The Necessity of Nuance in Education: Exploring the Need for the Explicit Teaching of Soft Skills at the High School Level

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dc.contributor.advisorAlonzo, Julie
dc.contributor.authorNorth, Stephen
dc.date.accessioned2024-01-09T22:35:30Z
dc.date.available2024-01-09T22:35:30Z
dc.date.issued2024-01-09
dc.description.abstractHigh school students depend on school to provide the skills needed to attend a post-secondary institution or enter the work force directly upon graduation. However, high school curriculum standards may not align with the skillset demanded of the students post-high school. In prioritizing skills by curriculum standards, schools inevitably privilege certain skills and oppress others, creating hierarchies of importance that are predominantly weighted towards “cognitive/hard” skills as opposed to “non-cognitive/soft” skills. Based on post-high school demand from colleges/universities and professional settings, evidence suggests that the K-12 system, and especially the high school level, may benefit from a shift in the prioritization of hard skills towards soft skills. This descriptive study explored the necessity of the explicit teaching of soft skills at the high school level for the employability and subsequent internal promotability of graduating high school students by analyzing the perceptions of elementary, middle, and high school teachers alongside the perceptions of employers. The perceptions of individual teacher groups at different levels of the K-12 “education chain” allowed for analysis of some of the possible gaps in current prescribed-curriculum skill alignment. The perceptions of employers allowed for an analysis of skill demand post-high school in comparison to the K-12 prescribed-curriculum. In essence, this study provides a clearer picture as to where there might be possible gaps in curriculum for students that affect their employability after graduation.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1794/29118
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.publisherUniversity of Oregon
dc.rightsAll Rights Reserved.
dc.subjectcurriculum reformen_US
dc.subjecteducation policyen_US
dc.subjectintersectionalityen_US
dc.subjectreadinessen_US
dc.subjectskill literacyen_US
dc.subjectsoft skillsen_US
dc.titleThe Necessity of Nuance in Education: Exploring the Need for the Explicit Teaching of Soft Skills at the High School Level
dc.typeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation
thesis.degree.disciplineDepartment of Educational Methodology, Policy, and Leadership
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Oregon
thesis.degree.leveldoctoral
thesis.degree.nameD.Ed.

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