A Study of Soft Skills Acquisition of High School Students as Perceived by School Counselors

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the perceptions of high school counselors in rural area settings of South Carolina regarding how and to what extent soft skills are learned and applied in high school. In this research study, soft skills were generally defined as the skills necessary to succeed in the workforce, higher education, and life. The theory guiding this study was Daniel Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence theory (Goleman, 2005). The study examined three research questions. The overall research question: How and to what extent do guidance counselors in rural areas of South Carolina perceive soft skills are learned and applied in high schools? Along with two sub research questions: a. What strategies are used for soft skills training for high school students as perceived by high school guidance counselors? b. What are high school guidance counselors’ perceptions regarding student test results on the essential soft skills section of the South Carolina Ready to Work Assessment in rural high schools? The findings revealed the following themes: (a) high school counselor's perception of soft skills, (b) important soft skills, (c) how soft skills are developed, (d) desired soft skills, (e) effects of undeveloped soft skills, (f) soft skill strategies, (g) recommended strategies, (h) how soft skills are tested and measured, (i) who should be responsible for providing soft skill training, (j) resources at rural schools, and (k) the impact of COVID 19 pandemic. The findings were consistent with previous literature, which states that some students are fortunate enough to learn soft skills at school, but soft skills training should not be a matter of chance; it should be a deliberate school system design (Rotherham & Willingham, 2009).