Development and Validation of Soft Skills and Cognitive Strategies Scales for B.Ed. Students
Author : Selvendiran S and Dr. K Saileela
Abstract :
Soft skills and cognitive strategies are widely recognized as essential competencies for effective teaching and professional development among prospective teachers. In the present study, two research instruments—namely the Soft Skills Scale and the Cognitive Strategies Scale—were developed and validated specifically for B.Ed. students. Initially, a comprehensive review of related literature was undertaken to identify the major dimensions of soft skills and cognitive strategies relevant to teacher education. Based on these dimensions, a preliminary pool of items was prepared and reviewed by experts in education and psychology to ensure content validity. The tools were then administered to a pilot sample of B.Ed. students. Item analysis was carried out using the upper 27% and lower 27% group method to determine the discriminating power of each item. Based on the results, 30 suitable items were selected for each scale. The reliability coefficients obtained were 0.83 for the Soft Skills Scale and 0.82 for the Cognitive Strategies Scale, indicating that the instruments are valid and highly reliable for research purposes.
Keywords :
Soft skills, Cognitive strategies, Teacher education, Scale development, Validity, Reliability.
