Systematic Review of Learning Generic Skills in Higher Education—Enhancing and Impeding Factors

Abstract

The research field on generic skills in higher education has expanded rapidly. In addition, the importance of generic skills has been highlighted both in educational policy discourses and in practice of higher education. The present study reviews theoretical, methodological, and empirical viewpoints on learning generic skills and synthesizes the empirical evidence about the factors that enhance and impede student learning of generic skills. Altogether 116 articles were included in the analysis. The systematic analysis revealed remarkable variation in concepts, research methods, and operationalization of generic skills. These findings suggest that research in this field is still incoherent. According to the results, contextual factors that enhance or impede higher education students' learning of generic skills were investigated more often than individual factors. Furthermore, the articles included in this review emphasized learning of work-oriented professional skills over higher-order thinking skills. To ensure the development of research on generic skills, it is important to focus on more coherent theorization and operationalization of the various generic skills. More longitudinal studies with methods that genuinely capture actual skills and their development are also needed to advance the field. The results can be used for future discussions on theorization, empirical research, and practical development of student learning of generic skills.

Assessing and developing critical‐thinking skills in higher education

“…Although significant advances have been made on the first two dimensions of this education reform movement, assessment has lagged. As universities focus increasingly on developing generic skills in their students (Sarkar et al, 2020; Tuononen et al, 2022), assessments need to evolve to measure how well students are learning—and institutions are teaching—such skills. The recall, recognition, and regurgitation paradigm is no longer sufficient.…”

Perceived interest in learning sustainability competencies among higher education students

“…In future studies, exploring the development of sustainability competencies during university studies across different fields would be important. Finally, the study is limited by a lack of robust instruments for measuring these competencies, and lack of a coherent theoretical framework (Tuononen et al, 2022). For example, there are different definitions and lists of sustainability Learning sustainability competencies Thus, developing an instrument to measure them would be important in the future.…”

“…The four items in the second factor measure values thinking, while the six items in the third factor measure interpersonal competence. The fourth factor includes four items measuring self-regulation and the fifth factor with three items measured (Tabachnick and Fidell, 2014). These items were removed from the subsequent analysis.…”

“…In the context of higher education, research on competencies is being pursued by scholars in various fields using different theoretical frameworks and theories. In the research area of higher education pedagogy, a range of key generic academic competencies that are perceived as important for academic professionals have been suggested (Virtanen and Tynjälä, 2018; Tuononen et al , 2022). A recent review study on generic academic competencies shows that professional skills, analytical skills, problem-solving skills, communication and collaboration skills are most often measured in the studies of this field (Tuononen et al , 2022).…”

Translation and Cross-Cultural Adaptation of Generic Skill Self-Assessment Instrument for Indonesian Undergraduate Medical Students

“…Due to its importance, generic skills development has become one of higher education's primary objectives. 7 Employers today value a vast array of generic skills. Approximately 90% of employers identified critical thinking abilities as "very" and "somewhat" important, yet only 39% of employers think that higher education graduates adequately possess this skill.…”