Associations between components of systems thinking and soft skills among engineering students

Abstract

Systems thinking and soft skills are separate yet interconnected concepts that significantly influence an individual’s personal and professional achievements. Systems thinking is a cognitive style that focuses on the interactions and relationships within complex systems. Soft skills include a holistic perspective, effective communication, problemsolving abilities, teamwork, flexibility and emotional intelligence. Using a quantitative research method, this study examines the associations between different components of systems thinking and soft skills among engineering students, to provide insights to educators that can help in designing better activities that integrate both skill sets holistically and efficiently. Ninety-two students from the University of Texas at Tyler, USA, were invited to fill out an anonymous Likert-style questionnaire about their self-reported systems thinking and soft skills abilities. The findings reveal moderate and significant correlations between different components of systems thinking and various soft skills, shedding light on the symbiotic relationship between these cognitive and interpersonal competencies. The outcomes of this research have implications for engineering curriculum development, pedagogical strategies and industry expectations