Soft and Hard Skills to be Developed by a Pre-service Teacher Under the Distance Learning Modality

Abstract

This study delves into the development of soft and hard skills and their importance within the academic and educational course of students pursuing a degree in English as a foreign language under the distance mode with the purpose of reflecting on the development of these skills in a trainee teacher. At the heart of this study, the views of 46 students from various semesters underline the fundamental role played by the cultivation of these competencies in distance education. To carry out the axial coding, the qualitative approach and NVivo software were used in a multiple case study. In this way, the information was classified into 6 categories, supported by the opinions provided by the survey participants: Personal Growth, Assertive Communication, Professional Enrichment, Digital Management, Pedagogical Confrontation, and English Proficiency. By analyzing the perspectives of these students, the research concludes that trainee teachers possess a valuable perspective on skills development and recognize the integration of these skills into their distance learning journey, fostering personal and professional growth for their future teaching roles.