Students Interpersonal Skills Research Articles

Interpersonal Communication Skills of Nursing Students: A Cross-Sectional Study During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: Assessing the interpersonal communication skills of nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic enables us to understand their communication challenges and needs in crises and devise appropriate solutions to address them effectively. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the interpersonal communication skills of nursing students at Islamic Azad University, Karaj Branch, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 167 nursing students in the seventh and 8th semesters of the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Islamic Azad University, Karaj Branch, during the academic year 2020 - 2021. Sampling was performed using a purposeful sampling method. Data were collected through a demographic information form and the Interpersonal Communication Skills Test, which was completed via self-report. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 26, employing descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, frequency, percentage) and inferential tests such as the Pearson correlation coefficient and t-test. Results: The majority (53.3%) of nursing students exhibited moderate interpersonal communication skills. The lowest mean score was related to assertiveness (13.72 ± 3.24), while the highest mean score was associated with the ability to receive and send messages (28.53 ± 4.62). A weak, significant inverse correlation was observed between the total score of interpersonal communication skills and age (r = -0.182, P = 0.019). Conclusions: The results indicate that most nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic possessed moderate interpersonal communication skills. The area of greatest weakness was assertiveness. These findings underscore the necessity of attention and training to enhance assertiveness skills among nursing students. Additionally, teaching nursing students interpersonal communication skills, particularly in critical conditions, is essential.

Pengaruh konsep diri dan lingkungan teman sebaya terhadap kemampuan komunikasi interpersonal siswa OTKP SMK Negeri 1 Karanganyar

<p><em>This study aims to determine the effect of self-concept and peer environment variables, partially and simultaneously, on students' interpersonal communication skills. This research is quantitative with a correlational method. The population of this research is 216 people majoring in OTKP classes X, XI, and XII. This research used proportionately stratified random sampling techniques. This research collected the data using questionnaires and used multiple linear regression techniques supported by IBM SPSS 26 to analyze the data. The results showed that: (1) there was a positive and significant effect of the self-concept variable on students interpersonal communication skills, as evidenced by a significance value of 0,00 0,05 and a t value of 12,227 > Table 1,976; (2) there was a positive and significant effect of the peer environment variable on students interpersonal communication skills, as evidenced by a significance value of 0,000,05 and a t value of 6,272 > Table 1,976; (3) there was a positive and significant effect of the self-concept and peer environment variables on students interpersonal communication skills, as evidenced by a significance value of 0.000.05 and a F value of 203,496>. F<sub>table</sub> 3,063. The results of this study indicate that the effective contribution is simultaneously 67.4% and that the remaining 32.6% is influenced by other variables not included in this study.</em></p>

Improving optometry student interpersonal skills through online patient, clinician and student evaluation and feedback

ABSTRACT Clinical relevance Interpersonal skills are crucial for successful clinician-patient interactions. To prepare future optometrists for clinical practice, pedagogical evaluation is important to support the implementation of new strategies for teaching and evaluating interpersonal skills. Background Optometry students largely develop their interpersonal skills through in-person patient interactions. Telehealth is increasing, yet strategies to develop the interpersonal skills of students for teleconsulting have not been explored. This study aimed to assess the feasibility, effectiveness and perceived usefulness of an online, multisource (patients, clinicians and students) evaluation and feedback program for developing interpersonal skills. Methods Via an online teleconferencing platform, optometry students (n = 40) interacted with a volunteer patient, observed by a teaching clinician. Patients and clinicians evaluated the interpersonal skills of the student in two ways: (1) qualitative written feedback, and (2) quantitative rating (Doctors’ Interpersonal Skills Questionnaire). All students received written patient and clinician feedback after the session, but not their quantitative ratings. A subset of students (n = 19) completed two sessions, self-ratings, and were provided with their written feedback and an audiovisual recording from their first interaction before completing the second session. All participants were invited to complete an anonymous survey at program completion. Results Patient and clinician overall interpersonal skills ratings were positively correlated (Spearman’s r = 0.35, p = 0.03) and showed moderate agreement (Lin’s concordance coefficient = 0.34). Student self-ratings did not match patient ratings (r = 0.01, p = 0.98), whereas there was moderate agreement between clinician and student ratings (Lin’s concordance coefficient = 0.30). Ratings improved at the second visit (p = 0.01). Patient ratings were higher than clinicians (p = 0.01) and students (p = 0.03). All participants agreed that the program was feasible, useful and effective at fostering good interpersonal skills. Conclusion Multisource feedback about interpersonal skills contributes to improvement in student performance. Patients and clinicians can evaluate and provide useful feedback to optometry students about their interpersonal skills using online methods.

Korelasi Keterampilan Interpersonal dengan Hasil Belajar Kimia Siswa pada Sistem Pembelajaran Tatap Muka Terbatas

When learning offline, the implementation of interpersonal skills-based learning has been widely carried out. Study on the effectiveness of implementing interpersonal skills in chemistry learning has also been shown to improve students’ chemistry learning outcomes. However, the transition of the learning system to blended learning has reduced the communication process between students and between teachers and students. Even interpersonal skills-based learning cannot be implemented. Therefore, this research aims to find out the correlation value between student interpersonal skills and their chemistry learning outcomes during the blended learning system. The research design is quantitative descriptive, with 101 students from class XI IPA as the research sample. The instruments used in the research were questionners and documentation studies. Data from questioners and documentation were analyzed by rank spearman/correlation test. Based on the correlation test between student interpersonal skills and chemistry learning outcomes, it was found that the correlation value is equal to 0,639. The correlation value which is equal to 0,639 indicates that correlation between interpersonal skills and chemistry learning outcomes have a strong and mutually influencing relationship. Thus, interpersonal skills can improve student chemistry learning outcomes. The contribution of interpersonal skills in improving students’ chemistry learning outcomes during the blended learning system is 40.83%

Efficacy and Benefits of Augmented and Virtual Reality Based Learning during COVID‐19

PurposeThe COVID‐19 pandemic has created extensive disruptions for medical education, causing urgency to implement and develop solutions to combat this disturbance. For students to pursue learning opportunities, the education system must improve. Augmented (AR) and virtual reality (VR) provide a promising future for the enhancement of medical education. This review article aims to evaluate the benefits and efficacy of AR and VR, especially during the COVID‐19 pandemic.MethodsMultiple peer‐reviewed, randomized trials were synthesized into a review study investigating the efficacy, benefit, and use of VR and AR for medical education. The reviewed studies included medical and graduate‐level students as participants and aimed to support the use of AR and VR as an educational adjunct. The results of these trials support the use of additional technology in medical education.ResultsThe COVID‐19 pandemic propelled medical schools, educators, and students into a world of total computerized learning. This pandemic acted as a necessary push to implement novel, untested technologies into the educational sector. Previous research demonstrates that AR and VR can confront these unfamiliar challenges and allow for a safe and beneficial COVID‐19 education, consisting of socially‐distanced and low‐risk patient‐care practice.ConclusionsThe benefits of continuous, safe learning outweigh the potential technological challenges of implementing AR and VR into medical education. During the pandemic, the medical community is faced with teaching students many skills necessary to become adept medical practitioners. Although the COVID‐19 pandemic offers a unique opportunity for the implementation of new technologies, virtual instruction does not have to end beyond this crisis. Virtual technology can teach medical students interpersonal skills such as empathy, engaging in difficult conversations, and delivering bad news. Because students have traditionally been exposed to passive teaching styles, it is time to look toward expanding medical students’ repertoire and allow them to personalize their education.

On the Examination of Longitudinal Trends Between Teacher–Student Relationship Quality and Social Skills During Elementary School

Research suggests that the quality of interactions and relationships teachers share with students and students’ social skills are interrelated, but it is less clear if this relationship is bidirectional or consistent across elementary school. The purpose of this research study was to estimate the possible longitudinal and reciprocal effects of teacher–student relationship quality (TSRQ) and social skills for kindergarten through third grade students. Longitudinal reciprocal relations between teacher-rated closeness and conflict, and student interpersonal and self-control skills were estimated to examine the strength and direction of associations in a large, nationally representative longitudinal sample (N = 12,507, ECLS-K:2011). Structural equation modeling was used to test a panel model of reciprocal, longitudinal effects of TSRQ and social skills. Main results suggest that the small to moderate effects of teacher–student closeness on student’s interpersonal skills are bidirectional (β’s = 0.07 to 0.15). Additionally, the moderate to large effects teacher–student conflict on student’s self-control skills are bidirectional (β’s = −0.12 to −0.35). Prior teacher–student conflict also had large negative effects on subsequent interpersonal skills, but not vice versa (β’s = −0.25 to −0.28). Implications of the findings and ways to improve relationship climate and student outcomes are discussed. IMPACT STATEMENT The quality of teacher–student relationships and a student’s social skills are reciprocally related from kindergarten to third grade, after controlling for differences due to race, gender, and socioeconomic status. Teacher–student closeness and students’ interpersonal skills have bidirectional relations. Additionally, teacher–student conflict and students’ self-control skills have bidirectional relations.

Intensive Laboratory experiences to safely retain experiential learning in the transition to online learning.

Field‐based course work has been foundational to Ecology and Evolutionary Biology curricula. However, opportunities for these experiences gradually have decreased over the past few decades and are being replaced with technology in the college learning environment. The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic facilitated a rapid transition of all field‐based courses to online only delivery, which we argue has forced us to reconsider how to deliver course content to retain field experiences in a manner that is safe during the pandemic but robust to ever changing constraints in the college classroom. Here, we propose pairing an intensive laboratory experience with an otherwise online delivery. We discuss several advantages of intensive laboratory experiences that occur in the field over a short but intensive time period over that of the traditional low‐intensity weekly laboratory structure. In particular, intensive laboratory experiences are safer during the pandemic because they allow the group to be tested and isolated, allow more flexibility for students with competing interests for their time, and also enhance student interpersonal skills while still providing strong reinforcement of the skills typically honed through experiential learning. We present case studies for how we intend to apply our proposed model to two courses that heavily rely on field‐based experiential learning to facilitate adoption.

Association Between Teacher-Student Interaction and Students Interpersonal Skills, Self-Management Skills and Academic Behavior

This study aimed to find out the association between secondary school teachers' ways of interaction with students and students' interpersonal skills, self-management skills, and academic behavior. A sample of 2764 students, peers, and teachers was taken from Punjab province. The survey method was used to collect data and analyzed through percentage, mean, and Pearson correlation. Results indicate that uncertainty in teachers having a strong correlation with students' interpersonal skills. Moreover, teachers admonishing style and freedom of students have a significant negative correlation with the self-management skills of students. Whereas, all eight factors about teacher-student interaction remained a positive correlation with the academic behavior of students.

Kemampuan Komunikasi Siswa Ditinjau dari Persepsi Siswa tentang Layanan Bimbingan Kelompok dan Keharmonisan Keluarga

This research designed to exploring interpersonal communication based on students perceptions of group guidance and the harmony of their family. This is correlational research using an ex post facto design. We managed a survey of 155 junior high school students. The results presented that (1) there was a significant influence between students perceptions of group guidance services and students interpersonal communication skills; (2) there was a significant influence between family harmony and interpersonal communication skills, and; (3) there was a significant influence about group guidance services and family harmony with students interpersonal communication skills. The findings on this study provide us information that students perceptions of group guidance and family harmony contribute to the influence of students interpersonal communication skills. If students have a good perception of group guidance services and family harmony, then the interpersonal communication skills possessed by students are also getting better.

Dental anxiety in patients attending a student dental clinic

BackgroundThis study investigated the expectations and experiences of a sample of new patients visiting an Australian regional university Student Dental Clinic with regard to anxiety provoking and alleviating stimuli in the clinical environment. Differences in anxiety levels were examined by age, gender and the type of procedure undergone.MethodsThe number of dental patients who participated in the study was 102 (56 males, 43 females). The study used a pre-treatment/post-treatment design to assess the effect of the dental procedure on anxiety levels of patients. The Modified Dental Anxiety Scale (MDAS) was used to measure anxiety levels in patients at pre-treatment. Questions were also asked about factors which may increase (length of the appointment, invasiveness of procedure) or decrease (perceived student interpersonal skills and clinical ability) dental fear.ResultsFemales reported higher total MDAS scores (M = 11.93) compared to males (M = 9.94). Younger patients (M = 12.15) had higher dental anxiety than older patients (M = 9.34). There was a reduction in dental anxiety from pre-treatment (M = 1.92) to post-treatment (M = 1.23) on the single item anxiety measure though most of the treatment being undergone by patients was for less complex procedures.ConclusionsPatients’ anticipatory experience of anxiety was higher than the anxiety experience after having undergone treatment at the student dental clinic. Student interpersonal skills and clinical ability as perceived by the patient can lessen dental anxiety in patients. Clinical Supervisor-student ratios need to be more equivalent in order to reduce the time length of appointments which currently are associated with increased patient anxiety levels in student dental clinics.

"Video reviews of clinical encounters: can authentic feedback improve third-year student physicians' interpersonal skills?"

"Video reviews of clinical encounters: can authentic feedback improve third-year student physicians' interpersonal skills?"

Teachers' and Parents' Perspectives on a Curricular Subject of "Religion and Spirituality" for Indian Schools: A Pilot Study Toward School Mental Health Program.

Religious-spiritual (R/S) education helps medical students cope with caregiving stress and gain skills in interpersonal empathy needed for clinical care. Such R/S education has been introduced into K-12 and college curricula in some developed nations and has been found to positively impact student's mental health. Such a move has not yet been seen in the Indian education system. This paper aimed to examine perspectives of teachers and parents in India on appropriateness, benefits, and challenges of including R/S education into the school curriculum and also to gather their impressions on how a R/S curriculum might promote students' health. A cross-sectional study of religiously stratified sample of teachers and parents was initiated in three preselected schools in India and the required sample size (N=300) was reached through snowballing technique. A semi-structured questionnaire, with questions crafted from "Religion and Spirituality in Medicine, Physicians Perspective" (RSMPP) and "American Academy of Religion's (AAR) Guidelines for Religious Literacy," was used to determine participants' perspectives. Findings revealed that teachers' and parents' "comfort in integrating R/S into school curriculum" was associated with their gender (OR 1.68), education status (OR 1.05), and intrinsic religiosity (OR 1.05). Intrinsic religiosity was significantly (p=0.025) high among parents while "intrinsic spirituality" was high (p=0.020) among teachers. How participants' R/S characteristics influence their support of R/S education in school is discussed. In conclusion, participants believe R/S education will fosters students' emotional health and interpersonal skills needed for social leadership. A curriculum that incorporates R/S education, which is based on AAR guidelines and clinically validated interpersonal spiritual care tools would be acceptable to both teachers and parents.

The Use of a Therapeutic Jurisprudence Approach to the Teaching and Learning of Law to a New Generation of Law Students in South Africa

In rapidly changing social, economic and intellectual environments it is imperative that teaching and learning should be transformed from being primarily concerned with the transmission of knowledge (learning about) to being primarily concerned with the practices of a knowledge domain (learning to be). Law lecturers are faced with a new generation of law students, many of whom may be the first in their families to enter university, and one of the important challenges that we face, when educating law students, is how to enable these students to take their place in a very important profession. To meet this challenge it is necessary to instill skills that will be beneficial to the profession, future clients and the community as a whole. We at the University of Johannesburg are endeavouring to do so through embracing a therapeutic jurisprudence approach that focuses on the well-being of the student, the client and the community.
 
 The integration of therapeutic jurisprudence throughout the law student's studies, starting with orientation and continuing through to the final-year clinical experience, will enhance the therapeutic outcomes for all of the parties involved. A therapeutic jurisprudence approach, combined with appropriate teaching and learning methods, will enhance the student's interpersonal skills and writing and reading skills.
 
 The teaching methods invoked include role-play to transform formal knowledge into living knowledge, thereby stimulating students' natural practical curiosity and creating a learning environment that supports collaboration and encourages students to act purposefully in such an environment.
 
 This article discusses the teaching of first-generation students and how to overcome the existing social, cultural, economic and linguistic barriers by using a therapeutic jurisprudence approach, while upholding the values that should guide legal practice, such as integrity and respect for diversity and human dignity. The constitutional imperative of access to justice for all underlines the importance for law teachers of incorporating therapeutic jurisprudence in their teaching methods.
 
 In South Africa, law lecturers face many challenges in teaching law students and first-generation students. Passionate teachers will produce passionate students and realise that they have the power to transform thoughts, policies and lives. Students should be reminded that law is not just about financial rewards, but the ultimate reward of contributing to the betterment of society.
 
 The legal profession expects us to produce a well-rounded graduate for entry into the profession. This necessitates that our teaching methods be appropriate to prepare the student for an entry level of competence for the legal profession. Therapeutic jurisprudence creates the opportunity for the lecturer not only to equip the student with the skills required by the profession but to implement teaching methods that will prove to be beneficial for all of the role-players involved. The honing of skills such as legal writing and oral advocacy from the first year of study creates the opportunity for the students to develop to their full potential. In order to support a meaningful, integrated teaching approach, the development of skills is expanded on during each year of study and can prove beneficial to all role-players during clinical education, where the student has the opportunity to apply the acquired skills in real-life situations. The impact of a therapeutic jurisprudence on the development of legal skills can now be measured through the student's ability to focus on the well-being of the client and the community.

Correlation Between Standardize Patients’ Perceptions of Osteopathic Medical Students and Students’ Self-Rated Empathy

The use of standardized patients (SPs) promotes and enhances interpersonal skill sets of medical students and provides a critical opportunity for students to display their relational competence during simulated patient encounters. To investigate whether SPs' ratings of osteopathic medical students' empathy and interpersonal skills correlate with students' self-rated empathy. The study used a cross-sectional quantitative design. After SP encounters, first-, second-, and third-year osteopathic medical students self-rated empathy using the Jefferson Scale of Empathy medical student version. Standardized patients also assessed students' empathy using the Jefferson Scale of Patient Perceptions of Physician Empathy and interpersonal skills using the Professionalism Assessment Ratings Scale. Of 780 first-, second-, and third-year students, 717 students returned the survey (91.9%). In total, 383 students were women (53.4%) and 334 were men (46.6%). Of 717 SP encounters, SPs returned surveys for 648 encounters (90.3%). Ratings from SPs regarding their perceptions of osteopathic medical students' empathetic abilities and interpersonal skills did not correlate with students' self-rated empathy scores. Second- and third-year students were perceived by SPs as having better-developed empathetic and interpersonal skill sets when compared with first-year students. Results of SPs' ratings indicated that the higher the interpersonal skills, the higher the SP-perceived empathy for students across all years (r=0.66; P<.001). Students' self-rated empathy did not correlate with SP-perceived empathy. However, the findings validated that students' core relational competencies increase as they progress through medical school.

TINDAK PEMBELAJARAN YANG BERKONTRIBUSI TERHADAP PENINGKATAN KEMAMPUAN INTERPERSONAL SISWA SEKOLAH DASAR

Normal 0 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:Table Normal; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Times New Roman;} Citizens of the future, who live in knowledge-based society, need not only hard skills but also soft skills and appropriate character in order to achieve a successful life. This article reports an ethno­graphic study carried out at the State Islamic Primary School I ( Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Negeri I ), Malang, East Java. Indonesia. The study is focused on investigating the kind of instructional processes that con­tribute to the improvement of students' interpersonal skills. The main focus is specified into some sub-­focuses which include 1) forms of instructional activities which affect the improvement of the students' interpersonal skills, 2) reasons that induce a teacher to choose a particular course of in­structional action which instigates the improvement of the students' interpersonal skills, 3) supporting factors in the man­agement of instructional activities that contribute to the improvement of the students interpersonal skills, and 4) obstacles which hinder the acquisition of interpersonal skills.

PENINGKATAN KEMAMPUAN KOMUNIKASI INTERPERSONAL PADA SISWA SEKOLAH MENENGAH KEJURUAN (SMK) 'X' DI YOGYAKARTA MELALUI PELATIHAN ASERTIVITAS

The purpose of this research was to empirically examine the effect of assertiveness training on the students interpersonal communication skills. The research design was pretes postest control group design. The subject determination into experimental group and control group. Interpersonal communication skills is measured by using scale interpersonal communication skills based on interpersonal communication aspects of DeVito (2011). Data analysis on this research was mixed design anova. The result of this research revealed the existance of interaction between time (pretest and posttest) and group (experimental and control) that was stated by F = 41,786; P = 0,000. The result showed that control group and experimental group was different. In this research, the asertiveness training treatment contribution toward the increasing of interpersonal communication skills is 79,1%. Key words: Asertiveness training, Interpersonal communication skill, Vocational high school.

Enhancing Construction Education: Implementing Habitat for Humanity Projects as Service-Learning for Construction Materials

Service-learning is considered a valuable approach in applying concepts from the higher education classroom in real-world settings, and has become quite common in some disciplines. Engineering educators in the United States are making efforts to incorporate service-learning activities and to study their benefits for student learning and engagement. This article describes the design and results of implementing a Habitat for Humanity service-learning project in an introductory construction materials course. Study results collected from two semesters of service-learning implementation show students respond positively to the hands-on active learning of real-world activities related to the course content. Service-learning activities in particular were not only found to enhance student learning and interpersonal skills, but also increase student awareness of their intended profession and society as a whole. Overall, students reported positive perceptions of the service-learning experience and its contribution to their learning of course concepts.

The role of radiotherapy patients in provision of student interpersonal skills feedback

AbstractBackgroundAt Queensland University of Technology, student radiation therapists receive regular feedback from clinical staff relating to clinical interpersonal skills. Although this is of great value, there is anecdotal evidence that students communicate differently with patients when under observation.PurposeThe aim of this pilot was to counter this perceived observer effect by allowing patients to provide students with additional feedback.Materials and methodsRadiotherapy patients from two departments were provided with anonymous feedback forms relating to aspects of student interpersonal skills. Clinical assessors, mentors and students were also provided with feedback forms, including questions about the role of patient feedback. Patient perceptions of student performance were correlated with staff feedback and assessment scores.ResultsResults indicated that the feedback was valued by both students and patients. Students reported that the additional dimension focused them on communication, set goals for development and increased motivation. These changes derived from both feedback and study participation, suggesting that the questionnaires could be a useful teaching tool. Patients scored more generously than mentors, although there was agreement in relative grading.ConclusionsThe anonymous questionnaire is a convenient and valuable method of gathering patient feedback on students. Future iterations will determine the optimum timing for this method of feedback.

A systematic review of the evidence on service user involvement in interpersonal skills training of mental health students

Service user involvement has become a common feature of education programmes for mental health students. However, little is known about the effects of this type of education on the interpersonal skills of students taking part. This paper reports findings from a systematic review that formed part of a wider investigation into service user involvement in teaching interpersonal skills. The review aimed to locate and assess the quality of the published evidence relating to the effects of service user involvement on mental health students interpersonal skills and to synthesize results, using a definition of interpersonal skill that includes attitudes, empathy and skills as its key components. Results from this study indicate that the quality of evidence in this area is poor. However, sufficient synthesis of the evidence base was possible to allow conclusions and recommendations for both research and practice. Conclusions were that the involvement of service users in this area is both acceptable and valuable for students and had specific impacts on attitudes, empathy and skills. Some difficulties and reservations about the style of involvement are discussed. Recommendations for the conduct of future research are also made.

The Use of a Therapeutic Jurisprudence Approach to the Teaching and Learning of Law to a New Generation of Law Students in South Africa

In rapidly changing social, economic and intellectual environments it is imperative that teaching and learning should be transformed from being primarily concerned with the transmission of knowledge (learning about) to being primarily concerned with the practices of a knowledge domain (learning to be). Law lecturers are faced with a new generation of law students, many of whom may be the first in their families to enter university, and one of the important challenges that we face, when educating law students, is how to enable these students to take their place in a very important profession. To meet this challenge it is necessary to instill skills that will be beneficial to the profession, future clients and the community as a whole. We at the University of Johannesburg are endeavouring to do so through embracing a therapeutic jurisprudence approach that focuses on the well-being of the student, the client and the community. The integration of therapeutic jurisprudence throughout the law student's studies, starting with orientation and continuing through to the final-year clinical experience, will enhance the therapeutic outcomes for all of the parties involved. A therapeutic jurisprudence approach, combined with appropriate teaching and learning methods, will enhance the student's interpersonal skills and writing and reading skills. The teaching methods invoked include role-play to transform formal knowledge into living knowledge, thereby stimulating students' natural practical curiosity and creating a learning environment that supports collaboration and encourages students to act purposefully in such an environment. This article discusses the teaching of first-generation students and how to overcome the existing social, cultural, economic and linguistic barriers by using a therapeutic jurisprudence approach, while upholding the values that should guide legal practice, such as integrity and respect for diversity and human dignity. The constitutional imperative of access to justice for all underlines the importance for law teachers of incorporating therapeutic jurisprudence in their teaching methods. In South Africa, law lecturers face many challenges in teaching law students and first-generation students. Passionate teachers will produce passionate students and realize that they have the power to transform thoughts, policies and lives. Students should be reminded that law is not just about financial rewards, but the ultimate reward of contributing to the betterment of society. The legal profession expects us to produce a well-rounded graduate for entry into the profession. This necessitates that our teaching methods be appropriate to prepare the student for an entry level of competence for the legal profession. Therapeutic jurisprudence creates the opportunity for the lecturer not only to equip the student with the skills required by the profession but to implement teaching methods that will prove to be beneficial for all of the role-players involved. The honing of skills such as legal writing and oral advocacy from the first year of study creates the opportunity for the students to develop to their full potential. In order to support a meaningful, integrated teaching approach, the development of skills is expanded on during each year of study and can prove beneficial to all role-players during clinical education, where the student has the opportunity to apply the acquired skills in real-life situations. The impact of a therapeutic jurisprudence on the development of legal skills can now be measured through the student's ability to focus on the well-being of the client and the community.