Abstract

Soft skills are some of the skills needed to ensure that graduates fulfill the needs of the job market. Until 2010, almost 30% of unemployed graduates in Malaysia are technical graduates and one third comes are graduates from polytechnic. Most engineering graduates are proficient in technical skills but lack in soft skills. The lack of relevant knowledge among lecturers in order to identify appropriate ways and methods in the process of teaching and learning is one of the causes of lack in soft skills application. This study aims to identify the suitable teaching methods for the application of soft skills in the engineering programs for engineering students in Malaysian polytechnics. 488 students and 332 lecturers in engineering courses at the polytechnic had been questioned using questionnaires and interviews. The results showed that there is a relationship between the level of application of soft skills element with the teaching & learning methods used by lecturers. Based on these relationships, researchers had produced SoSTeM model as the model of application of soft skills for engineering students. Researchers also discovered that the use of teaching & learning methods for applying soft skills in engineering programs vary according to the elements of soft skills.

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