Date of Award

8-2018

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Executive Leadership

First Supervisor

Sandye Johnson

Second Supervisor

Jackielyn Manning Campbell

Abstract

The purpose of this quantitative study was to compare the soft and social skills attainment of African American college seniors and non-African American college seniors. College graduates in the United States are experiencing the challenge of underemployment (low wages) and unemployment. However, African American college graduates are twice as likely to be unemployed and or underemployed when compared to their White counterparts. The research indicates that hiring managers value soft/social skills above technical skills and the education required for the position. This study reviewed data from a survey administered to college seniors graduating from a college in a large metropolitan area in the northeast United States. The student body at the college was predominately minority and commute to the school from local neighborhoods. The school has both associate and bachelor’s degree programs. The study found that the African American seniors identified themselves as having a higher level of soft skills than the non-African American seniors. The findings present an opportunity for institutions of higher education to establish formal soft and social skills training as curriculum.

Included in

Education Commons

Share

COinS