DEVELOPMENT OF A COVER DANCE ACTIVITY SET TO DEVELOP AND ENHANCE THE POTENTIAL OF SOFT SKILLS IN PREPARATION FOR ENTERING INTO THE EARLY WORK.

Abstract

This research aimed to: (1) develop a cover dance activity program designed to enhance Too many words, enhance is enough. Soft skills among final-year undergraduate students in preparation for entering the professional workforce as new graduates and (2) evaluate the pre- and post-participation outcomes of the cover dance activities on on soft skill development among among this target group. The sample consisted of 35 final-year undergraduate students from a university in Bangkok who volunteered to participate. These students had an average soft skills assessment scores equal to or below 2.50, based on a 31-item soft skills test. The research instruments included: (1) a 31-item pre- and post-test soft skills assessment, which measured teamwork effectiveness and planning and work methodology and (2) a 15-session activity program titled “Cover Dance for 2 Soft Skills”. The program was developed by integrating concepts and theories from cover dance and international performing arts to enhance teamwork effectiveness, planning and work methodology skills. The results revealed that the mean score for teamwork effectiveness before participating in the activities was 1.86 (SD = 0.19), and after participation, the mean score increased to 4.06 (SD = 0.13). Regarding planning and ways of working, the pre-activity mean score was 1.78 (SD = 0.21), which increased to 4.14 (SD = 0.16) post-activity. Comparison of pre- and post-activity mean scores indicated statistically significant improvement at the .05 level in both soft skill domains: teamwork effectiveness, planning and ways of working.