Open AccessINCULCATION OF SOFT SKILLS THROUGH CREDITED CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES AMONG STUDENTS
Author(s) -
Izwan Nizal Mohd Shaharanee,
Jastini Mohd Jamil,
Hussin Abdullah,
Azlizan Taib
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
international journal of education, psychology and counseling
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 0128-164X
DOI - 10.35631/ijepc.644003
Subject(s) - soft skills , excellence , likert scale , medical education , psychology , curriculum , scale (ratio) , skills management , mathematics education , pedagogy , medicine , developmental psychology , physics , quantum mechanics , political science , law
Education in Malaysia is an ongoing effort towards further developing the potential of individuals in a holistic and integrated manner to produce individuals who are intellectually, spiritually, emotionally, and physically balanced and harmonious, based on a firm belief in and devotion to God. This aspiration will not be successful if the emphasis is only given to academic excellence alone. Therefore, the co-curricular activities should also be embedded towards Higher Education Institutions (HEI) students in cultivating soft skill. Various co-curricular activities have been implemented at the university to offer valuable soft skills to students. But it is still a question how these soft skills are implemented, and how are the students' acceptance and understanding of the soft skills applied. Therefore, this study has been conducted to identify the effectiveness of students' soft skills after completing co-curricular activities. A questionnaire involving a total of 669 students was analysed. The result indicated the effectiveness of soft skills embedded within the co-curricular activities is high, with an average value of 5 (Likert Scale 1-7). However, some improvements are required to increase the effectiveness of soft skills to students. Co-curricular instructors/trainers need to have proper training on integrating soft skill in their courses. Providing good guidelines is vital to help the instructors/trainers develop suitable co-curricular activities for teaching delivery and evaluation. The instructors/trainers need to explain to students what soft skills they can obtain for each activity implemented. Additionally, to ensure students acquire the soft skill, they need to reflect on what they have learned and practices during co-curricular activities.