Abstract:

In the XXI century, the request for new emerging skills is continuously growing. In line with this trend, national and international councils, such as the European Union or the Ministry of Education, University, and Research in Italy, are promoting the development of soft skills during school age. However, the psychological and educational literature still present a large gap regarding the effects of such skills in promoting students’ academic success.

The current study aims at enlarging the knowledge about how soft skills work together with other study-related factors (i.e., motivation, self-regulated learning, and achievement emotions) in promoting a higher academic success in secondary school students.

A total of 603 students (5th to 12th gradeers) filled questionnaires measuring six soft skills (adaptability, curiosity, leadership, initiative, perseverance, and social awareness), achievement emotions, self-regulated learning, motivation, and cognitive abilities. Using a Bayesian approach, we examined the unique pattern of relations that these factors play in sustaining students’ academic achievement. A path analysis results show that soft skills positively relate with students’ achievement emotions (favouring more positive and less negative emotions), self-regulated learning, and motivation, and through their mediation indirectly favoured academic achievement.

Concluding, students with higher soft skills resulted i) approaching study materials in a more strategical and self-regulated way; ii) being more motivated through studying; iii) feeling more positive and less negative emotions about school-related aspects. These relations indirectly favoured a higher academic achievement in students with higher levels of soft skills.

Keywords:

Soft skills, 21st century skills, academic achievement, self-regulated learning, motivation, emotions.