Soft Skills of Prospective Teachers: An Empirical Study among B.Ed. Students
Author : Dr. K Saileela and Selvendiran S
Abstract :
The present study investigates the soft skills of B.Ed. students with reference to selected demographic variables. A descriptive survey method was adopted for the study. The sample comprised 300 B.Ed. students selected using a random sampling technique. Data were collected using a Soft Skills Scale developed by the investigator. The variables considered for the study included gender, age group, type of institution, location of institution, stream of study, and medium of instruction. The data were analyzed using t-test and ANOVA.
The results of the study revealed a significant difference in the soft skills of B.Ed. students with respect to gender, age group, location of institution, stream of study, and medium of instruction. Female students, students in the 26–30 years age group, students studying in urban institutions, science stream students, and English medium students exhibited higher levels of soft skills. However, no significant difference was found in the soft skills of B.Ed. students with respect to the type of institution. The findings highlight the need to integrate soft skills training into teacher education programmes to enhance professional competence and employability of prospective teachers.
Keywords :
Soft Skills, Prospective Teachers, Teacher Education, Demographic Factors.
