The Development of Reading Skills to Enhance Soft Skills of Undergraduate International Students

Abstract

This research aimed to: 1) investigate the effects of reading skill development on enhancing soft skills of International undergraduate students; 2) compare the reading achievement of International undergraduate students before and after the implementation of the learning management; and 3) examine students’ opinions toward the learning management designed to enhance soft skills. The sample consisted of 25 fourth-year students, selected through purposive sampling from the Thai Language and Culture program. The research instruments included: 1) lesson plans for reading skill development in the course Thai Language Usage in the Office to enhance soft skills; 2) pre-test and post-test achievement tests for reading skill development in the same course; and 3) a questionnaire assessing the quality of the learning management for reading skill development to enhance soft skills. The data were analyzed using percentage, mean, standard deviation, and t-test statistics.

          The research findings revealed that: 1) the reading skill development score of international students in the course Thai Language Usage in the Office for enhancing soft skills was 81.76 percent, while the post-learning achievement score was 83.38 percent; 2) the comparison of reading achievement before and after the learning management showed that the mean score before learning was 21.96 and after learning was 32.88, respectively, and the post-test scores were significantly higher than the pre-test scores at the .05 level; and 3) the overall students’ opinions toward the learning management for reading skill development to enhance soft skills were at the highest level (𝑥̅ = 4.57).