Exploring the importance of soft skills during the learning process

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Published: Jan 21, 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/hjre.32150
Keywords:
Soft skills, intrapersonal, interpersonal and socio-emotional skills, Sostra scale
Nektaria Palaiologou
Hellenic Open University
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9647-4507
Zoi Karanikola
University of Patras
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6484-4646
Abstract

Rapid demographic changes, intense immigration flows, the advent of the 4th industrial revolution and globalization are some of the most important factors shaping the modern way of learning and education. This research seeks to investigate, through the use of the Sostra scale, the opinions of 159 (N) students and teachers, 105 at undergraduate level, and 54 teachers at postgraduate level who also have the educator’s profile, regarding the soft skills they regard as mostly important during the learning process. The convenience sampling process was followed and data analysis was conducted by using the IBM SPSS v.28 software. The internal consistency of the questionnaire was tested by calculating the Cronbach's Alpha which was high (0.932>0.70). The results of the survey demonstrate that for both groups the three sub-categories of soft skills - intrapersonal, interpersonal and socio-emotional - are considered to be very important. Statistically significantly different responses were observed related to the age and to the status (undergraduate or postgraduate) of the participants.

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