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A convergent mixed-methods design gathers quantitative and qualitative evidence from 348 trainees across ten randomly selected polytechnic colleges and from seven job creation and counselor officers via purposive sampling. Quantitative analysis uses descriptive statistics and inferential tests including independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, post-hoc comparisons, and regression, while qualitative data are examined through thematic analysis. Results indicate an average teaching status, no significant gender differences, and seven factors jointly predicting 79.6% of problem-solving and decision-making skills, with policy implications.",{"@graph":69,"@context":125},[70,84,104],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/the-status-of-teaching-soft-skills-in-the-polytechnic-colleges-of-ethiopia/603227/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":98,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":99,"interactionStatistic":100},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/the-status-of-teaching-soft-skills-in-the-polytechnic-colleges-of-ethiopia/603227.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"moss~","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":101,"interactionType":102,"userInteractionCount":4},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":103},"ViewAction",{"@type":105,"mainEntity":106},"FAQPage",[107,113,117,121],{"name":108,"@type":109,"acceptedAnswer":110},"What was the focus of the study on soft skills in Ethiopian polytechnic colleges?","Question",{"text":111,"@type":112},"The study examined trainees’ perceptions of the current status of teaching soft skills in polytechnic colleges in Ethiopia.","Answer",{"name":114,"@type":109,"acceptedAnswer":115},"What research method and sample were used to collect data?",{"text":116,"@type":112},"It used a convergent mixed-methods design with data from 348 trainees in ten polytechnic colleges and from seven job creation and counselor officers.",{"name":118,"@type":109,"acceptedAnswer":119},"What did the study find about the status of teaching soft skills and gender differences?",{"text":120,"@type":112},"The teaching status was at an average level, and there was no significant gender difference.",{"name":122,"@type":109,"acceptedAnswer":123},"Which factors were reported to predict problem-solving and decision-making skills?",{"text":124,"@type":112},"Seven factors predicted 79.6% of problem-solving and decision-making skills according to the findings.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":127,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":129,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":131,"site_id":62},603227,1792095927,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":134},{"doc_id":131,"user_id":135,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":136,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":137,"file_id":138,"file_url":139,"file_type":140,"file_size":141,"view_count":4,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":56,"language":142,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":143,"faqs":144,"seo_title":145,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":132,"read_time":146},962090895452,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_a8503ba1806abce46bf441b54a3ca4cd","THE STATUS OF TEACHING SOFT SKILLS IN THE POLYTECHNIC COLLEGES  \nOF ETHIOPIA  \nBEFEKADU ZELEKE KIDANE  \nYEKUNOAMLAK ALEMU WOLDEYOHANIS  \nDEMOZE DEGEFA ALEMU  \nAddis Ababa University, Ethiopia  \nABSTRACT  \nThe study explored trainees’perceptions ofthe current status of soft skills in polytechnic colleges in Ethiopia. A convergent mixed methods design was employed to conduct the study. Data were collectedfrom 348 sample trainees from ten polytechnic colleges selected using simple random sampling, and seven job creation and counselor officers selected using purposive sampling. The quantitative data were collected using a modified standardized Graduate Skills and Attributes Scale questionnaire developed by Coetzee (2012), and the qualitative data were collected using key informant interviews. The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as percentages and mean scores, while inferential statistics such as an independent t-test, a oneway ANOVA, post-hoc analysis for pairwise comparisons, and regression analysis were used. The qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Finally, the results revealed that the current status of teaching soft skills was at an average level with no significant gender difference. Besides, the findings disclosed that all seven factors predicted 79.6 % of the problem-solving and decisionmaking skills. Further policy implications of the findings are also indicated in the study.  \nBACKGROUND OF THE STUDY  \nThe United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the International Labor Organization (ILO) recommendation of 2000 defined Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) as a means of preparing youth for occupational fields and effective participation in the world of work (Oviawe, [et.al](et.al)., 2017). Graduates’ employability has become a research agenda, as most college graduates fail to get jobs. Like many other countries in the SubSaharan region, Ethiopia lacks the necessary resources to provide trainees with a broad foundation of skills that are required for getting employment in the formal sector (Afeti, 2017; Yamanda & Otchia, 2021) . The employability ofTVET graduates is not just about getting a job; it is about developing attributes, techniques, or experience for life (Hyams-Ssekas & Harvey, 2013). According to Trought (2011), a degree allows a graduate to enter the sector, but it is soft skills that will differentiate them from the crowd and make them more likely to secure the position. Raftopoulos [et.al](et.al).,(2009) suggest that as we are moving from an industrial to an information era in the world of work, workers are required to be able to use logical-abstract thinking to diagnose problems, research and apply knowledge, propose solutions, and design and implement those solutions.  \nThe term soft skills is interchangeably used with other terms such as transferable skills, generic skills, employability skills, behavioral skills, enterprise skills, key competencies, core skills, common skills, work skills, essential skills, and people skills (Abas-Mastura, [et.al](et.al), 2013; Abdullah et., 2024; Gill, 2018; Warwick & Howard, 2015; Yusoff et al., 2012) .  \nThe early concept of soft skills links soft skills to job readiness (Sung et al., 2013). However, the work-oriented focus is increasingly linking the impact of soft skills to organizational outcomes, which in turn are linked to workers’ career mobility and wage gains (Gill, 2018) .  \nEducational Planning | Fall 2025 56 Vol. 32, No. 4  \nSimilarly, from the Ethiopian context, soft skills refer to skills, attitudes, and behaviors, other than technical capability, to capacitate people to participate and advance in the changing demands of the work setting and to remain an asset to employers (Salleh et al.,2017) . These are skills that cut across all jobs from entry-level to chief executive officer (Abas-Mastura, Imam & Osman, 2013) and that are necessary for both pers","cbCaihfUyriFulWE","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaihfUyriFulWE","pdf",305309,"English","# Abstract\n# Background of the Study\n## Definitions and relevance of TVET and employability\n## Meaning and terminology of soft skills\n## Conceptual links between soft skills and job readiness and outcomes\n## Classification and intervention areas for soft skills","[{\"question\":\"What was the focus of the study on soft skills in Ethiopian polytechnic colleges?\",\"answer\":\"The study examined trainees’ perceptions of the current status of teaching soft skills in polytechnic colleges in Ethiopia.\"},{\"question\":\"What research method and sample were used to collect data?\",\"answer\":\"It used a convergent mixed-methods design with data from 348 trainees in ten polytechnic colleges and from seven job creation and counselor officers.\"},{\"question\":\"What did the study find about the status of teaching soft skills and gender differences?\",\"answer\":\"The teaching status was at an average level, and there was no significant gender difference.\"},{\"question\":\"Which factors were reported to predict problem-solving and decision-making skills?\",\"answer\":\"Seven factors predicted 79.6% of problem-solving and decision-making skills according to the findings.\"}]","THE STATUS OF TEACHING SOFT SKILLS IN THE POLYTECHNIC COLLEGES OF ETHIOPIA | PDF",48]