Examining University Students’ Soft Skills In Terms Of Problem-Solving And Social Competence: Issues, Causes, And Solutions

Abstract

Today, soft skills play an increasingly important role. Soft skills, similar to emotional intelligence, mainly include problem-solving, social, leadership, and critical thinking skills. If hard skills are an access to people’s jobs, soft skills can help people then advance in the workplace. This paper aims to study how to improve the soft skills of university students. Twenty-one lecturers and ten students in a university in China were interviewed, through structured questions, for their views on the issues related to the lack of students’ soft skills, as well as the causes of and solutions to the problems. The interview results showed that the soft skills issues include lack of independent problem-solving ability, communication skills, and social integration. Students’ self-development factors, family factors, and school factors, as in ignoring practice and valuing theory, were identified as the causes of the issues. The study further suggested several solutions to the issues, namely the integration of corporate practices, curriculum development, and enhancement of students’ own abilities.