A Systematic Map and Scoping Review of Soft Skill Assessment Instruments for College Students and Peer Mentoring Programs

• Published in: NACTA journal Vol. 62; no. 3; pp. 267 - 274
• Main Authors: Murray, Kaitlyn A., Stollar, Mariah, McClellan, Rachel, King, Jeff, Hattey, Jeff A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) 01.09.2018
• ISSN: 0149-4910

Soft skills such as leadership, communication, and professionalism are essential for employment in agriculture and the related sciences, but recent graduates have failed to meet employers' expectations in soft skill development. Peer mentoring and peer leadership programs have been proposed as one method to increase soft skill development. This study sought to catalog published soft skill assessment instruments and evaluate their relevance to college students and college student peer mentors. A systematic map of soft skill assessment instruments was developed from a multidisciplinary review of 3,200 peer reviewed journal articles from three databases. Forty-three instruments were identified to measure three soft skills valued by agricultural employers: leadership, communication, and professionalism. These instruments hold value for their utility in program evaluations, as pedagogical tools, or in program curriculum development. Recommendations for appropriate instruments to measure soft skill development in the context of college student peer mentoring and/or peer leadership programs were made based on a hierarchical assessment of psychometric evidence, generalized construct validity, composite relevance to college students and peer mentoring, lowest cost, and fewest questions. Results indicate a gap in the literature of instruments that are contextually situated in the college student peer mentoring experience.