Review of Student Soft Skills Development Using the 5Ws/H Approach Resulting in a Realistic, Experiential, Applied, Active Learning and Teaching Pedagogical Classroom

Abstract

This conceptual paper employs the 5Ws/H questioning approach to examine and review what is currently understood about soft skills development in our business students. The ‘what’ question provides information on what are the definitional differences between hard and soft skills. The ‘why’ question examines why soft skills are important to four societal constituents interested in soft skills. The ‘where’ question tries to ascertain the types of academic and/or organizational environments that could teach soft skills. The ‘when’ question offers information relative to the amount of time that would be needed to teach soft skills. The ‘who’ question evaluates whether university faculty or professional trainers/corporate manages should be teaching the development of soft skills. The ‘how’ question identifies different methods of developing soft skills and highlights what is wrong with our current approach to developing soft skills in our classrooms. The paper concludes with a classroom approach for soft skills development that offers a continuous realistic, experiential, applied, active classroom teaching and learning approach.