A Study Exploring Soft Skills in Higher Education

Authors

  • Pauldy Otermans Division of Psychology, Department of Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, United Kingdom and Otermans Institute, London, United Kingdom
  • Dev Aditya Otermans Institute, London, United Kingdom
  • Monica Pereira Department of Computer Science, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, United Kingdom

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21153/jtlge2023vol14no1art1665

Abstract

There is a need for improved skills development within the UK’s Higher Education Institutions (HEI) stemming from the disconnect between the expectations of employers of the skills graduates have and the skills graduates have gained during their degree. It is well-known now that there is a clear skills gap. The present study aims to explore the effect of graduates and students' perception of skills development in HEI in the UK. A total of 420 participants completed an online survey to explore their perception as well as their confidence of skills development by rating each skill on a Likert scale. The paper discusses the results in light of pedagogical strategies developed to teach soft skills in HE. The paper concludes with recommendations for teaching practice. 

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

Author Biography

  • Pauldy Otermans , Division of Psychology, Department of Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, United Kingdom and Otermans Institute, London, United Kingdom

    BSc(Hons), MSc, MSc, PhD, FHEA
    Senior Lecturer (Education) in Psychology

    Deputy Divisional Lead for Psychology

     

     

References

Ahmad, F. S., Velu, B. K. D. V., Zaidin, N., & Shariff, S. A. Entrepreneurship Education for Industrial Professional: The Influence of Communication, Teamwork, Leadership and Innovative Soft Skill on Job Performance. International Journal of Recent Technology and Engineering (IJRTE) 8(3S3). https://doi.org/10.35940/ijrte.C1037.1183S319

Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) (2021, May). Learning and Skills at Work Survey. https://www.cipd.co.uk/Images/learning-skills-work-report-2021-1_tcm18-95433.pdf

Curtis, J. (2007). Working together: A joint initiative between academics and clinicians to prepare undergraduate nursing students to work in mental health settings. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 16(4), 285-293. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1447-0349.2007.00478.x

Daley, J., & Baruah, B. (2021). Leadership skills development among engineering students in Higher Education–an analysis of the Russell Group universities in the UK. European Journal of Engineering Education, 46(4), 528-556. https://doi.org/10.1080/03043797.2020.1832049

Dalrymple, R., Macrae, A., Pal, M., & Shipman, S. (2022). Employability: A review of the literature 2016 - 2021. Advance HE. https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/employability-review-literature-2016-2021

Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (2021, May 18). Quantifying the UK Data Skills Gap - Full report. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/quantifying-the-uk-data-skills-gap/quantifying-the-uk-data-skills-gap-full-report

Dickter, C. L., Burk, J. A., Fleckenstein, K., & Kozikowski, C. T. (2018). Autistic traits and social anxiety predict differential performance on social cognitive tasks in typically developing young adults. PLoS One, 13(3), e0195239. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0195239

Donia, M. B., O'Neill, T. A., & Brutus, S. (2018). The longitudinal effects of peer feedback in the development and transfer of student teamwork skills. Learning and Individual Differences, 61, 87-98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2017.11.012

Edelman, P., & van Knippenberg, D. (2018). Emotional intelligence, management of subordinate’s emotions, and leadership effectiveness. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 39(5), 592-607 https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-04-2018-0154

Eyal, L., & Cohen, R. (2006). Preparation for clinical practice: a survey of medical students’ and graduates’ perceptions of the effectiveness of their medical school curriculum. Medical Teacher, 28(6), e162-e170. https://doi.org/10.1080/01421590600776578

Government Office for Science (2020). Future of Skills and Lifelong Learning. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/727776/Foresight-future-of-skills-lifelong-learning_V8.pdf

Green, A., Hogarth, T, Barnes, S. A., Gambin, L. Owen, D. & Sofroniou, N. (2016, August). The UK Skills System: Training, Employability and Gaps in Provision. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/571691/ER7_The_UK_s_Skill_System_Training__Employability_and_Gaps_in_Provision.pdf

Hart, C., Stachow, G. B., Farrell, A. M., & Reed, G. (2007). Employer perceptions of skills gaps in retail: issues and implications for UK retailers. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 35(4), 271-288. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/09590550710736201

Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), (2019). Graduate Outcomes. https://www.graduateoutcomes.ac.uk/why-take-survey/survey-results

Hotifah, Y., & Yoenanto, N. H. (2020, December). Determinant Factors of Willingness to Learn: Systematic Literature Review. In the 1st International Conference on Information Technology and Education (ICITE 2020), 700-704. http://doi.org./10.2991/assehr.k.201214.322

IBM (2019). IBM SPSS Statistics 26. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp. Computer program

Karsudianto, F. (2020). Improving students' motivation and self-confidence in speaking using mingling games. Journal of Applied Studies in Language, 4(1), 1-8. http://dx.doi.org/10.31940/jasl.v4i1.1591

Kaya, Y., Güç, E., Kırlangıç‐Şimşek, B., & Cesur‐Atintaş, M. (2021). The effect of psychodrama group practices on nursing students' self‐liking, self‐competence, and self‐acceptance: A quasi‐experimental study. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, 58(4), 1239-1247. https://doi.org/10.1111/ppc.12921

Kapadia, R. (2018, July). Assessing the impact of a flexible delivery of Careers & Employability Service Provision by Conducting Career Exploration Studies of Students. https://luminate.prospects.ac.uk/media/27e0e03f-5909-4950-81d7-667899429ac6/hecsu-research-impact-of-flexible-delivery-of-careers-and-employability-service.pdf

Khadzir, S. A. & Sumarmi, S. (2020). Model United Nations (MUN): Learning Method to Enhance Critical Thinking Skill and Communication Skill for High School Students. Journal of Education and Learning (EduLearn), 14(4), 495-501. https://doi.org/10.11591/edulearn.v14i4.16094

Moreno-Fernandez, J., Ochoa, J. J., Lopez-Aliaga, I., Alferez, M. J. M., Gomez-Guzman, M., Lopez-Ortega, S., & Diaz-Castro, J. (2020). Lockdown, emotional intelligence, academic engagement and burnout in pharmacy students during the quarantine. Pharmacy, 8(4), 194. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy8040194

Mutiara, A. R., & Astuti, B. (2021). Efforts to Improve Students' Self-Acceptance Through Group Guidance. KnE Social Sciences, 6(2), 47-55. https://doi.org/10.18502/kss.v6i2.9974

Noah, J. B., & Aziz, A. A. (2020). A Systematic review on soft skills development among university graduates. EDUCATUM Journal of Social Sciences, 6(1), 53-68. https://doi.org/10.37134/ejoss.vol6.1.6.2020

Oh, E. J., Ko, S. H., Kim, J. Y., & Kim, S. R. (2015). Self-awareness, other-awareness and communication ability in nursing students. Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration, 21(4), 426-434. http://doi.org/10.11111/jkana.2015.21.4.426

Okudan, G. E., & Rzasa, S. E.(2004). Teaching entrepreneurial leadership: A project-based approach. Proceedings of 34th Annual Frontiers in Education, USA. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/FIE.2004.1408501

Rismi, R., Yustiana, Y., & Budiman, N. (2020). The Effectiveness of Group Counselling with Role Play Techniques to Improve Student Emotional Intelligence. Journal Aplikasi IPTEK Indonesia, 4(2), 59-68. http://dx.doi.org/10.24036/4.24331

Rumohr, D. J. (2018). All These Deadlines and I Don’t Know Where My Papers Are: A Direct Measure of Organisational Skills Training of 3rd, 4th and 5th Grade General Education Students [Doctoral dissertation, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine]. PCOM Psychology Dissertations. https://digitalcommons.pcom.edu/psychology_dissertations/481/

Savickas, M. L., & Porfeli, E. J. (2012). Career Adapt-Abilities Scale: Construction, reliability, and measurement equivalence across 13 countries. Journal of vocational behavior, 80(3), 661-673. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2012.01.011

Silva, A. R., B Chauca, M., Huaccha, E., S Zuniga, J., H Layza, F., & E Tena, E. (2020). Development of Soft Skills and Resilience in the Integral Formation of University Students based on Goldstein's Analysis. Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Education Technology and Computers, UK, 182-187. https://doi.org/10.1145/3436756.3437043

Smith, S., & Henriksen, D. (2016). Fail again, fail better: Embracing failure as a paradigm for creative learning in the arts. Art Education, 69(2), 6-11. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00043125.2016.1141644

Showry, M., & Manasa, K. V. L. (2014). Self-Awareness - Key to Effective Leadership. IUP Journal of Soft Skills, VIII(1), 15-26. https://ssrn.com/abstract=2506605

Sokhanvar, Z., Salehi, K., & Sokhanvar, F. (2021). Advantages of authentic assessment for improving the learning experience and employability skills of higher education students: A systematic literature review. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2021.101030

Stanica, I., Dascalu, M. I., Bodea, C. N., & Moldoveanu, A. D. B. (2018). VR job interview simulator: where virtual reality meets artificial intelligence for education. Proceedings of Zooming Innovation in Consumer Technologies (ZINC), Serbia, 9-12. https://doi.org/10.1109/ZINC.2018.8448645

Succi, C., & Canovi, M. (2020). Soft skills to enhance graduate employability: comparing students and employers’ perceptions. Studies in Higher Education, 45(9), 1834-1847. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2019.1585420

Swingler, M., Roy, A. W. N., Rolinska, A. & Gardani, M. (2019, September). Focus on: Graduate skills. https://www.qaa.ac.uk/docs/qaas/focus-on/focus-on-graduate-skills-student-views-on-graduate-skills.pdf

TalentCorp (2014, August 9). Matching Talents to Jobs - Trends in Graduate Employability https://www.talentcorp.com.my/resources/publications/media-publications-mystarjob/mystarjob-august-2014-matching-talents-to-jobs-trends-in-graduate-employability

Taylor, R. B. (2016). Media Interview Techniques. A complete guide to Media Training. Kogan Page.

The Guardian (2020). University League Tables. https://www.theguardian.com/education/ng-interactive/2019/jun/07/university-league-tables-2020

The Times (2024). University League Tables graduate prospects 2024. https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings?sortby=graduate-prospects

Tymon, A. (2013). The student perspective on employability. Studies in Higher Education, 38(6), 841-856. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2011.604408

Uggen, M. (2013, January 13). Teaching and Learning Second Language Listening: Metacognition in Action. [Review of the book Teaching and Learning Second Language Listening: Metacognition in Action, by L. Vandergrift & CM Goh. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 35(1), 200. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263112000812

The Complete University Guide (2022) University League Tables. https://web.archive.org/web/20220311054918/https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/league-tables/rankings?sortby=graduate-prospects

Valente, S., & Lourenço, A. A. (2020). Conflict in the classroom: How teachers’ emotional intelligence influences conflict management. In Frontiers in Education 5(5). http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2020.00005

Vaughan, B., Yoxall, J., & Grace, S. (2019). Peer assessment of teamwork in group projects: Evaluation of a rubric. Issues in Educational Research, 29(3), 961-978.

World Economic Forum (2020, January 22). We need a global reskilling revolution - here's why. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/01/reskilling-revolution-jobs-future-skills/

Downloads

Published

2023-06-28

Issue

Section

JOURNAL PAPERS

How to Cite

Otermans , P., Aditya, D., & Pereira, M. (2023). A Study Exploring Soft Skills in Higher Education. Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability, 14(1), 151-168. https://doi.org/10.21153/jtlge2023vol14no1art1665