Impact of Classroom Environment on the Development of Soft Skills among Public Girls’ High School Students

Abstract

Soft skills, such as communication, teamwork, and problem-solving, are needed to make students grow personally and become employable in the future. In some Pakistani schools, especially in Mianwali, Chashma and Bhakkar, the mode of classroom practice in most schools is still lecture-based and does not allow students to engage actively and learn new skills. Although the importance of soft skills has been increasingly highlighted, few studies have been conducted to study their development at the secondary school level in developing countries like Pakistan. This research, based on Classroom Environment Theory, examines how classroom environment is related to the development of soft skills by public high school girls. The research design was quantitative correlational, whereby the population was female students in their grades 9 and 10 in Punjab. Convenience sampling was used to select 401 students and the data were collected using a bilingual language (Urdu-English) questionnaire consisting of Classroom Environment Scale as well as Soft Skills Development Scale. The analysis in Pearson correlation and regression indicated the existence of a significant positive correlation with significant prediction of soft skills by classroom environment. The results reveal that interactive, inclusive and supportive classrooms help in developing 21st-century skills. It is suggested that schools should introduce teacher training, flexible classroom layouts, and incorporate soft skills in the evaluations.