Higher Education: A Literature Review on Skills Development

This literature review synthesizes findings from seven research articles exploring the development of crucial skills in higher education. The articles investigate the impact of college enrollment on critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills, highlighting the role of college inputs. Studies analyze the effectiveness of inter-professional collaboration simulations in medical and nursing education, emphasizing teamwork and communication. Further research assesses students' perceptions of transferable skills and their development within capstone units, linking these skills to graduate employability. The review also examines student perspectives on soft employability skills, their readiness for the job market, and differences between Chinese and Malaysian students. Additionally, it explores employer expectations of teamwork in accounting graduates and how gender fits into the future of work. The review provides a comprehensive overview of the current research landscape, offering valuable insights into the complex relationship between higher education and the development of essential skills for future success. The review adds to the knowledge and information of how gender fits well into kind and number of jobs.

Article 1
Research question:
Investigate how much value college enrolment adds to students' critical thinking, problem-
solving and communication skills and the role college inputs play in developing these
competencies.
Title of article:
Do Colleges Cultivate Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, Writing and Interpersonal Skills?
Publication: Elsevier
Author(s): Saavedra, Anna Rosefsky; Saavedra, Juan Esteban
Background information:
In spite of the growing worldwide demand for the important skills, however, employers
repeatedly assert that several new graduates they appoint are not willing to work and lack the
critical thinking, writing and problem solving abilities required within present day’s
workplace.
Aim and scope:
To examine the level to which colleges cultivate critical thinking, problem solving, writing
and interpersonal skills.
Method + Participants:
The study makes use of data and facts from a 2009 collegiate evaluation pilot research study
within Colombia.
Findings:
Comparative to observationally alike first year students, students pursuing their final year of
college score around half of a standard deviation greater, with statistically noteworthy greater
scores on each test component.

Discussion/conclusions:
Sensitivity analyses highlight that the research results are sound for validity threats posed
through selection predisposition. Students within private colleges display considerably
greater overall test score disparities.
Limitations:
Measures of college quality like selectivity, rankings grounded upon standing, share of
faculty with PhD, share of full-time faculty as well as expenditures per student, nevertheless,
aren’t meaningfully related to greater test score variances amid last and foremost year
students.
How does this connect to MY literature review?
It adds to my present literature review by providing resourceful information about the value
college enrolment adds to students' critical thinking, problem-solving and communication
skills and the role college inputs play in developing these competencies.
Article 2
Research question:
Describe the development and implementation of a pilot educational teaching/learning
simulation exercise designed to promote teamwork and collaboration between medical
students and nursing students.
Title of article:
Developing inter-professional communication skills
Publication: Elsevier
Author(s): Janet Wagner, Beth Liston and Jackie Miller
Background information:

Inter-professional collaboration is considered as being an important aspect to patient security
as well as health profession education.
Aim and scope:
Develop an educational pilot utilizing a standardized patient simulation to teach inter-
professional communication and teamwork to medical and nursing students
Method + Participants:
Ten teams of students including a senior nursing student, 4th year medical student as well as a
family member of the patient (represented through some standardized actress) took part
within a simulated situation including end-of-life decision forming for a highly ill patient.
Findings:
This pilot simulation proved to be efficient and well-received educational intervention.
Discussion/conclusions:
This is a starting stage towards the advancement of a culture, which nurtures inter-
professional teamwork all through the health care.
Limitations:
The research did not have any such limitation.
How does this connect to MY literature review?
It adds to my present information by throwing light upon how inter-professional collaboration
is important aspect to patient security as well as health profession education.
Article 3
Research question:

Develop an educational pilot utilizing a standardized patient simulation to teach inter-
professional communication and teamwork to medical and nursing students
Title of article:
A Curricular Innovation to Promote Inter-professional Collaboration
Publication: Elsevier
Author(s): Beth W. Liston, Janet Wagner & Jackie Miller
Background information:
Inter-professional teamwork is an important trait within health professions education that
enhances patient care.
Aim and scope:
Develop an educational pilot utilizing a standardized patient simulation to teach inter-
professional communication and teamwork to medical and nursing students.
Method + Participants:
Ten teams of students including a senior nursing student, 4th year medical student as well as a
family member of the patient (represented through some standardized actress) took part
within a simulated situation including end-of-life decision forming for a highly ill patient.
Findings:
This pilot simulation proved to be efficient and well-received educational intervention.
Discussion/conclusions:
Simulation is a useful approach for teaching inter-professional teamwork along with
communication to nursing students and medical students.
Limitations:
The research did not have any such limitation.

How does this connect to MY literature review?
It adds to my present information by throwing light upon how inter-professional collaboration
is important aspect to patient security as well as health profession education.
Article 4
Research question:
Assess student understanding of transferable skills and their perceived development of
transferable skills while undertaking a core capstone unit in a Biomedical Science degree in
which the development of transferable skills is a central and explicit focus.
Title of article:
Perceptions of Transferable Skills among Biomedical Science Students in the Final-Year of
Their Degree: What are the Implications for Graduate Employability?
Publication: ACSME
Author(s): Maria Carmel Demaria, Hodgson, Yvonne and Czech, Daniel Peter.
Background information:
Faced with augmenting career vagueness, science, technology, engineering and mathematics
(STEM) graduates are highly dependent upon transferable abilities, taking in communication,
critical thinking and teamwork for thriving within a dynamic, impulsive workforce.
Aim and scope:
Assess student understanding of transferable skills and their perceived development of
transferable skills while undertaking a core capstone unit in a Biomedical Science degree in
which the development of transferable skills is a central and explicit focus.
Method + Participants:

The research examined perceptions of final-year Biomedical Science student related to
essential work abilities, before and after, a compulsory capstone unit having a chief emphasis
upon building transferable abilities.
Findings:
Results discovered that students considered transferable skills more than discipline
knowledge or technical abilities for future employment; considered communication abilities
as highly vital in future careers; believed that they had enhanced their transferable abilities
and lastly, could recognize particular examples of transferable abilities discovered within
workplaces.
Discussion/conclusions:
The study suggests an explicit emphasis upon transferable abilities, employing capstone units
of STEM degrees, for developing transferable abilities among final-year students and
improving graduate employability along with future work accomplishment.
Limitations:
The study does not examine the level to which capstone units like this build actual ability in
transferable skills, chiefly as evaluated through employers.
How does this connect to MY literature review?
It adds to my present information by throwing light upon student understanding about
transferable abilities along with their supposed development of transferable abilities.
Article 5
Research question:
Examine student perspectives of their university experience in terms of the soft employability
skills they develop; second, how prepared those students feel for the future employment
market and finally investigate whether there are differences in perceptions between Chinese
and Malaysian students given their different educational experience.

Title of article:
Graduate readiness for the employment market of the 4th industrial revolution: The
development of soft employability skills
Publication: Emrald
Author(s): Weili Teng, Chenwei Ma, Saeed Pahlevansharif and Jason James Turner
Background information:
Youth unemployment is considered as being a worldwide concern, with this section of the
workforce showing three times the joblessness as compared to adults.
Aim and scope:
The purpose of this paper is, first, to examine student perspectives of their university
experience in terms of the soft employability skills they develop; second, how prepared those
students feel for the future employment market and finally investigate whether there are
differences in perceptions between Chinese and Malaysian students given their different
educational experience.
Method + Participants:
In this research, 361 predominantly Chinese undergraduate students at two universities i.e.
one within China as well as the other within Malaysia finished the 15-item Goldsmiths soft
abilities inventory by making use of an online survey.
Findings:
The results highlighted that the university curriculum builds soft skills of student, chiefly
within the Malaysian university and assist the relation amid soft skills and student readiness
for jobs.
Discussion/conclusions:
University curriculum builds soft skills of student, chiefly within the Malaysian university
and assists the relation amid soft skills and student readiness for jobs.

Limitations:
Such findings hold implications for business and education providers.
How does this connect to MY literature review?
It adds to the knowledge and information related to Youth unemployment.
Article 6
Research question:
Investigate what teamwork means from the perspective of accounting employers
Title of article: Teamwork from accounting graduates: what do employers really expect?
Publication: Emrald
Author(s): Rafael Paguio and Beverley Jackling
Background information:
The capability of working efficiently within a team is extremely considered through
employers of accounting graduates even then they have shown concern that several university
graduates do not hold teamwork abilities.
Aim and scope:
This study investigates what teamwork means from the perspective of accounting employers
Method + Participants:
Semi-structured interviews were carried out with a purposive employers sample for acquiring
explanations of teamwork witnessed from graduate recruits.
Findings:
Teamwork within accounting work respects were identified, established and enlightened.

Discussion/conclusions:
Several teamwork forces from the interview assessment clustered around the joint support
capability and the aspects of traits and motives.
Limitations:
The study was limited to employers cooperating within one university’s placement program.
How does this connect to MY literature review?
It adds to the knowledge and information related to working efficiently within a team.
Article 7
Research question:
Examine how gender fits well into kind and number of jobs.
Title of article: Women’s employment, segregation and skills in the future of work
Publication: Taylor & Francis
Author(s): David Peetz and Murray Georgina
Background information:
Discussion about the work future has laid emphasis upon the kind or number of jobs, which
new technology would build or destroy. Less focus has been laid upon how gender fits well
into that.
Aim and scope:
Examine how gender fits well into kind and number of jobs.
Method + Participants:

The study uses historical information as well as forecasts for the Australian as well as US
labour marketplaces.
Findings:
It seems that neither technical transformation nor other structural alterations within labour
marketplaces are expected to particularly disadvantage females.
Discussion/conclusions:
Women’s occupations are somewhat safer (or less insecure) as compared to that of men’s.
Limitations:
There is no such limitation.
How does this connect to MY literature review?
It adds to the information and knowledge of how gender fits well into kind and number of
jobs.