Key Soft Skills Research Articles

Assessing key soft skills in organizational contexts: development and validation of the multiple soft skills assessment tool

Assessing key soft skills in organizational contexts: development and validation of the multiple soft skills assessment tool

Paideia Patristic Education

The acquisition of soft skills is increasingly recognized as a crucial component of higher education, essential for preparing students to meet the challenges of the modern workforce. This study investigates the process of acquiring soft skills through Paideia Patristic Education (PPE) in universities in Machakos County, Kenya. This quantitative study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the PPE framework in promoting key soft skills such as communication, teamwork, critical thinking, and flexibility. Purposive sampling technique was used to target specific faculty members and students. Data was collected using structured and semi-structured questionnaires. The study's results show that PPE has a positive effect on students' soft skills, particularly in enhancing their ability to work effectively in teams and collaborate. Universities in Machakos County and beyond should strongly consider incorporating Paideia Patristic Education principles into their curricula. This would help cultivate crucial soft skills in students, better equipping them for the challenges of the contemporary job market.

Enhancing Soft Skills through Generative AI in Sustainable Fashion Textile Design Education

This study explores the significance of incorporating soft skill training in fashion design education through the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology and examines various AI-based approaches for sustainable fashion textile design education employing a multifaceted methodology that encompasses empirical, quantitative, and qualitative methods. We investigate the aspects of Design Sprints, identify key soft skills that help students meet the complex demands of contemporary fashion design workplaces, propose a curriculum guide for AI textile design programs, and evaluate the soft skill training process. Participants included students who had completed basic fashion design courses over three to four semesters and had experience with the fashion design process. The findings confirmed that participants’ soft skills improved across four areas—digital competence, sense of initiative and entrepreneurship, problem-solving and thinking skills, and communication—through the AI-based fashion textile design curriculum. This study validates the importance of integrating AI technology into educational programs to enhance essential soft skills in the digital fashion industry environment. Additionally, it emphasizes the necessity of developing AI technology-specialized design prompts while maintaining a balance between traditional design education and digital design education for sustainable fashion design education.

Moving into medical writing from academia: A soft skills perspective

As I made the transition into medical writing and started learning the ropes, I realised first-hand that in addition to writing skills, soft skills are indispensable in becoming an effective medical writer. Not only are they vital in helping you enjoy your work, mastering the necessary soft skills will also help others enjoy working with you. In this article, I talk about six key soft skills that have played a crucial role in helping me make a smooth transition into the world of regulatory medical writing.

Improving of Creative Thinking Skill through Coding for all at Elementary Students

This study explores the influence of coding for all on enhancing creative thinking skills among elementary students. 21st Century skills are essential abilities that help people work well with others, think of new ideas, speak clearly, and solve problems in this era world. It focuses in particular on the key soft skills competencies known as the "4Cs": creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication. They are called "soft skills" because they are about working with people and ideas, not just using machines or following set rules. Creative thinking development is crucial for elementary school students as positively impacts their growth and learning process.According to Resnick et al. (2009), about the theory of coding for All, the aspiration to provide equal access and opportunity to the entire student population, regardless of their background or interests. This idea is based on the belief that coding for all is not only a technical skill, but also a powerful tool for stimulating creative thinking skill. The objective of this study is: 1. Identify Coding for all can increase the creativity of elementary students. 2. Improving of Creative Thinking Skill through Coding for all at Elementary Students. Following a search, a large amount of literature was found, and after selection, it included the following 5 sources about improving creative thinking skill by using coding for all. This study succeeded found 4 results from 5 article sources. The implication of this study is to provide socialization and innovation related to interactive learning media that supports the improvement of creative thinking in students with the aim of shaping student creativity and getting to know more intelligence in each student.

The Transmitter Launch: How neuroscience outreach builds key soft skills

The Transmitter Launch: How neuroscience outreach builds key soft skills

THE KEY 4IR SOFT SKILLS FOR THE RAIL SECTOR

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) has brought about significant advancements in technology that have impacted various industries, including the railway sector. This paper explores the implications of the 4IR for the railway industry and identifies the essential soft skills that rail organisations need in order to thrive in this era. A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted to establish a theoretical foundation, followed by a survey administered to professionals in the rail sector to prioritise the identified soft skills. Comparative methods were employed to analyse the survey data and to determine the relative importance of the 4IR soft skills. The findings revealed a range of key soft skills, such as adaptability, critical thinking, and change management, in which it is crucial that railway professionals excel in the 4IR era. The paper discusses the significance of these soft skills and their potential impact on rail organisations, and provides recommendations for fostering their development. This research contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the soft skills that are necessary for the railway sector’s successful adaptation to the 4IR.

The science behind soft skills: Do's and Don'ts for early career researchers and beyond. A review paper from the EU-CardioRNA COST Action CA17129.

Soft skills are the elementary management, personal, and interpersonal abilities that are vital for an individual to be efficient at workplace or in their personal life. Each work place requires different set of soft skills. Thus, in addition to scientific/technical skills that are easier to access within a short time frame, several key soft skills are essential for the success of a researcher in today's international work environment. In this paper, the trainees and trainers of the EU-CardioRNA COST Action CA17129 training school on soft skills present basic and advanced soft skills for early career researchers. Here, we particularly emphasize on the importance of transferable and presentation skills, ethics, literature reading and reviewing, research protocol and grant writing, networking, and career opportunities for researchers. All these skills are vital but are often overlooked by some scholars. We also provide tips to ace in aforementioned skills that are crucial in a day-to-day life of early and late career researchers in academia and industry.

Addressing soft skill gaps in the digital employment market: the case of Spanish students in a technology-based university

PurposeIn today's ever-evolving digital job market, soft skills are increasingly important for university students to succeed in their future careers. This study identifies the soft skills that universities should prioritize the most due to their significance in the digital employment market.Design/methodology/approachUsing natural language processing (NLP) techniques, this study analyzed 226 student writings that described their experiences of failure in academic, personal and professional settings. Zero-shot classification was utilized to identify the presence of soft skills and sentiment analysis was used to determine the expressed sentiment toward these skills.FindingsThe findings suggest that students are most deficient in social intelligence, stress management and self-intelligence skills, which are essential soft skills for success in academic and professional environments and for the transition to the digital employment market.Research limitations/implicationsThe article acknowledges limitations related to the writing proficiency of resumes from a few non-English speaking students and the potential influence of students' emotional states on the content of their writings.Practical implicationsThe study provides valuable insights into the soft skills that are mostly lacking among university students and their significance in the digital employment market.Originality/valueThe study highlights the importance of universities in promoting and practicing essential soft skills and sheds light on the issue of soft skill deficiency among university students. Educators can use these insights to develop strategic proposals aimed at promoting the acquisition of key soft skills among students. The study provides valuable insights into the soft skills that are mostly lacking among university students and their significance in the digital employment market.

Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Creativity and Communication Skills among School Students: A Review Paper

Economies are increasingly more globalized and digitalized than ever before. This signaled and challenged the current education systems to alter and train future employees for a more dynamic, complex, and fast-paced 21st-century workforce. The main purpose of this review paper is to highlight existing studies on key soft skill competencies of 21st-century known as the “4 Cs” critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and communication among school students and to explore various frameworks about 4 Cs in the current literature. This review paper also provides suggestions for future research in this area.

The science behind soft skills: Do’s and Don’ts for early career researchers and beyond. A review paper from the EU-CardioRNA COST Action CA17129

Soft skills are the elementary management, personal, and interpersonal abilities that are vital for an individual to be efficient at workplace or in their personal life. Each work place requires different set of soft skills. Thus, in addition to scientific/technical skills that are easier to access within a short time frame, several key soft skills are essential for the success of a researcher in today’s international work environment. In this paper, the trainees and trainers of the EU-CardioRNA COST Action CA17129 training school on soft skills present basic and advanced soft skills for early career researchers. Here, we particularly emphasize on the importance of transferable and presentation skills, ethics, literature reading and reviewing, research protocol and grant writing, networking, and career opportunities for researchers. All these skills are vital but are often overlooked by some scholars. We also provide tips to ace in aforementioned skills that are crucial in a day-to-day life of early and late career researchers in academia and industry.

“I needed to learn this in my first year as a faculty member”

Organizations expect professionals to have excellent hard skills and soft skills. Researchers have examined different facets of soft skills, such as communication, teamwork, interpersonal, collaboration, and networking, among others, in different workplace contexts, including academia. In this ongoing qualitative study, researchers conducted eight semi-structured interviews with school library faculty members to learn more about the “soft skills” required in academia. Some of the key soft skills identified include time management, collaboration and teamwork, communication and conversations, leadership skills, understanding power structures, and managing people.

Creativity, Critical Thinking, Communication, and Collaboration: Assessment, Certification, and Promotion of 21st Century Skills for the Future of Work and Education.

This article addresses educational challenges posed by the future of work, examining "21st century skills", their conception, assessment, and valorization. It focuses in particular on key soft skill competencies known as the "4Cs": creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication. In a section on each C, we provide an overview of assessment at the level of individual performance, before focusing on the less common assessment of systemic support for the development of the 4Cs that can be measured at the institutional level (i.e., in schools, universities, professional training programs, etc.). We then present the process of official assessment and certification known as "labelization", suggesting it as a solution both for establishing a publicly trusted assessment of the 4Cs and for promoting their cultural valorization. Next, two variations of the "International Institute for Competency Development's 21st Century Skills Framework" are presented. The first of these comprehensive systems allows for the assessment and labelization of the extent to which development of the 4Cs is supported by a formal educational program or institution. The second assesses informal educational or training experiences, such as playing a game. We discuss the overlap between the 4Cs and the challenges of teaching and institutionalizing them, both of which may be assisted by adopting a dynamic interactionist model of the 4Cs-playfully entitled "Crea-Critical-Collab-ication"-for pedagogical and policy-promotion purposes. We conclude by briefly discussing opportunities presented by future research and new technologies such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality.

Pupils’ Learning Experiences in Early Childhood government Pre-Schools Using the Tanzania Institute of Education Curriculum: Focus on Kisarawe District

Early Childhood Education is becoming a greater factor in determining future learning behavior among students, yet there are various curricula in use and with varying effectiveness. The TIE curriculum is the most popular in Tanzania and it is unknown as to how effective it is in preparing learners for future learning and developing key soft skills. This study investigated pupils’ learning experience in early childhood education in schools using the Tanzania Institute of Education Curriculum [TIE] focus in the Kisarawe district. The objectives were; i) to assess the appropriateness of the teaching and learning environment of early childhood education; ii) to assess the actual learning practices of children in early childhood education in Kisarawe iii) to determine teacher’s competencies in the provision of early childhood education and iv) to examine the parents, community, and government support towards the delivery of early childhood education. The study was predominantly qualitative and employed a case study research design. Respondents were drawn from four public primary schools. It involved 4 head teachers, 8 teachers, 8 parents, 6 members of the school committee, and 4 classes with 340 pupils. The study employed purposive and snowball sampling techniques to select respondents. Interview guides, observation checklists, and documentary reviews were the instruments used to collect data. Findings indicated that the learning experience gained by pupils who use the Tanzania Institute of Education curriculum in early childhood education is low compared to what is expected and directed in the Tanzania Institute of Education curriculum. The schools in the sample had poor indoor and outdoor learning environments, and teachers were mostly uncertified and had little experience and competencies. There was low and poor support from parents and communities, and the local government who owned the schools contributed little to strengthen the learning experience and competence gained by pupils. The study recommends that education stakeholders effectively play their roles to enable the Tanzania Institute of Education curriculum to be implemented with greater success.

Soft Skills Training Program Based on Serious Games

In the 21st century, to be successful at the workplace and to get their first job, potential employees must have both “soft skills” (“know how to be”) and “hard skills” (“know how to do”). The proposed Soft Skills Training Program (SSTP) combines multiple serious games to train future employees in four key soft skills that are most demanded by companies: intrapersonal, interpersonal, personal social responsibility, and organizational sustainability. These four MacroSoftSkills are subdivided into eight MesoSoftSkills and 21 MicroSoftSkills to establish a complete multilevel structure. The development of soft skills is measured before and after the training using five appraisal questionnaires and tests. The pilot project, aimed at young university and vocational training students, lasted 9 weeks and proved to be effective since the proposed aggregate indicators of soft skills development increased in value, with the results being different across soft skill, gender, and educational center. The contents and length of some of the training sessions should, however, be adjusted to further develop and improve the program.

Essential Soft Skills for Workplace Success

Employers assess and judge their employees on their knowledge of both technical skills and soft skills. Until the recent past, technical skills were given top priority. However, that perception has changed over time. The knowledge of soft skills is now being considered as important as or more important than technical knowledge. Professional success depends upon a host of parameters such as experience, expertise, skill level, personality traits, work style, communication style, and work-life balance. Soft skills have also become a key parameter of professional success. This paper looks at the factors that have contributed to the acknowledgment of the significance of the soft skills at workplace and also presents the ways in which the knowledge of the soft skills could be enriched to go up the career ladder. It proposes a list of key soft skills such as self-awareness, emotional intelligence, team work, cross-cultural communication and personal accountability, which are expected to be the game changers. It is hoped that the employees’ knowledge about essential soft skills would enable them to become productive and mindful professionals at their workplaces. It is also implied that employees view soft skills as valuable assets rather than extraneous matters in their professional success. The insights presented in the paper, if deployed diligently, could augur well for career growth and enable the employees to remain relevant even if the job and technology scenario keep changing.

Organizational Change Management in Higher Education through the Lens of Executive Coaches

This study investigated perceptions of organizational change management among executive coaches working with British higher-education leaders and factors that make leaders effective when managing change. This basic qualitative research used semi-structured interviews with eight executive coaches selected through purposeful sampling. As main challenges to efficient, inclusive change management, participants mentioned leaders’ lack of a strategic vision or plan, lack of leadership and future leader development programs, and lack of clarity in decision-making. They recognized that leaders’ academic and professional profiles are positively viewed and said that, with coaching and support in leadership and strategic planning, these people can inspire the academic community and promote positive change. Additional emphasis was given to the role of coaching in the development of key soft skills (honesty, responsibility, resiliency, creativity, proactivity, and empathy, among others), which are necessary for effective change management and leadership in higher education. The paper’s implications have two aspects. First, the lessons of the actual explicit content of the coaches’ observations (challenges to efficient change management and views of leaders); second, the implications of these observations (how coaching can help and what leaders need).

Graduate Employability: Perception of Graduate Students on Soft Skills Towards Employability in Bangladesh

Career opportunity for newly graduated candidates in Bangladesh is challenging at present due to high job demand, skill gap and lack of practical experiences. Thus, this study emphasises on student’s perception regarding the importance of soft skills acquisition towards their employability. This study has collected survey responses from 326 final year students from ten different private and public universities in Bangladesh. Structural Equational Modelling (SEM) technique has been used to investigate the relationship between different soft skills and employability through analysis of Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Significant relationships among communication, critical thinking, teamwork and employability have been found in this study. This study is limited to the soft skills acquisition and graduates’ employability. Further study can be conducted between the relationship of different soft skills and Human Resource Management (HRM) practices. This study provides a significant contribution to the literature by exploring the key soft skills that have relationship with employability. It also promotes the acquisition and practice of soft skills in finding jobs for newly graduated job candidates. Keywords: Career, Employability, Skill Gap, Soft Skills, Students, Bangladesh

Key Soft Skills in the Orientation Process and Level of Employability

We understand soft skills as an integrated set of knowledge, skills and values that facilitate the effective, affective and efficient development of a skill or activity. The objective of this study was to identify the soft skills that are most often used in the orientation process and those that improve employability, according to Spanish counselors. A qualitative methodology was used. The participants (n = 57) were orientation professionals. A total of 273 interviews were conducted over five years. The results and conclusions show that communication and decision-making are the most important competencies in the orientation process and at the level of employability, followed by intrapersonal skills, skills in interpersonal relationships, teamwork, problem solving, adaptation to new situations, creativity and leadership.

Alumni Assessments of Soft Skill Formation in an Extended Simulation

Abstract Existing research indicates that participation in simulations contributes to the development of key soft skills, but has tended to rely on contemporaneous self-evaluations. In this paper, we evaluated the degree to which early career professionals who had previously completed an extended simulation class felt that the experience had contributed to the development of soft skills that they used in their professional lives. Survey, interview, and focus group data all show that working professionals in various fields felt that the dynamic nature of the extended simulation contributed to the development of several categories of soft skills and made a strong impact on their careers.