scholarly journals Soft Skills Research in Higher Education: Top 100 Scopus-Indexed Publications

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 593-607
Author(s):  
Olesia V. Rumiantseva
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Soft Skills ◽  
University Education ◽  
Skills Development ◽  
Pedagogical Issues ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
University Graduates ◽  
Main Subject ◽  
Subject Areas

Introduction. At present, employers’ standards for university graduates are scrutinized, obviously stepping up requirements for soft skills. The issue of modernization of university curricula or development of new ones that include soft skills development in the framework of university education is relevant. The importance of the problem makes us turn to the experiences of foreign universities. This article aims to identify the main subject areas, where much attention is paid to the issues of soft skills, as well as directions of research on students’ soft skills development between 2010 and 2020 in the framework of higher education. Materials and Methods. ИThe study was conducted in two phases. During the first phase, we used a search strategy to identify the main subject areas of research on the topic of soft skills development in the period from 2010 to 2020. At the second phase, a study of one hundred most cited articles indexed in the Scopus database on the topic of soft skills in education was carried out. The selection was based on the inclusion and non-inclusion criteria. We used a method of content analysis. The selected articles were divided into several clusters demonstrating the research focus. Results. The analysis of foreign studies provided information on the subject fields that essentially focus on forming soft skills. The main subject areas, where the largest number of studies on soft skills published from 2010 to 2020 were recorded, embrace social sciences, IT, engineering, business and accounting. The areas of research on students’ soft skills in the period between 2010 and 2020 were general pedagogical issues, issues of increasing employability, and different areas of education. Discussion and Conclusion. A selection of the worldʼs best practices described in the leading articles on the formation of soft skills in education enriches the collection of methodological techniques of teachers in various specialized disciplines. The materials of the article can be useful for methodologists and teachers of professional education institutions, engaged in the formation and development of a new type of curricula, taking into account the needs of the modern labor market, and persons interested in the problems of higher education.

Quality higher education drives employability in the Middle East

2018 ◽  
Vol 60 (9) ◽  
pp. 1057-1069 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diane Nauffal ◽  
Jennifer Skulte-Ouaiss
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Middle East ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Liberal Arts ◽  
Soft Skills ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse and explain the high rates of employability of one group of Middle East youth by focussing on liberal arts and soft skills education as an integral part of quality higher education. Design/methodology/approach This paper employs the survey research method using questionnaires, focus groups and interviews to understand the labour market dynamics in Lebanon and explore factors that correlate positively with gainful employment with a special focus on the graduates of an institution that emphasises the liberal arts and soft skills training. Findings The paper finds that quality higher education – particularly with a focus on soft skills and internships – boosts the potential of graduates to secure their first jobs after graduation. Research limitations/implications Reliable data on higher education, employability and youth are scarce in Lebanon and the region. The paper is based on one labour market study in Lebanon while seeking to extrapolate to Lebanese youth as a whole as well as reflect on employability and youth in the Middle East region. Practical implications The paper demonstrates support for improving quality in higher education as well as making soft skills training and the liberal arts critical components for increased employability of youth in Lebanon and the Middle East. Originality/value The paper is innovative in its reliance on primary data from a labour market survey as such data are scarce in Lebanon. In addition, advocacy for soft skills training and the liberal arts in the midst of focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics and other professional education at the university level is rare in the Middle East.

Graduates’ employability

2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 321-326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyriaki Matsouka ◽  
Dimitrios M. Mihail
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Job Performance ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Soft Skills ◽  
Personal Attributes ◽  
University Graduates ◽  
Human Resource Managers ◽  
Hard Skills ◽  
Resource Managers

The purpose of this article is to investigate the views of university graduates and human resource managers (HRMs) on graduates’ employability in terms of the soft skills required by the labour market. Soft skills (personal attributes that enhance an individual’s interactions, job performance and career prospects) are necessary in the labour market in addition to hard skills (professional knowledge, tools or techniques). In this study, 178 graduates from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and 29 HRMs from Greek companies took part. The research tool was a questionnaire exploring participants’ views on the demand for soft skills as a decisive factor in employability. The findings identify differences between the views of the graduates and the HRMs. The graduates tended to overestimate themselves, while the employers argued that graduates lacked the necessary skills. The findings are discussed in relation to the changes needed in higher education institutions and the importance of appropriate interaction and collaboration between companies and universities.

scholarly journals English Trainee Teachers’ Perspective on Soft Skills Development in Ukraine

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanna Kniaz ◽  
Olena Chukhno
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Academic Performance ◽  
Empirical Data ◽  
Soft Skills ◽  
Skills Development ◽  
University Teachers ◽  
Trainee Teachers ◽  
Career Opportunities ◽  
Professional Teacher ◽  
Research Questions

The integration of soft skills in training pre-service teachers ensures higher academic performance and provides them with better career opportunities. However, many university teachers pay insufficient attention to developing soft skills in higher education. The article aims to investigate the correlation between the soft skills included in professional teacher training and undergraduates’ viewpoint on soft skills development at university. The authors formulated three research questions: (a) How do English trainee teachers assess their soft skills? (b) How much attention, in students’ opinion, do teachers pay to developing soft skills? (c) Is there a gap between teachers’ work on developing students’ soft skills and trainee teachers’ expectations? To answer these questions, the researchers analized the empirical data received through a questionnaire. The questionnaire was completed by 153 English trainee teachers studying at H.S. Skovoroda Kharkiv National Pedagogical University, Ukraine. The respondents answered two close-ended questions regarding the level of soft skills they believe to possess and the amount of time devoted to soft skills development. The findings suggest that most students consider the level of their soft skills intermediate or high. Nevertheless, a significant number of the respondents still feel that teachers pay insufficient or hardly any attention to improving these skills. It is necessary to conduct further research to analyze university teachers’ viewpoint on improving students’ soft skills and organize the development of soft skills which would meet trainee teachers’ expectations.

On problems of quality of higher professional education

2021 ◽  
pp. 35-42
Author(s):  
V.P. Soloviev ◽  
◽  
T.A. Pereskokova ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Education Reform ◽  
Vocational Education ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Higher Education Reform ◽  
Quality Of Education ◽  
University Graduates ◽  
Ministry Of Education ◽  
Higher Professional Education

Examined is the problem of achieving the quality of education of university graduates in implementation of competence-based learning. Shown is that when assessing quality, it is necessary to focus on achieved level of compliance with requirements. The project of the higher education reform of the Ministry of Education and Science is analyzed from the standpoint of implementation of the competence-based approach in vocational education. Attention is drawn to the need to make adjustments to the formulation of competencies of graduates, and to develop real mechanisms for achievement of such by university graduates.

Higher Education Standards and Graphics Competences of University Graduates

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 29-36
Author(s):  
Yuriy Polikarpov
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Russian Federation ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Professional Standards ◽  
Professional Competencies ◽  
Federal State ◽  
University Graduates ◽  
The Russian Federation ◽  
Higher Professional Education ◽  
State Educational

In connection with the transition of universities of the Russian Federation to teaching students according to the standards of the Federal State Educational Standards of Higher Education 3 ++, the task of forming the professional competencies of the graduate based on the relevant professional standards becomes urgent. The article describes the main stages of standardization of higher professional education in the USSR and the Russian Federation and what documents regulated the volume of taught graphic disciplines in technical universities and the content of these disciplines. The issues of the competency-based model of education are considered, such as the concept of com-petence, classification of competencies. Much attention is paid to graphic competencies. It tells about the experience of the department of descriptive geometry and drawing at the Ufa State Avia-tion Technical University with graduating departments in the formation of professional competencies based on professional standards, drawing up curricula and the main educational program.

Soft Skills Development in Higher Education

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 1916-1925
Author(s):  
Karimova Nilufar Ummatqul Qizi
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Soft Skills ◽  
Skills Development

scholarly journals Investigating the Perception of Stakeholders on Soft Skills Development of Students: Evidence from South Africa

10.28945/3417 ◽  
2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Estelle Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Soft Skills ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Skills Development ◽  
Problem Statement ◽  
Open Questions ◽  
Interdisciplinary Journal ◽  
Development Of Students

[The final form of this paper was published in the journal Interdisciplinary Journal of e-Skills and Lifelong Learning.] Soft skills are becoming increasingly important and will be critical for success in the Information Systems profession. Employers complain about a lack in soft skills among graduates from tertiary education institutions. No agreement exists about what these skills actually are, which are of importance, and how acquiring these soft skills should be approached in higher education. The aim of this paper is to research the perceptions of lecturers, industry, and students on soft skills development of students and to identify important soft skills that need to be developed. The paper starts with a problem statement emphasizing the importance of soft skills and the possible lack thereof. This is followed by a literature review, a description of the methodology followed for this research, the results, conclusion, and the references. The research was done at a university in South Africa. Questionnaires consisting of open questions were distributed to lecturers, industry, and students respectively, and qualitative analysis was done on the results. Results show that stakeholders feel that soft skills of students are not developed adequately, that there is some uncertainty about who should be responsible for developing soft skills, and that the development of soft skills is seen as a difficult task. A list is compiled of the most important soft skills according to literature, lecturers, industry, and students. This list can be used in further research on the soft skills of IT-students. Recommendations are made for the teaching and learning of soft skills.

scholarly journals Soft Skill: Its Urgency and Development at Islamic Higher Education

AL-TA LIM ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 239-251
Author(s):  
Ahmad Sabri
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Soft Skills ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Technical Skills ◽  
University Graduates ◽  
Acting Out ◽  
Soft Skill ◽  
Technical Capability ◽  
Blue Print ◽  
Planned Activities

The success of a person in a career work is not only determined by his or her technical capability, but also the non-technical skills which is so called ‘soft-skills’.  It is an attitude which is exemplified among the cognitive and values in the interaction with people around. Several identified falures in the community’s life indicate that many Islamic university graduates suffered from lack of ability to build  harmonious relationship with the environment.  Therefore, it is a high time for this institution to consistently instil some types of soft-skills on the parts of the students.  The current study shares the urgent needs for developing students’ soft-skills for Islamic colleges and universities. The paper ends up with several conclusions while promoting some commitments to be held by the faculty development including: the identification of soft-skills that have already existed in the students’ minds and which need to be developed, the exploration of soft skills attributes for the next 5 years based on the inspiration or opinion of the stake holders and alumnaes, the setting of action plan for academic and non-cademic agendas, acting out the planned activities, as well as the sustainable blue-print of valid soft-skills. Copyright © 2014 by Al-Ta'lim All right reserved

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