soft skill development within social science disciplines ...€¦ · soft skill development within...

Running head: SOFT SKILL DEVELOPMENT 1

Soft Skill Development within Social Science Disciplines

Victoria Brookhouser, Shaunice Cyrus, Kay Linger, and Samantha Rodriguez

Tarleton State University

SOFT SKILL DEVELOPMENT 2

Abstract

Students enrolled in institutions of higher education with the intention of entering into a

steady, well-paying job in their desired workplace. Employers report new college graduates are

lacking in their readiness to enter into the workforce. Employers state new graduates are lacking

in soft skills with strong work ethic, team work skills, initiative and interpersonal skills being

among the top skills desired in new hires. This quantitative study assesses the perceived soft

skills of students and informs individuals on how significant soft skills are to employers. A total

of 100 participants are surveyed using convenience purposive sampling. Researchers use a pre-

developed survey of demographic questions and Likert scale questions. Researchers identified

Bloom's Taxonomy (1956) as an applicable theory because it deals with education and aims to

promote higher forms of thinking. The six cognitive levels of Bloom serve to improve the

thinking and educational levels of individuals. The researcher’s hypotheses focus on participants

ranking themselves highly in terms of self-perceived soft skills, and that males are more likely to

report the increased soft skills compared to female participants. Researcher identified

participants who have utilized career services, practiced soft skills, and experienced resume

development. The results serve as an information for employees of future students as well as

current employers working with Career Services and intern programs at higher education

institutions. Being aware of soft skills and how they are utilized enhances competency and

allows professionals to better connect with their clients as well as their coworkers.


Soft Skill Development within Social Science Disciplines

Soft skills is a broad term for a specific set of acquired skills that are not taught

academically, but rather, experienced and matured. Interchangeably referred to as “people

skills,” the terms encompass a variety of sociable skills that can be demonstrated professionally,

and fine-tuned through rehearsal and specific target trainings. Utilizing these skills, compiled

with the required education and experience needed, it is expected that employees will be more

holistically prepared for the workforce and serve as better executers of tasks within the

profession. This research explores the need for college students to acquire the soft skills essential

to being effective in the workforce. University students are not being prepared with the work

ethic, teamwork, and communication skills sought after by employers. The purpose of this

research is to expand current knowledge of the importance of soft skill development in career

based services within institutions. As it relates to the social work profession, practitioners can

exercise soft skills in advocacy, general client or agency engagement, or when facilitating

services. Additional knowledge on the subject can aid clients or graduating students in obtaining

gainful employment. Likewise, advocating for this population increases the programs available

in bridging the gap between self-perception and employment outcome. The following research

provides an in-depth analysis on the observation of soft skills by employers versus the

experiences and implied perceptions of graduating students.

Problem

As a group we identified the problem statement as: University students are not graduating

with the necessary soft skills to be productive in today’s workforce. Finch et al. (2013) reported a

study conducted by the Council for Aid to Education (C.A.E.) that surveyed employers across

the nation. Participating employers report new college graduates are lacking in their readiness to


enter into the workforce (Finch et al., 2013). Employers stated new graduates are lacking in soft

skills such as: a strong work ethic, team work skills, initiative and interpersonal skills are among

the top skills desired in new hires (Di Meglio, 2008). Jobs are going unfilled because employers

are not finding new hires that have a combination of soft skills, technical skills, and experience

to meet the employment criteria for the position (State of St. Louis Workforce, 2013).

Objectives

Researchers identified the following objectives to address the phenomenon:

O1 Identify participants who have utilized career based services within the institution.

O2 Acknowledge the participant interpretations of soft skills.

O3 Identify how participants practice soft skills.

Hypotheses

Researchers will test the following hypotheses:

H1 Male participants will report higher utilization of soft skills.

H2 Upper classmen, juniors and seniors will rate themselves higher as possessing and using soft

skills.

Literature Review

The following literature review focuses on the participant’s interpretations of soft skills

and how participants practice soft skills.

Through the research it was discovered employers and college students have a different

opinion on the students’ knowledge and ability to utilize soft skills. The disparities prevent

college graduates from succeeding in gainful employment upon graduation or being promoted

within the company. The NACE job outlook (2008) survey has shown that college students are

lacking in soft skills necessary for success.


Through this research literature we gain the insight to the skills desired by employers,

soft skills achieved by graduates, and soft skills that are needing improvement.

The study conducted on behalf of the Association of American Colleges & Universities

by Heart & Associates (2006) surveyed 400 employers and found a difference of opinion

between employers and students as to their readiness for real world employment. Out of a range

of 20 skills, the employers consistently rated the students lower than they rated themselves

(Selingo, 2015). For example, 59% of the students said they were proficient in analyzing and

solving complex problems, however, only 24% of the employers agreed. Employers evaluated

college graduates as not prepared for the future job market. As an example, many new recruits do

not wear the proper attire or arrive at work on time. Internships help to provide experience in the

work place and also help to develop soft skills that employers are seeking in new hires (Malik,

2015).

The Council for Aid to Education (CAE) study was conducted by testing 32,000 students

across 169 colleges and universities. The study revealed that 40 % of college seniors do not have

the complex reasoning and other soft skills needed to enter into today’s workforce upon

graduation (Selingo, 2015) The top ten skills desired by employers include the ability to work in

a team structure, the ability to make decisions and solve problems, the ability to communicate

verbally with people inside and outside the organization, ability to plan, organize and prioritize

work, ability to obtain and process information, ability to analyze an quantitative data, technical

knowledge related to the job, proficiency with computer software programs, ability to create and

or edit written reports, and the ability to sell and influence others (Wilhelm, 2004).

A supporting study was completed by survey method and was mailed to 178

professionals on the abilities of 196 students to conduct an interview. Of the 178 surveys sent out


82.5% (n, 147) were returned. The information was used to analyze and interpret student’s

interview skills. The purpose of the study was to determine the soft skills (Finch et al., 2013)

employers believe students need to develop in order to be successful. The business professionals

were most impressed by the student’s manners, positive attitude, preparation for the interview,

and ability to close the interview. The interviewer’s consideration of the business professional’s

time, use of correct grammar, and clarity of purpose also ranked very high.

Michigan State University conducted a cross institutional study identified the top soft skills that

employers are looking for in new graduates (Crawford, et al.). This study was conducted

nationwide and included 2,669 student participants from 31 universities and 282 employers

representing all 50 states. It was reported that all of the skills are important, the ratings are

reflected as trade-offs depending on the qualifications best suited for particular employment

opportunities. The seven soft skills ranked by employers to be most important are:

Communication skills at 1st, Decision making/ Problem solving skills 2nd, Self-management

skills at 3rd, Teamwork skills at 4th, Professionalism skills at 5th, Experiences skills employers

ranked this as least important soft skill at 7th , and Leadership skills 7th. Students listed the same

soft skills in an different ranking order: Communication skills 1st, Decision making/ Problem

solving skills, 3rd, Self-management skills 4th , Teamwork skills 6th, Professionalism skills 7th,

Experiences skills students ranked at 2nd , and Leadership skills 5th. This study further

illustrates the difference of opinion on the importance of these particular soft skills and their use

upon graduation and entrance into the workforce.

Based on studies conducted across various countries, soft skills are acknowledged as

traits that reinforce an employer’s determination of employability. Although technical skills

(hard skills) display qualification to a specific discipline, soft skills bridge rehearsed knowledge


with interactions expanding beyond the physical workplace. Arnett, Prahakar, and Litecky

(2004) noted the differences and importance’s of the skills as it relates to a conducive work

environment, and employment process. The research explained how although hard skills are

discipline specific, such skills are subject to change over time. Therefore, technical skills can

assist a candidate in getting further into the employment process, surpassing the “filtration stage”

(the phase in which employers weed out the less qualified), but not guaranteeing employment.

Alternatively, soft skills are the final stage of employment determination where candidates with

sufficient hard skills are viewed comparatively based on their possession of soft skills (Arnett,

Prahakar, & Litecky, 2004).

Soft skills, as defined by Tech Directors (2003), are “the cluster of personality traits,

social graces, language skills, friendliness, and optimism that mark each one of us to varying

degrees.” The definition samples some of the more well-known qualities that are categorized as

soft skills. Additionally, the statement “that mark each one of us to varying degrees” implies job-

seekers have an innate foundation of a quality that assists in securing a job. However, data from

Association of American Colleges & Universities by Heart & Associates (2006) concludes that

only 24% of employers believe that graduates are equipped to enter the workforce. The

reasoning, in part, is the applicant’s inability to demonstrate skills that mesh the textbook

information, with the skills identified by Garton, Robinson, and Vaughn (2007), in their study, to

be the most desirable by employers: Problem Solving and Analytic, Lifelong Learning,

Motivation, and Listening. These were the top four of sixteen ranked soft skills by employers.

Contrastingly, all four of the top skills were ranked lower in importance for the workplace by

job-seeking graduate participants. In this way, the discrepancies in student perception of skills


necessary for employment, and employer’s perception of skill necessary for employment are

demonstrated.

To further explore this phenomenon, three researchers, Coulmont, Levant, and Sandu

(2016), aimed to note some of the inconsistencies in student’s self-evaluation of soft skill levels,

with student’s utilization of such skills in a workplace setting. Workforce simulations were

designed to examine the participant’s integration of such skills in practice and posed the question

as to whether business simulations (which would mock some of the tasks and crises of the

workplace) would assist in developing soft skills. The results indicated students ranking

themselves significantly higher for competency of soft skill, after the conclusion of the three day

simulations. The aforementioned research emphasizes the need for education and soft skill

training through university based career services. These services will ensure that graduates are

informed on the benefit of soft skill development throughout their educational experience.

Theory

The use of theory has helped to further expand the understanding of the skills tested by

the survey. Benjamin Bloom’s Taxonomy (1956) provides a framework for engaging students in

different levels of cognitive thought about a topic, ranging from basic factual recall through

evaluation of a set of results based on predefined criteria (Ward, 2010). There are six different

levels including: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.


Blooms taxonomy relates to the research because different questions in the survey can be

directly paired with one or more of the levels in this framework. The survey used to collect data

asks questions regarding a participant’s ability to observe, understand/deconstruct, and rebuild

information they are given. When a student answers a question about their role, guidelines,

procedures, and tasks, the participants are answering questions related to knowledge. Questions

related to the application level include using individual skills or the skills of others, or problem

solving. Evaluation level questions consider the participant’s ability to judge the standards or

quality of work produced.

Learning is not a one size fits all type of situation. The Adult Learning Theory (1980),

constructed by Malcolm Knowles, explains different requirements of an adult that influence their

learning. In 1980, Knowles used 4 assumptions to explain adult learning, and added a fifth

assumption in 1984 (Pappas, 2013). Pappas also includes the four principles Knowles suggests


can be applied to adult learning. The first principle suggests adults need to be involved in the

planning and evaluation of their instruction. The second and third principles involve the need for

experience, providing the basis for learning activities, and the idea that adults are interested in

topics that have immediate relevance or impact on their job or personal life. The final principle

proposes adult learning is problem-centered rather than content oriented. Knowles also suggests,

“the best learning environments are the ones that are collaborative and utilize a problem-based

approach” (Pullagurla, 2014).

Adult Learning Theory, like Bloom’s Taxonomy, is related to the research because

several questions asked by the researchers can be matched with a specific characteristic

mentioned in the framework. Questions regarding a participant taking initiative can be associated

to the first characteristic, self-concept. This characteristic involves a person’s personality

changing from dependent to self-directed (Pappas, 2013). When asked about their participation

or past experience with student services, the participants explain their use of characteristic two,

Adult Learner Experience. Characteristic three of the framework, Readiness to Learn, can be

shown when participants answer a question about their role or their ability to meet any

guidelines, and taking criticism or opinions from others. Participant’s orientation to learning is

exhibited when answering questions regarding time, their application of knowledge, and problem

solving. And lastly, Motivation to learn is purely internal, this can be shown by a participant

acknowledging their skills, skills of others, and their ability to determine whether their actions

are appropriate for the setting.

Methods and Research Design

The intended sample size was 100, however, additional samples were collected totaling

110. The samples were collected from current students attending a rural university. The


researchers were using a convenience and purposive sampling technique from engaging students

in the student center, however, that proved to be unproductive because of not finding students

within the helping profession majors. The researchers utilized snowball method of gathering

information. The researchers voiced their concerns to the community partner. The community

partner then reached out to professors in helping profession classes to gain permission to for the

researchers to conduct surveys in their classes. The researchers utilized a pre-developed

questionnaire that was constructed by the professor and the community partner. The instrument

included 3 demographic questions and 3 open ended university service related questions, plus a

quantitative 32 rating question collection method. Survey implemented a Likert scale rating of

“Not at All,” “Sometimes,” “Often,” and “Very Often.” The planned recruitment of sampling

data was collected from participants identifying their majors as being in the helping field such as

Nursing, Psychology, Social Work, Criminal Justice, Education, Counseling, and Sociology. A

preliminary examination of the data collected revealed ages of participants ranged from 18 to 70.

For comparative analysis this demographic was divided into 2 groups: 18-24 and 24 & up.

Further demographic information collected included: sex, race, class status, major, minor.

There are 3 closed ended qualitative questions were applied to university student services were

engaged in by students: in whether students have participated in Career Services, and have

students participated in an Intern to Learn program and were any of the internships a requirement

for a class. The 32 quantitative rating questions allowed students to rate themselves on how they

utilize soft skills by selecting “Not at All,” “Sometimes,” “Often,” and “Very Often.”

The researchers have identified 2 hypothesis:

(1) Males are more likely to report higher levels of soft skills because of rural southern locality.

(2) Junior and Senior classmen will rate themselves with higher soft skills.


Career services “Have students taken advantage of University Career Services”; “Have students

participated in University Intern to Learn Program”; “Was it a paid or unpaid internship?”

Data Analysis and Results

There were 110 participants in total. The ages of the participants were divided into 2

groups of 18-24 & 25 & up, then subdivided into male (n=31) and female (n=79), and

transgender (n=0) participants

For analysis the participants were categorized into male, female and transgender. Male

participants in the 18-24 age group; 90.3% (n=28), group 25 & up: 9.67% (n=3). Female

participants; in the age group 18-24; 88.6% (n=70), group 25 & up, 11.39% (n=9), and

transgender participants in the age group 18-24 0% (n=0), 25 & up, 0% (n=0).

The data revealed the majority of the participants were Caucasian/White 69.09% (n=76),

followed by Hispanic 17.27% (n=19), Biracial and African American/ Black were tied at 5.454%

(n=6), Asian 1.81% (n=2), and Native 0.90% (n=1)

Male % Female % Overall %

Black 2 0.208117 4 5.063291 6 5.454545

Asian 1 0.104058 1 1.265823 2 1.818182

White 21 2.185224 55 69.62025 76 69.09091

Hispanic 5 16.12903 14 17.72152 19 17.27273

Native 0 0 1 1.265823 1 0.909091

Biracial 2 6.451613 4 5.063291 6 5.454545

TOTAL 31

79

110


Helping major percentages by class: Criminal Justice, 16.3% (n=17), Counseling 0%

(n=0), Education 18.7%: (n=19), Nursing 26.4% (n=27), Psychology 30% (n=33), Social Work

13.2% (n=13), Sociology 0.09% (n=1)

The information relating to the university career services that were or were not utilized by

the students discovered that 26.3% (n=29) used career services. This qualitative information was

broken into male, female and transgender. Males .9% (n=10), females 17.2% (n=19), and

transgender 0% (n=0).

The majority of the participants that participated in Intern 2 Learn were males 2.27%

(n=3), female 1.8% (n=2), transgender 0% (n=0). The overall participation in this program was

4.5% (n=5). Which means that 95.4% (n=105) of the 110 students surveyed did not participate in

Intern 2 Learn program.

Out of the 110 surveys collected 0.9 % (n=1) received a stipend for internship.

Upon analyzing the data of how the males, females, and transgendered rated themselves on

utilizing soft skills. All participants rated themselves using a Likert scale of “Not at All,”

“Sometimes,” “Often,” and “Very Often.” Males rating themselves “Not at All” were 1.61%,

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

male

%

female

%

overall

%

RACIAL DEMOGRAPHIC

biracial native hispanic white asian black


“Sometimes” 16.02%, “Often” 39.21% and “Very Often” 44.45%, while the females rated

themselves “Not at All” .553%, “Sometimes” 12.46%, “Often” 36.31% and “Very Often”

44.62%. This data proves the hypothesis false that the male students of the participation will rate

themselves higher in utilizing soft skills. The differences between males and females were

insignificant at 0.165%.

The second hypothesis states junior and senior classmen will rate themselves with higher

(3 & 4 on the Likert scale) soft skills. According to the 32 quantitative questionnaire data, this

hypothesis proves true. Juniors and senior classmen rated themselves 85.94% higher than

freshmen and sophomores which rated themselves 80.15%.

1.6

16.0

36.3

43.8

.055

12.4

38.7

46.8

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Axis

Title

Axis Title

Male VS Female


Fresh Soph. Junior Senior

352 802 1189 1120

1154=32.78% 2309 =65.59%

Total # out

of 110

surveys

Total %

out of

100%

Freshman=1 11 10%

Sophomore=2 23 21%

Junior=3 41 37%

Senior=4 35 32%

Grad=5 0 0

Doctoral=6 0 0

10%

21%

37%32 %

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1

CLASS SELF -RATING


Strengths and Limitations

While conducting the research, there were a few strengths and limitations observed. A

strength the researchers experienced is the availability and willingness of the partnering

community agency (Career Services) to provide resources for the researchers to utilize. After

realizing the first attempt at collecting data was proving to be difficult, the community partner

provided resources as an attempt to collect data more effectively.

Another strength is the researchers’ ability to survey different helping professionals

rather than limiting data to the social work profession. In order to get a general idea of what

skills are being used and how often these skills are used, the data should be collected by more

than one area of work. By using data from five different helping professions the researchers can

observe a broader spectrum of soft skill utilization. A third strength or benefit for this research is

simply the length of the instrument used to collect data. For research using a qualitative method

to collect data, they might not have as many willing participants. By using a quantitative method

05

1015202530354045

CLASS STATUS

Total # out of 110 surveys Total % out of 100%


to collect data, the researchers run into a higher possibility of ready participants. Using a

quantitative survey keeps the researchers from having to condense a range of answers that would

be provided by the participants when using a qualitative survey.

A limitation of the research is the amount of data collected. By being limited to only

collecting one hundred surveys, the researchers were not able to collect data that is proportionate

to the population of the University. In order to gather accurate representation for the five majors

listed, the researchers would have needed to figure out the total number of students in each major

in proportion to the total number of students enrolled on campus.

Also, though the community partner was able to connect the researchers with professors,

communication turned out to be more difficult than expected. Both parties were busy and due to

the tight schedule, finding time to collect data from the specific classes took longer than

expected. The snowball method of collecting data proved to be the most effective but also the

most time consuming.

Ethical Considerations

The undergraduate research group who conducted the study underwent the Institutional

Review Board (IRB) approval process to ensure compliance with existing ethical standards. All

affiliates of the study (researchers/ investigators, research designers, data collectors, etc.) were

also required to take the online Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI). The training

provides information on the basis of appropriate and inappropriate usage of human subjects as

samples for research.

Additional steps were taken to ensure such compliances were upheld throughout the

duration of the study. In terms of participant protection and consent, individuals were informed

that participation was optional, and the choice to discontinue participation could be exercised at


any point. Discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, gender, religion, or sexual orientation were

not made. Apart from general demographic questions, no personally identifying questions were

included within the surveys to protect confidentiality. Gender sensitivity was also considered

when developing the survey; participants had the option to select from either male, female, or

transgender.

Implications for Social Work

The knowledge of soft skills and how to utilize them can affect anyone from the

individual seeking a job, to an institution administering such services to students. On the micro

level, soft skills are important to university students in search of a career. Studies have shown

that more employers are looking for soft skills in potential hires, however, employers do not

believe students are effective in utilizing these skills. Based on the above research 85% of

upperclassmen and 80% of underclassmen rated themselves as having the appropriate soft skills

sought by employers. Future studies could explore the disparities between student perception of

their possession and their implementation of them. It is beneficial to inform students about soft

skills and to provide resources to help improve them. The knowledge of soft skills can directly

affect the student being able to obtain an interview with an employer as well as being able to get

a job offer.

On a macro level, soft skills can affect an institution and how it educates its students. The

development of university career services is important to keep students informed on how to use

their skills to get a job and maintain employment. The research conducted found that only 26.3%

of students had participated in university career services, which demonstrates the need to

promote the programs offered by institutions. This level also includes advocacy for the students

as well as university career services. Helping professionals can advocate for more funds in order


to maintain the usage of career services for university students. They can also advocate for the

students in terms of improving the services and resources that are provided by an institution.

Overall, the study conducted proves the need for university career services and how

important they can be to a student’s success. Being able to identify and utilize soft skills is

imperative to individuals being able to attain interviews and keep jobs in the helping professional

field. During the research project, the researchers worked to promote career services and allow

students to learn about the resources that are offered on campus. When students are aware of

these services they are able to put them to use and remain successful, not only in school but after

graduation in the workforce.


References

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skills: What is important for new graduates? Washington, DC: Association of Public and

Land Grant Universities.

Finch, D. J., Hamilton, L. K., Baldwin, R., & Zehner, M. (2013). An explanatory study of factors

affecting undergraduate employability. Education & Training, 55(7), 681.

Malik, M. M. (2015). The legal void of unpaid internships: Navigating the legality of internships

in the face of conflicting tests interpreting the FLSA. Connecticut Law Review, 47(4),

1183-1214.

Pappas, C. (2013). The Adult Learning Theory-Andragogy-of Malcolm Knowles. eLearning

Industry.

Pullagurla, A. (2014). Six Top Facts about Adult Learning Theory. eLearning Industry.

Selingo, J. J. (2015, Jan 26). Why are so many college students failing to gain job skills before

graduation? The Washington Post. Retrieved from

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college-students-failing-to-gain job-skills-before-graduation/

Tillotson, K., & Osborn, D. (2012). Effect of a resume-writing workshop on resume-writing

skills. Journal of Employment Counseling, 49(3), 110-117.

Vedder, R., Dehart, C., Dehart, M., Matgoguranis, C., & Robe, J. (2015). From Wall Street to

Wal-Mart: Why college graduates are not getting good jobs. The Center for College

Affordability and Productivity, 1-12. Retrieved from

http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED536148.pdf


Ward, D. (2010). A methodology for applying Bloom’s taxonomy to increase instruction in the

reference interview. Reference Services Review, 39, 167-180. doi:

10.1108/00907321111108187

Wilhelm, W. J. (2004). Determinants of moral reasoning: Academic factors, gender, richness of

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