Ahmad A.S. TABİEH, Hiba Y ABUZAGHA, Kazim A. Al GHOU

In-demand Soft Skills and Employability during and Post COVID-19: Evidence from EFL Teachers

The Interest in blending soft skills along with the cognitive ones in the EFL teaching field originates from dimensioning the drastic changes facing the world with the hit of the COVID-19. Eventually, EFL teachers are confronted with hostile situations that challenge individuals’ ability to adapt to the work environment. Employers and teachers in this particular field need to recognize this reality because they should be prepared to transform the classical approaches of education and respond by teaching strategies to mitigate these difficulties. Through the quantitative method, a questionnaire and a survey that 121 experienced employers and 250 teachers have responded to, this paper provides EFL teachers with a clear perception about their required soft skills acquisition degrees that are demanded by employers in the EFL teaching field. The results showed a strong availability degree in Communication and Time management. It also showed a significantly positive correlation between the acquisition of the in-demand soft skills and the EFL teachers’ performance. Moreover, this paper contributes in providing employers some practical strategies and tools to be utilized to enhance their EFL teachers’ soft skills acquisition, thus, enhancing the teaching-learning process.

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