SOFT SKILLS INTEGRATION IN ENGLISH DEPARTMENT CURRICULA: A MIXED-METHODS EVALUATION AND EXPERIENTIAL COURSEBOOK DEVELOPMENT

In today's competitive world, possessing a degree or diploma alone is no longer sufficient. Graduates need to develop additional skills to succeed in the expansive job market. Soft skills are essential qualities that greatly enhance the likelihood of securing one's ideal job. Recently, Morocco has acknowledged their importance and begun integrating them into the education system. This study examines the curricula of English departments at four Moroccan universities, focusing on the effectiveness of a dedicated soft skills module and the pedagogical methods employed to teach these skills. A convergent parallel mixed-methods approach was adopted, collecting both quantitative and qualitative data. The quantitative component involved pre- and post-course assessments of students' self-perceived skills, which were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired-sample t-tests, and repeated-measures ANOVA to identify significant changes. The qualitative component included a questionnaire for instructors to explore their teaching strategies, challenges, and views on embedding soft skills. Results showed that most instructors mainly used lectures and presentations to teach soft skills, despite these skills being best developed through real-world experiences. To address this gap, an experiential coursebook was developed, featuring real-life tasks, problem-solving projects, group activities, and simulated professional scenarios designed to promote active skill development. Combining the data from both methods revealed notable improvements in student skills, with teacher feedback highlighting the need for more hands-on, experiential learning. This research provides empirical evidence, practical resources, and a model for integrating soft skills into English curricula, with broader implications for curriculum design, faculty development, and experiential learning in higher education.