensive investigation of primary school students’ soft skills. The findings have shown that students’ best-developed skills are those belonging to personal and social domains, namely collaboration and copying with emotions. The weakest skills are related to cognitive domain and include critical and systemic thinking, reading comprehension, ability to logically argue for one’s position. Students in pilot schools have revealed certain advantage over other students in such skills as ability to articulate thoughts orally and in writing, creativity, initiative, collaboration, and problem-solving. The study of the formation of cross-cutting skills of students was carried out using the case method, observation method, content analysis and questionnaires. To determine the level of formation of each end-to-end skill, a methodology was developed, which was based on taking into account the results of the group's performance of both tasks (cognitive and creative) and expert observations of the implementation process.