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Important Soft Skills for University Students in 21th Century

Authors:
Abbas Abdoli Sejzi at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Abbas Abdoli Sejzi
Baharuddin Aris at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Baharuddin Aris
Chan pey yuh at Open University Malaysia
Chan pey yuh
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Abstract

Soft skills are very important for all students that need to develop their potential in different programs in university. Importance of soft skills depends on the context and personal perception. These skills are important for every person in an organization. Soft skills is a term relating to a collection of personal, positive attributes and competencies that enhance relationships, job performance, and value to the market. Soft skills refer to a set of skills that determine how we interact with others. Soft skills play a highly important role in the work place as well as in one’s career success. These skills are applicable to every field of work, and are usually behavioral traits inherent in an individual. Soft skills are typically hard to observe, quantify and measure. Soft skills are needed for everyday life as much as they’re needed for work. Some of soft skills are: communication skills, critical and structured thinking, Problem solving skills, creativity, teamwork capability, negotiating skills, self-management, time management, conflict management, cultural awareness, common knowledge, responsibility, etiquette and good manners, courtesy, self-esteem, sociability, integrity, empathy, work ethic, project management, business management. In new age universities should provide set of soft skills that are required for students to succeed both academically and professionally. This indicates the importance and necessity of acquiring soft skills for the students while studying at universities and good soft skills when they graduate.
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4th International Graduate Conference on Engineering, Science, and Humanities (IGCESH 2013)
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Johor, Malaysia, 16-17 April 2013, PP 1088-1093
Important Soft Skills for University Students in 21th Century
Abbas Abdoli Sejzi
Educational Multimedia
Faculty of Education
UniversitiTeknologi Malaysia(UTM)
Johor, Malaysia
asabbas2@live.utm.my
Baharuddin Aris
Educational Multimedia
Faculty of Education
UniversitiTeknologi Malaysia(UTM)
Johor, Malaysia
Chan Pey Yuh
Psychology Department
Faculty of Applied Social Science
Open University Malaysia (OUM)
Johor, Malaysia
Abstract
Soft skills are very important for all students that need to develop their potential in different programs in
university. Importance of soft skills depends on the context and personal perception. These skills are
important for every person in an organization. Soft skills is a term relating to a collection of personal,
positive attributes and competencies that enhance relationships, job performance, and value to the market.
Soft skills refer to a set of skills that determine how we interact with others. Soft skills play a highly
important role in the work place as well as in one’s career success. These skills are applicable to every field
of work, and are usually behavioral traits inherent in an individual. Soft skills are typically hard to observe,
quantify and measure. Soft skills are needed for everyday life as much as they’re needed for work. Some of
soft skills are: communication skills, critical and structured thinking, Problem solving skills, creativity,
teamwork capability, negotiating skills, self-management, time management, conflict management, cultural
awareness, common knowledge, responsibility, etiquette and good manners, courtesy, self-esteem,
sociability, integrity, empathy, work ethic, project management, business management. In new age
universities should provide set of soft skills that are required for students to succeed both academically and
professionally. This indicates the importance and necessity of acquiring soft skills for the students while
studying at universities and good soft skills when they graduate.
Key words: Soft skills; University Students; New age.
... Among the 83 respondents, only 22% (18 respondents) responded as "I don't know", while the remaining majority 78% (65 respondents) listed various soft skills they consider necessary for their future career. In line with the results of this essay are Sejzi et al. [25] and Crawford et al. [6] who list the skills mentioned above among the most important skills for university students and their future careers. This paper's suggested model focuses on four of those important skills: team working, time-management, responsibility and reflexivity. ...
DEVELOPING UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ SOFT SKILLS VIA PROJECT ACTIVITIES
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Developing soft skills is essential for future professionals to effectively navigate both personal and professional challenges and interactions. However, due to the abundance of soft skills, designing a unique development model can be challenging. A survey of 83 second-year IT students at South Ural State University revealed that key soft skills for them include teamwork, time-management, responsibility, and reflexivity. The survey also highlighted project activities as a particularly effective method for developing soft skills. This article aims to create a model that integrates soft skills development through project activities specifically tailored for ESL classes. The authors developed a model using systematic, complex, and personality-oriented approaches. The methodological basis and content of the model were defined. The model has two components (operational and determinant) and three units (motivational, modelling, and evaluation-corrective). The authors conclude that implementing a student-centered approach in ESL classes provides students with a tangible opportunity to enhance their soft skills.
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... Some studies in the field of education have shown a certain relationship between soft skills (including adaptability, initiative, leadership, and social awareness) and academic success [6]. Regarding career success, numerous studies recognize the importance of soft skills [7], [8], [9], [10], [11] and how they can help in the employability of recent graduates [12], [13], [14]. Furthermore, as Grimaldi states, "the world of work and businesses signal a growing dynamism in professionalism and skills that requires increasingly flexible professional profiles, where employability skills and/or soft skills become a guarantee of competitiveness and innovation" [15]. ...
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... In sum, communication skills can both establish a person's professional career and lead to one's social competence (Schulz, 2008). According to Sejzi et al. (2013), Soft skills are vital for all students in successive education levels as it helps students to develop their potential in different programs in their university study. The importance of soft skills is maximized in the 21st century with technological innovations and life complexities. ...
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WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented learning tool in which the majority of the information learners interact with, comes from Internet resources, according to Bernie Dodge, who conceived and named the concept (Dodge, 1997). Students are given a job and instructed to do it using Web resources. The current study explores the impact of learning in a sheltered Internet environment, “WebQuest,” on improving the academic writing skills of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) non-native English speakers. It also investigates the impact of using sheltered online instruction on improving the soft skills of EAP language learners. In addition, the study assesses the impact of sheltered online instruction on reducing the writing anxiety levels of writers in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS; Writing Task 1 and 2). To reach such end, three groups of EAP learners were selected to participate in the study adopting three learning styles: sheltered online instruction (the experimental group, 15 ESP university students), unsheltered online instruction (free Google search) (the first control group, 19 students), and sheltered offline instruction (the second control group, 20 students). Instruments used included a sample of the IELTS writing test, Brookings Soft Skills Rating Card, and Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory (SLWAI). Sequential exploratory mixed method was used as it consists of both quantitative and qualitative data analyses for the elaborate explanation of results. Successive rounds of data analyses showed the plentiful gains of the EAP students in their academic writing skills and the level of their soft skills. It is also revealed that EAP students are not as anxious and reluctant to write as before. In addition, the analysis of the students’ responses to the semi-structured interview revealed that learning in sheltered Internet environments represents an interesting as well as motivating learning experience. Therefore, it is necessary for WebQuest to be implemented as a sheltered online instruction strategy in language learning and to design sheltered Internet environments other than WebQuest to improve the quality of the teaching process.
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... In view of stiffer competition in the job market in line with higher demand in the world economy, human capital and quality graduates due to increased population, rapid and fast changing environment, the pressure on education industry to churn in marketable Malaysian private higher education graduates has been getting more intense. Therefore, soft skill requirements in the twentyfirst century, communication skills, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, teamwork, professional ethics such as work ethics, integrity, responsibility, empathy were among the most needed competencies for university graduates (Sejzi et al., 2013). Dixon et al. (2010) reported that the corporate finance professionals these days not only have to master the technical skills but should also possess certain levels of soft skill capabilities such as ability to communicate, coordinate, handle stress and practice effective problem-solving. ...
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