Authors : Kiagus Muhammad Sobri, Farida Hanum, Hutkemeri , Abdul Razaq Ahmad and Alfitri
Abstract: This study was conducted to determine the influence of the school environment to support soft skills among secondary school students in Malaysia and Indonesia. This survey study which used questionnaire was conducted involving 400 students and 528 Malaysian students in Indonesia. Data were analyzed using SPSS 23.0 and Amos 18.0. A pilot study was conducted to determine the validity and reliability of the instrument and the results of the pilot study showed that variables of school environment support and student’s soft skills have high reliability. The results showed that there were significant differences of environmental support and soft skills among students in Malaysia and Indonesia. Students in Malaysia have better support from school culture and classroom activities as compared to students in Indonesia. From the aspect of soft skills, it showed that Indonesian students have higher leadership, communication and cooperation skills than Malaysian students. While in term of thinking skill, interpersonal management and information technology there are similar performances of students from both countries. SEM analysis indicates that support from school culture and classroom activities have significant influence among students in Malaysia towards the development of their soft skills which in contrast with Indonesian students which only classroom activities impacted their soft skill’s construction. The study provides implications for teachers to provide support on an ongoing basis in order to improve the student’s soft skills with emphasis on classroom activities and the importance of Ministry which needs to provide more training and courses for teachers so that the application of soft skills among students will be successfully implemented either in Malaysia or Indonesia.
Kiagus Muhammad Sobri, Farida Hanum, Hutkemeri , Abdul Razaq Ahmad and Alfitri , 2017. The Effect of Cultural Support and Classroom Activities towards Development of Students Skill: Comparison Between Malaysia and Indonesia. The Social Sciences, 12: 2150-2157.