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Generic Skills Needed to Produce Human Capital with "First Class Mentality"
Abstract
Generic skills are the general skills, qualities, knowledge, abilities and traits a person should possess to succeed in one's studies and career. These skills are not specific but are skills which cut horizontally across all industries and vertically across all job from entry level to chief executive officer. It is beginning to be broadly accepted that the contemporary workplace is characterized by continuous change. One impact of the transformation is that lifelong learning has been identified as a means of developing human capital. It is widely believed that such dimensions of performance as learning, innovation and enterprise can be enhanced by placing greater emphasis on generic skills in teaching and learning process. The objectives of the study are to produce human capital with "first class mentality", identify the generic skills required to produce human capital with "first class mentality", incorporate the generic skills in the process of teaching and learning, assess the development of generic skills and discuss the barriers in teaching and learning generic skills. There are several reasons for the current perceived importance of the generic skills, the primary one being employment and industry-driven. To incorporate generic skills in teaching and learning, there are two approaches can be implemented that is diffusion model approach and infusion model approach. The other reasons are the need to remain competitive, need to acquire new knowledge in. a knowledge-based world and the need to socialize and interact in an inter-dependent world.
... Good communication skills support other added values (Morshidi et al., 2011;Lim and Muszafarshah, 2013;Lim and Normizan, 2004;Lim, 2007;Lim, 2010;and Lim, 2011). Good communication skills help employees to conduct themselves well in complicated working situations (Mohd Sahandri & Saifuddin, 2009;Yassin et al., 2008;and Nabi & Bagley, 1998). Even the Australian Chamber of Commerce has ascertained that professional workers are required to have proficiency in a variety of generic skills (Mohd Sahandri & Saifuddin, 2009). ...
... Good communication skills help employees to conduct themselves well in complicated working situations (Mohd Sahandri & Saifuddin, 2009;Yassin et al., 2008;and Nabi & Bagley, 1998). Even the Australian Chamber of Commerce has ascertained that professional workers are required to have proficiency in a variety of generic skills (Mohd Sahandri & Saifuddin, 2009). ...
... Finally, this study complements previous research and fills in the information gap in current literature by designing a framework to define the PCS in English. Studies conducted previously in Malaysia have looked at the generic and soft skills for undergraduates in HE institutions (Abdul Karim et al., 2012;Othman, 2012;Rasul, Puvanasvaran, & Keroh, 2009;Sahandri & Hamzah, 2009;Shakir, 2009;Yassin, 2008). All of these did include communication skills in English as an important skill for Malaysian undergraduates to master during their time in HE institutions. ...
... 1, which highlighted the lacking of professional communication skills in English by the current graduates is noticeably a big concern from all stakeholders. This proves the concern highlighted earlier (Kassim & Ali, 2010;Pandian & Abd Ghani, 2005;Sahandri & Hamzah, 2009;Sirat et al., 2007; still exists and the issue of PCS in English has not been solved. ...
Malaysian employers have considerable reservations when it comes to graduates’ employability skills, particularly their flawed English language competence. Given the challenges faced by higher education institutions in Malaysia to match employers’ requirements, there is a need to initiate holistic and comprehensive research on the curriculum practices of current English for Occupational Purposes (EOP) courses. This study sought to better comprehend employers’ perspectives, expectations and practices in dealing with the English language demands of the workplace environment. The requirements demanded by Malaysian employers will determine the key definition of professional communication skills for successful workplace functions.
The aim of this study was twofold. Firstly, it intended to define Professional Communication Skills (PCS) by looking at the needs and requirements of Malaysian stakeholders, namely employers, the government and academia. This component explores the requirements, suggestions as well as common practices in relation to English language communication carried out at the workplace in the public and private sectors in Malaysia as voiced by the stakeholders. These valuable facts will help to fulfil the fundamental objective of this study, which is to determine the key definition of professional communication skills identified by Malaysian stakeholders for successful workplace functions. A clearly defined Professional Communication Skills Framework in English is aimed for at the end of this study. Secondly, it also aims to produce an informed, impartial and highly valid PCS framework for English by having the stakeholders thoroughly involved in creating meaning and amending the components within the framework during the validation stage of the study. Additionally, in order to make sure that the framework is not only valid but also achievable, a few experts in the field of teaching English in higher education have looked through the framework thoroughly.
This qualitative study sits within the interpretivist paradigm, where data were primarily drawn from in-depth interviews with 24 respondents in the following subgroups: 1) human resource managers from key multi-national industries (10 respondents); 2) government executives who recruit entry-level employees for public sector (4 respondents) and; 3) EOP instructors and HE liaison officers for industrial training (10 respondents). The data were subjected to rigorous deductive and iterative analysis in which soft systems methodology (SSM) was applied. To assure the rigour, integrity and legitimacy of the research process and its worth, trustworthiness criteria were applied all the way through the study.
Key findings of the study centre on the complexities of graduates’ English language workplace literacies, where it was discovered that the balance of breadth and depth of communicative competence should be embedded throughout the system of education, as early as in pre-primary education. Contrary to expectations, the findings illustrate that graduates’ personal attributes were rated more important than communicating fluently in the English language. Stakeholders compellingly proposed that these attributes should be stressed during the teaching and learning process in HE institutions and observable measures should be designed to assess the graduates’ personal attributes that are desired by stakeholders. The findings also stress the dire need to put emphasis on fluency over accuracy in the HE curriculum.
This study has yielded findings that make an original contribution to both the theory and practice of English language literacies since it adds to the broader view of workplace literacies by unveiling the requirements for English language used in a professional setting situated in a Malaysian context. This study has provided conclusive evidence by documenting Malaysian stakeholders’ requirements regarding the workplace literacies of graduates, scrutinising the findings and developing a practical PCS framework for English, using a Communication Competence Model (Morealle, Spitzberg and Barge, 2007) as its point of departure. These outcomes are especially beneficial for informing policy makers’ agendas in producing competent graduates for the future local and global workforce.
... Sehingga tidak menutup kemungkinan bahwa mahasiswa biologi harus memiliki kemampuan pengoperasian matematika, pengukuran, dan pemodelan ketika dihadapkan pada persoalan-persoalan di situasi nyata ketika belajar biologi. Selain itu, terdapat beberapa elemen yang harus dimiliki oleh mahasiswa biologi, di antaranya adalah keterampilan dalam berhitung, memecahkan masalah, dan kemampuan berkomunikasi dan terampil dalam mengolah data kuantitatif [7] . Ketika seseorang mempelajari informasi yang baru, maka informasi yang didapat tersebut akan diproses dalam memori kerjanya (working memory) [8] . ...
Literasi kuantitatif merupakan kemampuan nalar seseorang dalam mengendalikan situasi atau menyelesaikan masalah dengan melibatkan berbagai informasi kuantitatif. Anatomi Tumbuhan merupakan salah satu mata kuliah di Jurusan Pendidikan Biologi yang memiliki potensi besar untuk dikembangkan menjadi satu mata kuliah yang dapat menunjang pengembangan literasi kuantitatif mahasiswa. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian deskriptif yang bertujuan untuk menganalisis kemampuan mahasiswa dalam melakukan analisis informasi kuantitatif dalam anatomi tumbuhan dan menentukan hubungannya dengan usaha mental mahasiswa dalam memahami materi (kuantitatif) anatomi tumbuhan. Penelitian dilakukan selama satu semester perkuliahan. Kemampuan analisis informasi diukur dengan menggunakan instrumen yang berisi pertanyaanpertanyaan terkait dengan apa dan bagaimana informasi yang diterima dalam perkuliahan, sedangkan usaha mental diukur dengan menggunakan angket subjective rating scale berbasis skala Likert, berisi pernyataan-pernyataan tentang upaya mahasiswa dalam memahami informasi (kuantitaif) yang diterima dalam perkuliahan. Data kemampuan analisis informasi dan usaha mental yang diperoleh direpresentasikan dalam bentuk grafik untuk diinterpretasikan. Hubungan antara kedua data dianalisi melalui uji korelasi. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan rata-rata kemampuan analisis informasi mahasiswa sebesar 75,5 dan nilai rata-rata usaha mentalnya sebesar 2,4. Dari hasil uji statistik diketahui korelasi antara kemampuan analisi informasi dengan usaha mental berbanding terbalik (-0,24; α > 0,05). Nilai korelasi yang negatif menunjukkan kemampuan analisis informasi mahasiswa dapat membantu mengurangi usaha mental dalam perkuliahan anatomi tumbuhan untuk menunjang literasi kuantitatif.
Kata kunci : Literasi kuantittatif, Analisis informasi, Usaha mental
... Sehingga tidak menutup kemungkinan bahwa mahasiswa biologi harus memiliki kemampuan pengoperasian matematika, pengukuran, dan pemodelan ketika dihadapkan pada persoalan-persoalan di situasi nyata ketika belajar biologi. Selain itu, terdapat beberapa elemen yang harus dimiliki oleh mahasiswa biologi, di antaranya adalah keterampilan dalam berhitung, memecahkan masalah, dan kemampuan berkomunikasi dan terampil dalam mengolah data kuantitatif [7] . Ketika seseorang mempelajari informasi yang baru, maka informasi yang didapat tersebut akan diproses dalam memori kerjanya (working memory) [8] . ...
Literasi kuantitatif merupakan kemampuan nalar seseorang dalam mengendalikan situasi atau menyelesaikan masalah dengan melibatkan berbagai informasi kuantitatif. Anatomi Tumbuhan merupakan salah satu mata kuliah di Jurusan Pendidikan Biologi yang memiliki potensi besar untuk dikembangkan menjadi satu mata kuliah yang dapat menunjang pengembangan literasi kuantitatif mahasiswa. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian deskriptif yang bertujuan untuk menganalisis kemampuan mahasiswa dalam melakukan analisis informasi kuantitatif dalam anatomi tumbuhan dan menentukan hubungannya dengan usaha mental mahasiswa dalam memahami materi (kuantitatif) anatomi tumbuhan. Penelitian dilakukan selama satu semester perkuliahan. Kemampuan analisis informasi diukur dengan menggunakan instrumen yang berisi pertanyaan-pertanyaan terkait dengan apa dan bagaimana informasi yang diterima dalam perkuliahan, sedangkan usaha mental diukur dengan menggunakan angket subjective rating scale berbasis skala Likert, berisi pernyataan-pernyataan tentang upaya mahasiswa dalam memahami informasi (kuantitaif) yang diterima dalam perkuliahan. Data kemampuan analisis informasi dan usaha mental yang diperoleh direpresentasikan dalam bentuk grafik untuk diinterpretasikan. Hubungan antara kedua data dianalisi melalui uji korelasi. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan rata-rata kemampuan analisis informasi mahasiswa sebesar 75,5 dan nilai rata-rata usaha mentalnya sebesar 2,4. Dari hasil uji statistik diketahui korelasi antara kemampuan analisi informasi dengan usaha mental berbanding terbalik (-0,24; α > 0,05). Nilai korelasi yang negatif menunjukkan kemampuan analisis informasi mahasiswa dapat membantu mengurangi usaha mental dalam perkuliahan anatomi tumbuhan untuk menunjang literasi kuantitatif.
This paper intends to highlight the issues in thinking skills development and efforts made in addressing these issues in Malaysia. The education system in Malaysia has undergone a huge transformational progress particularly in the field related to the development of thinking skill. Traditionally, thinking skill was not specifically cultivated in the education syllabus. What moved as a global agenda in the realm of education, thinking skill was embraced as an important subject matter that needs a specific attention. It was later embedded in the teachers’ training activities and translated into many forms, curricular and extra-curricular activities alike. Students are trained right from school up to tertiary levels. The move is ongoing and continuosly progressing.
Ninth Malaysian Plan
- Malaysia Government Of
Government of Malaysia (2006), Ninth Malaysian Plan, Kuala Lumpur.