VOlUME 06 ISSUE 03 MARCH 2023
Amelia A. Calfoforo
2 Carlos Hilado Memorial State University, Mabini Street, Talisay City, Negros Occidental, Philippines
DOI : https://doi.org/10.47191/ijsshr/v6-i3-22Google Scholar Download Pdf
ABSTRACT
This paper aimed to determine the extent of practice of the soft skills of student interns along the dimensions, namely: collaboration, communication, creativity, critical thinking, leadership, and selfregulation. Specifically, this paper purposed to ascertain significant differences in the extent of practice of the soft skills of student interns along the aforementioned dimensions and when they were grouped according to sex, program, and campus. Furthermore, the challenges that the student interns encountered in the acquisition of soft skills were also identified. The respondents were the 345 student interns of Carlos Hilado Memorial State College enrolled during the School Year 2018-2019. Employing the descriptivecomparative research design, a researcher-made questionnaire was used to gather data about the soft skills of the respondents. Mean, Independent Samples t-test, One-Way ANOVA, and frequency were used to gather data. The findings reveal that the extent of practice of the six soft skills among student interns when they were taken as a whole was high. There was no significant difference in the extent of practice of the six soft skills when they were classified according to sex. However, there was a significant difference in the extent of practice of the six soft skills when they were classified according to campus and college. The top five challenges that the student interns encountered in the acquisition of soft skills were lack of selfconfidence, fear of committing mistakes, fear of being laughed at, being anxious about others’ impressions or reactions, and lack of confidence in their knowledge or abilities.
KEYWORDS:Soft Skills, Employable Skills, Student Interns
REFERENCES
1) Acosta, P., et al. (2017). Developing Socioemotional Skills for the Philippines’ Labor Market. Retrieved September 5, 2018, from https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/109 86/28381
2) Ahmad, B.. et al. (2018). Does accounting internship affect students’ knowledge, soft skills and personal quality? Advanced Science Letters, Volume 24, Number 4, pp. 2252-2256(5). Retrieved May 24, 2019, from https://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/asp/asl/2018/00000024/00000004/art00018?crawler=true&mimetype=application/pdf
3) Ai-Hwa, Q. (2005) Learning for the Workplace: A Case Study in Graduate Employees Generic Competencies. Journal of Workplace Learning, 17, 231-242.http://doi. org/10.1108/13665620510597185
4) Aring, M. (2015). ASEAN Economic Community 2015: Enhancing competitiveness and employability through skill development. Asia-Pacific Working Paper Series, page 9. Retrieved from https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---asia/---ro-bangkok/ documents/publication/wcms_344796.pdf
5) Babayi K. et al. (2013). The Study Efficacy of Time Management Training on Increase Academic Time Management of Students. Procedia Volume 84, 9 July 2013,Pages 134- 138. Retrieved Sept. 15, 2018, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/ S1877042813015905
6) Bandura, A. (2006b). Toward a psychology of human agency. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 1(2), 164.
7) Bandura, A.(2006a). Autobiography. MG Lindzey & WM Runyan (Eds.), A history of psychology in autobiography (Vol. IX). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association
8) Bannister, R. (2000). Social Darwinism. Retrieved February 27, 2019, from
http://auto \cww.colorado.edu/~toldy2/E64ContentFiles/SociologyAndReform/Social Darwinism.html
9) Barrows, C., & Walsh, J. (2002). Bridging the gap between hospitality management programs and the privateclub industry. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 14(3), 120-127.http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/0959611 0210424411
10) Basu, S. (2016). Women are better at using soft skills crucial for effective leadership: Research. Retrieved May 24, 2019 from https://economictimes.indiatimes .com/jobs/women-are-better-at-using-soft-skills-crucial-for-effective-leadership research/articleshow/51305130.cms?from=mdr
11) Beghetto, R. A. (2009). Correlates of intellectual risk taking in elementary school science. Journal Research in Science Teaching, 46(2), 210-223.
12) “Campus” (first para, 2019). Retrieved May 24, 2019 from https://dictionary.cambridge .org/us/dictionary/english/campus
13) Care, E., Kim, H., Anderson, K., and Gustafsson-Wright, E. (2017). Skills for a changing World: national perspectives and the global movement. Retrieved September 5, 2018 from https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/global-20170324-skills-for-achanging-world.pdf
14) Chui, L. et al. (2016). Assessing Students’ Knowledge and Soft Skills Competency in the Industrial Training Programme: The Employers’ Perspective. Review of European Studies, Volume 8, Number 1. Retrieved from https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/4298 4976.pdf
15) “College” (first para, 2019). Retrieved May 24, 2019 from https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/ definition/college
16) Commission on Higher Education (2013). Revised Guidelines for Student Internship Abroad Program (CMO 22). Retrieved Sept. 2, 2018, from https://ched.gov.ph/ wpcontent/uploads/2017/10/CMO-No.-22-s2013.pdf
17) Commission on Higher Education (2017). Revised Guidelines for Student Internship Program in the Philippines (SIPP) for All Programs (CMO 104). Retrieved September 2, 2018, from https://ched.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/CMO-NO-104-S2017.pdf.
18) Crosbie, R. (2005). Learning the soft skills of leadership. Industrial and Commercial Training, 37(1), 45-51
19) Dalgarno, B. (2001). The Potential of 3D Virtual Learning Environments: A Constructivist Analysis. Retrieved April 3, 2019 from
https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fpdfs.semanticscholar.org%2F49bd%2F25d868ed0a5701c7a58a5a262e3703df9ef2.pdf
%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR0jQkgATqcs4RxtodZTxFibadYwvWqGvaFsYFb17mjAn1gAE4HGgv6wwY&h=AT2gXs3PLtQyH_H_qXRz
SvyVO5BIpvfdirQsbxglPhCHwi3m0ijrrEMV3iviVOoJOp13Px6_KQWvDFpd1muPTqi8GMJznkspnJUghOEJ9RK9or
IxNJR1acQs_dmtOt05yVs
20) Edinyang, S.D. (2016). The Significance of Social Learning Theories in the Teaching of Social Studies Education. International Journal for Sociology and Anthropology Research, Vol. 2, No. 1, pages 40-45. Retrieved April 3, 2019 from file:///C:/Users/User/Downloads/Documents/The-Significance-of-Social-LearningTheories-in-the-Teaching-of-Social-Studies-Education.pdf
21) Ennis, R. H. (1985). A logical basis for measuring critical thinking skills. Educational Leadership, 43(2), 44–48.
22) Facione, P. A. (2000). The disposition toward critical thinking: Its character, measurement, and relation to critical thinking skill. Informal Logic, 20(1), 61–84.
23) Fullan, M. (2013). Great to excellent: Launching the next stage of Ontario’s education agenda. Toronto: Ontario Ministry of Education. Retrieved from: www.edu.gov.on.ca/english/ document/reports/FullanReports EN 07.pdf
24) Gates, S. et al. (2016). Key soft skills for crosssectoral youth outcomes. Retrieved May 24, 2019 from https://www.fhi360.org/sites/default/files/media/documents/resource-soft-skillsreport.pdf
25) Gillies, R. M. (2003). The behaviors, interactions, and perceptions of junior high school students during small group learning. Journal of Eduactional Psychology 95(1), 137-147.
26) Ginsburg-Block, M. D., Rohrbeck, C. A., & Fantuzzo, J. W. (2006). A meta analytic review of social, self-concept, and behavioral outcomes of peer-assisted learning. Journal of Educational Psychology, 98(4), 732–749.
27) Halpern, D. F. (1998). Teaching critical thinking for transfer across domains:Dispositions, skills, structure training, and metacognitive monitoring.American Psychologist, 53(4), 449–455.
28) Heathfield, S. (n.d.). “Student intern.” Retrieved May 24, 2019, from https://www. thebalancecareers.com/what-are-interns-and-internships-1918155.
29) Hirsch, R.G.A. (2017). Gender differences in the performance of black high school students in job interviews. Retrieved February26,2019, from
https://repository.library.georgetown.edu/bitstream/handle/10822/1043975/Hirsch_georgetown_0076M_13629.pdf?sequence=1
30) Hursena, C., Kaplan. A, and Ozdalc, H. (2014). Assessment of Creative Thinking Studies in Terms of Content Analysis. Procedia, Volume 143, Pages 1177-1185. Retrieved September 15, 2018, from
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042 814045029.
31) International Program in Development Evaluation Training (2007). IPDET Handbook. Retrieved from https://www.measureevaluation.org/resources/training/capacitybuilding-resources/data-quality-portuguese/ANOSTRAGEM1.pdf.
32) Ismail, I., Ahmad, A.R., and Awang, M. (2017). A study of soft skills among polytechnic students. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 5, 295-311. Retrieved May 24, 2019 from https://file.scirp.org/pdf/JSS_2017082911295359.pdf
33) Kelly, P. (2016). Should we reframe how we think about physical activity and sedentary behavior measurement? Validity and reliability reconsidered. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. Retrieved September 15, 2018, from https://ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12966-016-0351-4.
34) Kouros C, Abrami PC, Glashan A, Wade A, editors. How do students really feel about working in small groups? The role of student attitudes and behaviors in cooperative classroom settings. annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, California; 2006: Citeseer.
35) Kslaring.no. (2019). Towards redefining 21st century competencies for ontario. Retrieved September 5, 2019 from https://www.kslaring.no/pluginfile.php/57624/mod_ page/content/1/21stCentury%20Competencies.pdf
36) Lai, E. and Viering, M. (2012). Assessing 21st century skills: Integrating research findings. Retrieved September 15, 2019 from https://images.pearsonassessments.com/images/tmrs/ Assessing_21st_Century_Skills_NCME.pdf
37) Lester, F. (2013). Thoughts About Research on Mathematical Problem-Solving Instruction. The Mathematics Enthusiast, Volume 10, Numbers 1 and 2. Pages 248-249. Retrieved September 15, 2018, https://scholarworks.umtfrom.edu /cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=12 67&context=tme
38) Life Skills and Citizenship Education Initiative Middle East and North Africa, Reimagining Life Skills and Citizenship Education in the Middle East and North Africa: A Four-Dimensional and Systems Approach to 21st Century Skills, 2017.Retrieved May 23, 2019, from file:///C:/Users/User/Downloads/Documents/ d816 129f- 5d08-40d1-9984-d587631 e1b14_report1.pdf
39) Lim, K. C. (2006). Coordinator’s reflection. Buletin Praktikum Pusat Praktikum, 1, 5-6.
40) Lipman, M. (1988). Critical Thinking-What can it be? Educatonal Leadership, 46(1),38-43
41) Losekoot, E., Lasten, E., Lawson, A. and Chen, B. (2018). The development of soft skills during internships: The hospitality student’s voice. Retrieved May 24, 2019 from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/22243534.2018.1553386
42) Mathur, A.K. (2017). The role of soft skills in enhancing employability of technical graduates: A study. International Journal on Emerging Technologies (Special Issue NCETST-2017) 8(1): 65-66(2017). Retrieved May 24, 2019 from https://www.researchtrend.net/ijet/pdf/ 16-F-758.pdf
43) Merritt, R.D. (2008). Student Internships. Research Starters Academic Topic Overviews, p. 1. Retrieved from https://www.ebscohost.com/uploads/imported/thisTopic-dbTopic-072.pdf.
44) Nabavi, R. (2012). Bandura's Social Learning Theory & Social Cognitive Learning Theory. [online] Research Gate. Retrieved March 24, 2019 from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267750204_Bandura's_Social_Learning_Theor y_Social_Cognitive_Learning_TheoryNewman, T. (2018). “Sex.” Retrieved May 24, 2019 from https://www.medicalnews today.com/articles/232363.php
45) Ngang, T.K., Mohamed, S.H., and Kanokorn, S. (2017). Soft Skills Of Leaders And School Improvement In High Performing Schools Retrieved May 23, 2019 from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042815029195
46) Nizar, N. (2005) Technical Skills Personality of Graduates from National Youth Skills Institution (IKBN). Master’s Thesis, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia. “Overview of Descriptive Research” (n.d.). Center for Innovation in Research and Teaching. Retrieved September 5, 2018, from
https://cirt.gcu.edu/research/developmentresources/research_ready/descriptive/overview
47) Ozkan, H., Dallia, M., Bingolb, E., Metinc, S.C., and Yaralib, D. Examining the relationship between the communication skills and self-efficacy levels of physical education teacher candidates. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 152 (2014) 440-445. Retrieved February 26, 2019, from https://ac.els-dn.com/S1877042814052951/1-s2.0-S1877042814052951-main.pdf?_tid=74750840-bc88-4486-97812094e1a3e1c6&acdnat=1551154831_0fb1ed8d130543c42f2bc0cef981d9d3
48) Patacsil, C. and Tablatin, L. (2017). Exploring the Importance of Soft and Hard Skills as Perceived by IT Internship Students and Industry. Journal of Technology and Science Education. Retrieved September 15, 2018, from https://files.eric.ed.gov/ /fulltext/EJ1156115.pdf
49) Paul, R. W. (1992). Critical thinking: What, why, and how? New Directions for Community Colleges, 1992(77), 3–24.
50) Petrone, P. (201). The Skills Companies Needed Most in 2018 – And The Courses to Get Them. Retrieved September 5, 2018 from https://learning.linkedin.com/blog/top- skills/theskills-companies-need-most-in-2018--and-the-courses-to-get-t
51) Plucker, J. A., Beghetto, R. A., & Dow, G. T. (2004). Why isn’t creativity more important to educational psychologists? Potentials, pitfalls, and future directions in creativity research.Educational Psychologist, 39(2), 83-96.
52) Rajapakse, R. (2016). Importance of soft skills in improving the employability of graduates of National Universities in Sri Lanka. Retrieved September 5, 2018 from
https://poseidon01.ssrn.com/delivery.php?ID=43001706501708809508809110209907007800800608808603907411903008306609301
212706712409200000310602301702511012311210100710512110502803506806200808300201900500708911
002808803701812602612010202508901300001709308711310402409900711412306908112700510100
7115022&EXT=pdf
53) Raman, M. (2014). Interpersonal Communication as an Essential Ingredient of Organizational bonding. Retrieved September 15, 2018, from http://eltweekly.com/2014/06/research- paper-interpersonal-communication-as-an-essential- ingredient-of-organizationalbonding-by-meenakshi-raman/
54) Ravindran, K. And Bandara C. (2015). Factors Affecting Acquisition of Soft Skills and the Level of Soft Skills Among University Undergraduates (With Special Reference to Management Students of Rajarata University of Sri Lanka). The International Research Symposium Rajarata University of Sri Lanka. Retrieved February 26, 2019 from http://repository.rjt.ac.lk:8080/bitstream/handle/1234 56789/740/538-545.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
55) Rodriguez, J.C. (2015, March 24). What do employers look for in new graduates? ABS- CBN News Online. Retrieved September. 9, 2108 from https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/ 03/24/15/what-do-employers-look-new-graduates
56) Russ, S. W. (1996). Development of creative processes in children. New Directions for Child Development, 72, 31-42
57) Sahrir, M.S. et al. (2016). An evaluation of internship programme in improving graduate skills and marketability among Arabic language students in IIUM from the perspective of Malaysian job market. Journal of Education and Human Development,Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 206-212. Retrieved May 25, 2019 from http://jehdnet.com/journals/jehd/Vol_5_No_1_ March_2016/21.pdf
58) Schmidt, M. (2000). Learning From Teaching Experience: Dewey’s Theory and Preservice Teachers’ Learning. Journal of Research in Music Education. Retrieved February 27, 2019, from
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.830.2862&rep= rep1&type=pdf
59) Stack, K. and Fede, J. (2017). Internships as a Pedagogical Approach to Soft-skill Development. Retrieved September 15, 2018 from https://www.naceweb.org /career-readiness/internships/internships-as-a-pedagogical-approach-to-soft-skill development/
60) Sternberg, R. J. (2010). Teaching for creativity. In R. A. Beghetto & J. C. Kaufman (Eds.),Nurturing Creativity in the Classroom (pp. 394–414), New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
61) Sugawara, A., Ishikawa, K. Motoya, R., Kobayashi, G., Moroi, Y., and Fukushima, T. (2017). Characteristics and gender differences in the medical interview skills of Japanese medical students. Retrieved May 24, 2019 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/ articles/PMC5505905/
62) Society for Human Resource Management and Mercer (2016). Entry Level Applicants Job Survey. Retrieved September 9, 2018, from
https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/trends-andforecasting/research-andsurveys/Documents/EntryLevel_Applicant_Job_Skills _Survey.pdf
63) Tindal, G. & Nolet, V. (1995). Curriculum-based measurement in middle and high schools: Critical thinking skills in content areas. Focus on Exceptional Children, 27(7), 1–22.
64) Treffinger, D. J., & Isaksen, S. G. (2005). Creative problem solving: The history, development, and implications for gifted education and talent development. Gifted Child Quarterly, 49(4), 342-353.
65) Van Tassel-Baska, J., & MacFarlane, B. (2009). Enhancing creativity in the curriculum. In Shavinina, L.V. (Ed.), International handbook on giftedness (pp. 1061-1083). Netherlands: Springer.
66) Vijayalakshmi, V. (2016). Soft Skills-The Need of the Hour for Professional Competence: A Review on Interpersonal Skills and Intrapersonal Skills Theories [Abstract]. International Journal of Applied Engineering Research, 11(4), 2859-2864. Retrieved Sept. 5, 2018, from
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/2ff4//baed1a5942d4461 10017d9445d538922e234.pdf.
67) Washor, K.S. (2015). Bridging the soft skill gap from education to employment through internships. Retrieved May 24, 2019 from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org /b643/54b64747b03950d36907eb1e1852809faa15.pdf
68) Williams, A. (2015). Soft Skills Perceived by Students and Employers as Relevant
69) Employability Skills. Retrieved from
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent ..cgi?article=2426&context=dissertations
70) Willingham, D. T. (2007). Critical Thinking: Why Is It So Hard to Teach? American Educator, 31, 8-19. Retrieved May 23, 2019 from http://www.aft.org/sites/default/ files/periodicals/Crit_Thinking.pdf
71) Zimmerman, B.J. (2001). Theories of Self-Regulated Learning and Academic Achievement: An Overview and Analysis. Retrieved March 25, 2019 from https://cehs.unl.edu/secd/selfregulation/