Investigating Soft Skills that English Studies High Quality Program Students Gain After Participating in the Field Trip Course

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the soft skills that English studies high-quality program students gain after taking part in the field trip course. The quantitative and qualitative research was conducted at the School of Foreign Languages of Can Tho University (CTU). The participants were 196 English studies high-quality programs of the School of Foreign Languages, cohorts 46 and 47. The questionnaire and in-depth interviews were used to examine the soft skills that students gained and the opportunities for students to develop soft skills after the field trip course. The findings showed that the researchers correctly predicted that most students majoring in English Studies in the high-quality program before participating in the field trip course have basic knowledge about the definition of soft skills but do not have enough opportunities and practical situations to apply these soft skills. That is why the field trip course becomes essential for students to practice the soft skills they have learned in school and put them into practice. Thereby understanding soft skills that students are diverse and honing these skills through a field trip course. This study helps undergraduates have a more comprehensive view of the ways to apply the knowledge learned in school to the real environment. Besides, the field trip course helps students recognize and improve their soft skills, aids in exams, and might be useful for future work for students majoring in English studies high-quality program students.