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Authors: Vidmantas Tutlys, Genutė Gedvilienė
Keywords: social skills, communication, collaboration, higher education, Lithuania
Abstract: The research problem and relevance: During the learning process, various social interactions take place between students and teachers and with students. It is also through the learning environment that the personalities of the learners are highlighted, as well as the different interactions and usefulness of the student groups. Therefore, students' ability to understand their own learning environment is very important. Ability of interaction between students and their contemporaries and teachers, also teachers together could be a successful way of social skills development. Socially competent students and teachers usually have this ability. Having intercommunion, expressing respectful attitude to each other, being empathetic they have steady tradition values in social situations, while respecting each other’s emotional states they have the confidence needed for social contact, even vulnerability to a possible rejection. Social relations become an important outcome of social skills when this interaction is understood as a result of friendship between peer groups or teachers. The main question is what it takes for a person to be socially competent and have friends. It is not so easy to interpret social reality properly or to react in emotionally appropriate way, to act adequately, so commonly we are incapable to behave socially successful. Lack of confidence may become an obstacle while participating even though the person has necessary skills. On the other hand, in some cases the success of communication with friends or in peer groups depends on possessed values and needs. Interrelations are essential for the development of social skills. However, successful interaction has to be taught. In addition, why social competence is important? To conclude, social skills is important for all the students and teachers, because it has a considerable influence on the mutual recognition and the development of friendship, which in turn affects the school as an institution's success (Levin,1999). Constructive theory analyzes the nature of human learning and the best social conditions, encouraging learning. The researchers of learning innovations maintain that creating knowledge and learning activities should appear in the authentic context of communication and collaboration under the influence of social interaction ( Vygotsky, 1978; Applefield, Huber, 2001). Constructive learning atmosphere is very effective in organizing activities oriented to the student, stressing active learning, interaction among the students, reflection and collaboration. From the constructive point of view, the learner reveals creativity, using social and cognitive circumstances, sharing ideas, problems and interests. Research object - Student social interaction (students of two different institutions). The purpose of empirical research is to reveal the interaction dimensions of students' social activities in the educational process. Social skills of the students from two higher education institutions in Lithuania will be compared by analysing collaborative and communicative activities (social activities, social skills and the benefits of social interaction) in learning and teaching processes. Research methodology: Methods: For the analysis of the research, theoretical and empirical research methods were combined. The following methods were used for the analysis: 1. Literary and documentary analysis has helped to highlight communication and collaboration as key phenomena of social competence, the importance of digitization and globalization. Research on profile of social competence development in general higher education competencies was also analyzed. 2. Empirical research is based on questionnaire survey method. The study sample consists of 226 participants (two institutions). 3. The descriptive statistics were used for data analysis. For qualitative variables, frequency tables and bar charts were used. For quantitative variables, means, standard deviations, minimum and maximum values, newness and kurtosis coefficients, histograms and boxplots were used. For correlations, the following coefficients were used: Pearson, Spearman, Kendall tau, Comer's D. Pearson coefficient was used in scale reliability analysis and in factor analysis, as it is a default choice for such analyses. Kendall tau rank correlation coefficient was used for correlations of ordinal variables (Tabachnik, B. G. & Fidell, L. S., 2007). Survey questionnaires were defined based on the findings of the literature review and included: A) respondents' views on social skills and the place of social competence; B) respondents' views on social activities in higher education studies; C)The benefits of social interaction solutions for the significance of higher education studies and the development of social competence. Findings: Data analysis revealed a wide range of ways and means to implement and develop students’ social skills in student preparation. Social skills is important not only for students to communicate and communicate, but also as a result of collective learning, leading to the Social skills and its development play an increasingly important role in higher education. The study revealed that social skills is important for the students in are both institutions. Social activities, social skills, and the benefits of developing social interaction have been observed is significant and important. This observation reveals learners' awareness of the need for communication skills in society. The research has shown that this understanding is shaped by the specific requirements of practical life and the requirements of interaction, collaborative activities, and social and personal life. The development of social skills is usually reinforced by personal needs as a desire to participate in formal and informal organizations, a desire for improvement and self-realization. Social skills development also equips learners with the skills they need to overcome obstacles and challenges in social activities, to resolve occasional conflicts, to enable effective collaboration, and to contribute to effective social interaction.