Incorporating Soft Skills into EFL Teaching Classes :

Abstract

The present research aims to explore teachers' perspectives and attitudes towards incorporating soft skills into English as a Foreign Language classes at the Department of English at Guelma University. Developing soft skills in the 21st century is vital in all domains in general and in one's personal and professional lives in particular. Foreign language teaching is among the fields in which soft skills must be recognized, hence, implemented. However, English as foreign language teachers may underestimate the importance of soft skills as a result, they may focus on teaching language skills and neglect teaching soft skills in order to achieve the aforementioned aim. The current study adopted a descriptive quantitative method in which a questionnaire was administered to 25 teachers at the Department of English. The results show that teachers have positive attitudes towards implementing soft skills in their classes and are aware of their importance. However, some of them are not familiar with the concept itself, though teachers are implementing different types of those skills in their teaching practices. In addition, results also show that teachers face different challenges when implementing these skills. Following this, the study suggested some pedagogical implications for teachers and students to successfully implement soft skills in their teaching and learning practices.