New Research: Teaching Soft Skills to CTE Students
A new foundry10 research study explores how soft skills are practiced and understood at a local career and technical education (CTE) school.
There has been growing recognition of the importance of soft skills in the workplace. According to economists and employers, non-technical “soft skills” like communication, critical thinking, and collaboration are vital for success in every area of the 21st-century workforce, including careers in trades, like construction or culinary arts, that also require strong technical skill preparation.
Employers want to hire and retain individuals with these competencies–like working well with others, taking initiative, and problem solving–because these skills can help companies and organizations succeed and evolve in a rapidly changing economy. Yet, employers are finding that recent graduates are not meeting soft skills needs, indicating a critical gap in career preparation for many young people today. To better understand this gap, we surveyed and interviewed students and teachers at a secondary career and technical education (CTE) school in the state of Washington.
The data set included 647 student survey responses, 23 teacher survey responses, 16 student interviews, and 10 teacher interviews. Surveys and interviews explored three primary questions:
- Are CTE teachers and students familiar with soft skills?
- How do students learn about and practice soft skills in their CTE programs?
- What challenges to teaching soft skills do CTE teachers experience?
Key Findings
Students are less familiar with soft skills than their teachers, but recognize their importance
Survey responses revealed that teachers are very familiar with soft skills. Nearly all teachers indicated being either “very familiar” or “familiar” with the term “soft skills” or “21st century skills” (96%). Interviews with teachers revealed that much of their understanding of soft skills comes from their prior work experiences and more current interactions with professionals in their industries.
Students on the other hand were less familiar with soft skills than their teachers. Around 60% of students were either “somewhat familiar,” “familiar,” or “very familiar” with soft skills, and the other roughly 40% reported having never heard of soft skills until the survey. However, the majority of students identified practicing skills like collaboration, critical thinking, and self-direction in their CTE courses.
The discrepancy between students’ familiarity with soft skills and their recognition of the importance of these skills suggests to us that the term “soft skills” may not be as widely used in the classroom as it is used in CTE industries and research and therefore a reason why it may be unfamiliar to students.
Project-based learning and work-like experiences are key to students’ soft skills development
Teachers facilitate a range of opportunities for students to learn about the importance of soft skills and develop soft skill competencies. Within the classroom, project-based learning, team-based activities, and work-like experiences appear to be effective ways to strengthen students’ skills.
Integrated activities that promote a positive classroom community are foundational to soft skills development. Interviews with teachers and students revealed that project-based learning and engaging in lessons and practice that mimic the real-world professional situations often encourage practice of multiple soft skills.
Decline in mental health and socialization opportunities during the pandemic challenge soft skills teaching
The study highlights a number of challenges teachers face in teaching soft skills to their students. The majority of teachers agreed or strongly agreed that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly altered the soft skills of students entering their CTE programs. Among the surveyed soft skills, communication (74%) and leadership and responsibility (74%) emerged as the top two skills that were influenced by the pandemic.
Teachers believe that the pandemic limited students’ opportunities to socialize and negatively impacted their overall mental health, which presented challenges to student engagement with soft skills practice in the classroom. A common sentiment among educators expressed was an uncertainty about how to adjust teaching, particularly in terms of balancing understanding and empathy with maintaining expectations for students so that they are set up for success after high school.
Considerations for Researchers
- Synthesize theories of skill development and education into a comprehensive framework for 21st century/soft skill development
- Develop measurement and assessment for CTE classrooms to improve alignment between teaching, learning, and industry needs
- Examine the impact of soft skills learning across subgroups
Learn more about the CTE Study
A full report on the findings from the study will be available this fall. Subscribe to foundry10’s monthly newsletter to be updated when findings are available and visit our website to learn more.
