Теория и методика профессионального образования | Мир педагогики и психологии №03 (104) Март 2025

Формирование мягких навыков в проектной деятельности

Федорова Татьяна Александровна
канд. филол. наук, заведующий кафедрой физической культуры, Астраханский государственный университет им. В. Н. Татищева, РФ, г. Астрахань
Рыбникова Ольга Леонидовна
доцент кафедры физической культуры, Астраханский государственный университет им. В. Н. Татищева, РФ, г. Астрахань

Аннотация: В статье анализируется практическая значимость курса по основам проектной деятельности как инструмента формирования мягких навыков (soft skills) у студентов - будущих учителей физической культуры. Целью работы является изучение эффективных методов развития таких навыков в проектной деятельности. Авторы предложили конкретные рекомендации и методики для эффективного развития soft skills. В статье описан опыт использования данной методики в образовательной среде. Исследование показало, что поэтапный подход к работе над проектом по физическому воспитанию способствует формированию волевых и лидерских качеств, социальных и когнитивных навыков. Было установлено, что проектная деятельность помогает студентам развить свои навыки публичных выступлений, умения работать в команде, критическое мышление, навыки поиска информации и разрешения конфликтов.
Ключевые слова: мягкие навыки, проект, проектная деятельность, критическое мышление, командная работа, студент, физическая культура.

Fedorova Tatiana Aleksandrovna
Cand. Sci. (Philology), head of the department of Physical Education, Astrakhan Tatischev State University, Russia, Astrakhan, 19fedorova19@mail.ru
Rybnikova Olga Leonidovna
assistant professor of Physical Culture Department, Astrakhan Tatischev State University, Russia, Astrakhan, oljafishtrade@rambler.ru

Abstract: The article analyses the practical significance of a course on the project activities basics as a tool for the soft skills formation among students - future physical education teachers. The purpose of the work is to explore the effective methods for developing soft skills in project activities. The authors offered specific recommendations and techniques for the effective soft skills’ development. The article describes the experience of using this technique in an educational environment. The study showed that a step-by-step approach to working on a physical education project promotes the formation of willpower, leadership, social and cognitive skills. Project activities have been found to help students develop their public speaking skills, team working abilities, critical thinking, information retrieval, and conflict resolution skills.
Keywords: soft skills, project, project activities, critical thinking, teamwork, student, physical culture.

Modern universities should provide students with the skills and abilities that will make them competitive in the labor-market and fill the needs with the economy, businesses, and employers. Universities are responsible for developing not only professional competencies known as hard skills but also soft skills. Scientists have recently started to recognize these skills as being even more important for effective professional performance.

Experts from Harvard, Stanford, and the Carnegie Endowment believe that soft skills play a crucial role in success in today's occupations. For instance, success in top management is based on soft skills (75%) and hard skills (only 25%). In some fields where leading large teams is essential, soft skills undoubtedly play a more significant role [4, р. 8].

Some domestic researchers also emphasize the importance of soft skills developing, which help graduates of higher education institutions become more competitive in the job market. Employers consider both professional competencies and extra knowledge and skills during hiring [1].

Higher educational courses offer various ways to form and develop soft skills. Project activities, in addition to discussions on problem-solving and role play games, stand out among them [2]. 

The course “Fundamentals of project activity” (project technologies) promotes the development of soft skills. In the process of working on a project, students should build effective communication skills, set goals, solve problems, create requirements for the results, plan their work, identify potential risks and ways to minimize them, and present the project results in a high-quality manner.

During the classes, students work on a project to develop the soft skills:

Volitional skills – time-management, perseverance, resilience and discipline.

Leadership skills – the ability to make decisions, work effectively in a team, resolve conflicts, and manage work effectively.

Social communication skills – the ability to speak publicly; emotional intelligence; acceptance of criticism; self-presentation skills.

Intellectual skills – critical thinking, the ability to see and solve a problem, creativity, attention to detail.

The process of developing soft skills continues throughout the entire project. When the improvement of certain skills occurs at a particular stage of the project, others are formed at another stage. For example, the distribution of roles and responsibilities takes place at the beginning of the process, motivation for searching for new resources arises during the stage when additional information is sought, the ability to make conclusions arises during the summarizing stage, and communication skills with the audience arise during the presentation of the project. When students carry out projects, they gain practical experience in organizing and implementing projects in the field of physical education and sport. They learn how to work as part of a team and contribute to the development of organizational skills and leadership skills [3]. And preparing students for teaching requires developing communication skills, critical thinking, continuous education, knowledge of information technology, teamwork, and leadership skills. Teacher training programs should focus on developing soft skills to increase graduates’ chances of finding employment.

Ability to work in a team is essential for the professional development of future physical education teachers, as it makes it easier for them to adapt to a work team and become an active, full-fledged member. We form teams to work on projects in the field of physical education. These projects include organizing sports events for university students; creating sports clubs for specific sports; organizing group classes in new sports; holding lectures on healthy lifestyles; correct nutrition and exercise; organizing bike rides, etc. The work on these projects is cooperative and mutually beneficial, not competitive. The roles in the team are determined by the students themselves.

It is important, from the very beginning, to motivate students not only to develop their soft skills but also to solve professional problems. They should read specialized literature, look for non-standard solutions, and work on projects related to sports and physical education. Various methods are used to develop these skills, including interviews, surveys, observations during classes, and standard tests. These tests include tests for communication, time management, emotional intelligence, leadership, and teamwork skills.

At the end of the first year of study, at the end of the course “Fundamentals of project activity”, we conducted a survey of students, in which we asked to evaluate the soft skills that are most important for future physical education teachers. As a result of the survey of 28 first-year students, the following results were revealed:

1. Social communication skills (the ability to speak publicly; emotional intelligence; acceptance of criticism; self-presentation skills) 33 % of the students ranked first;

2. On the second most important place were Intellectual skills (critical thinking, the ability to see and solve a problem, creativity, attention to detail) with a score of 25 %;

3. The third place with the same result was divided by 21 % Volitional skills (time-management, perseverance, resilience and discipline) and Leadership skills (the ability to make decisions, work effectively in a team, resolve conflicts, and manage work effectively).

The question “Do you think that the course “Fundamentals of project activity” helps to form soft skills”? was answered affirmatively by 68% of the respondents, negatively by 11% of the respondents and 21% of the respondents found it difficult to answer.

The same students in the 3^rd year (27 students, because one student was expelled) were asked to the same questions. When comparing the responses of the 1^st and 3^rd year students, the following differences were revealed. When asked about the soft skills that are most important for physical education teachers, the places were distributed as follows:

1. Intellectual soft skills (9 respondents, i.e. 33 %);

2. Social communication skills (8 respondents, i.e. 30 %);

3. Leadership skills (6 students, and that's almost 22 %);

4. Volitional skills (4 students, or 15 %).

When asked if the project activity course helps to develop these skills, 81% (22 students) answered in the affirmative, the rest found it difficult to answer, there was no negative answer at all.

The data obtained suggests that participation in project activities actively develops soft skills. A comparative analysis of the soft skills of 1st and 3^rd year students showed that the importance of project activities for soft skills is increasing and there is an awareness that participation in project activities really forms the skills needed by the future specialist (Fig. 1).

Figure 1. Comparative characteristics of soft skills assessment

When comparing students, it was revealed that there are differences between the assessment of soft skills in the 1^st and 3^rd year of study. It was also noticed that the 3^rd year students placed all the skills almost evenly, without highlighting the most significant ones.

Assessing students' soft skills is an important part of project work and education in general. At the beginning of their university studies, students have the opportunity to further develop their soft skills if necessary.

To sum up, project activities allow students to not only to test their professional knowledge gained during the study of disciplines, but also to effectively develop their soft skills necessary for future success. Working on projects with the goal of creating a potential pedagogical environment provides students with an opportunity to develop valuable soft skills through practice. Thus, students develop teamwork, leadership, social, cooperation skills, self-confidence, decision-making and public speaking skills.

1. Zakotnova P.V. Project work as a way of integrated development of university students’ soft skills // Modern high technologies. 2023. No. 7. pp. 150-154.
2. Vranchan E.V. The course “The logic and critical thinking” course as a tool for developing soft skills in students // Problems of modern education. 2023. No. 1. pp. 31-41.
3. Fedorova T.A. Development of project activity skills for future physical education teachers // Pedagogical research. 2024. Issue 1. pp. 87-100.

List of sources
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