Wang Xiaoling, Deng Xiang, Wan Jaafar Wan Marzuki, Sulong Rose Manisah, Zainudin Zaida Nor Binti, Wan Othman Wan Norhayati
Faculty of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia.
Faculty of Education and Psychological Science, Sichuan University of Science and Engineering, Zigong, Sichuan, China.
Front Psychol. 2025 Jul 2;16:1622327. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1622327. eCollection 2025.
Soft skills, including curiosity, initiative, perseverance, social awareness, adaptability, and leadership, are increasingly recognized as essential for fostering positive emotions and academic engagement in higher education. However, the pathways linking these skills to academic engagement remain underexplored, especially within the Chinese university context.
This study investigated the relationships among soft skills, positive emotions, and academic engagement among 335 undergraduate students (197 females, 58.8%) from four universities in China, across faculties of Education, Literature, and Management. Standardized questionnaires assessing soft skills, positive emotions, and academic engagement dimensions (absorption, dedication, and vigor) were administered. Data were analyzed using SPSS 26 and AMOS 24. Reliability was confirmed through Cronbach's alpha (≥0.70), and construct validity was evaluated via confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).
CFA indicated an acceptable to excellent fit for both individual scales and the overall measurement model (χ/df = 1.887, RMSEA = 0.052, CFI = 0.928). Structural equation modeling (SEM) results supported hypothesized relationships, demonstrating that soft skills directly predicted academic engagement and indirectly predicted it through positive emotions. Positive emotions significantly mediated the relationship between soft skills and all dimensions of academic engagement (absorption, dedication, vigor).
These findings underscore the importance of developing soft skills and fostering positive emotional experiences to enhance academic engagement. Aligning with sustainable development-oriented educational reforms, the results suggest that comprehensive educational approaches promoting soft skills and emotional well-being can effectively support holistic student growth and sustainable academic success.
软技能，包括好奇心、主动性、毅力、社会意识、适应能力和领导力，越来越被认为是在高等教育中培养积极情绪和学术参与度的关键要素。然而，将这些技能与学术参与联系起来的途径仍未得到充分探索，尤其是在中国大学的背景下。
本研究调查了来自中国四所大学教育、文学和管理学院的335名本科生（197名女性，占58.8%）的软技能、积极情绪和学术参与度之间的关系。使用标准化问卷评估软技能、积极情绪和学术参与度维度（专注度、奉献度和活力）。数据使用SPSS 26和AMOS 24进行分析。通过Cronbach's alpha（≥0.70）确认信度，并通过验证性因子分析（CFA）评估结构效度。
CFA表明各个量表和整体测量模型的拟合度均可接受或极佳（χ/df = 1.887，RMSEA = 0.052，CFI = 0.928）。结构方程模型（SEM）结果支持了假设关系，表明软技能直接预测学术参与度，并通过积极情绪间接预测学术参与度。积极情绪显著中介了软技能与学术参与度所有维度（专注度、奉献度、活力）之间的关系。
这些发现强调了培养软技能和促进积极情绪体验以提高学术参与度的重要性。与以可持续发展为导向的教育改革相一致，结果表明促进软技能和情感健康的综合教育方法可以有效地支持学生的全面成长和可持续的学术成功。
