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Factors Determining Soft Skills Among Faculty Members of Higher Education Institutions

S.R. Karthick
Dr. R.Velmurugan
Ph.D. Research Scholar in Commerce, Karpagam Academy of Higher Education, Email -
srkarthick1989@gmail.com
Professor of Commerce, Karpagam Academy of Higher Education, Email -drvelsngm@gmail.com

Abstract
Soft skills have become an important part of the teaching practices and professional achievement in the higher education sector to complement the formal academic education and field knowledge. The current research focuses on the determinants of soft skills among the
faculty members of higher education institutions with the special focus on the identification of the main dimensions, which promote the development of soft skills. The 498 of the participants who were part of the faculty were surveyed on a structured questionnaire, and the data obtained were put through a factor analysis to reveal some latent patterns among the chosen soft-skill variables.The sphericity test by Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin and Bartlett test verified the suitability of the data in the factor analysis processes. The outcomes of the factor analysis revealed four different items as different components: Cognitive and Analytical Skill; Social and Self-Management Competencies,Collaborative and Relationship building Skill, and Personal Adaptability and Professional Maturity that explained 67.945‛ of the overall variance. The paper highlights the fact that faculty soft skills are multidimensional in character and that it is a product of individual and institutional factors. The results support a growing need of the structured programmes in the area of the improvement of the soft skills in order to increase the efficiency of teaching, the level of student engagement, and the overall quality of academic performance. The paper is able to give practical suggestions concerning faculty development, which includes systematic training, mentoring, reflective practice, performance-based incentives, and the development of a supportive institutional environment. This study will add to the limited amount of empirical literature in that field and will provide advice to the policymakers and institutions willing to incorporate soft-skill development into the policy and practice framework of higher education.

Keywords: Soft Skills, Higher Education Faculty, Teaching Effectiveness, Cognitive Skills, Interpersonal Skills, Emotional Intelligence, and Professional Development.