Development of Soft Skills in Pre-Service Foreign Language Teachers: A Structural-Functional Model

Abstract

The study aims to develop, theoretically substantiate, and experimentally test a structural-functional model for the formation of soft skills among pre-service foreign language teachers in the context of multilingual education in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The model integrates cognitive, socio-communicative, and self-regulatory components into a dynamically interconnected system realized through specially designed module-based exercises and activities. It consists of five interrelated blocks (target, content, process, assessment, and outcome) and was implemented through a 15-week elective special course entitled “The Formation of Soft Skills in the Educational Environment” (3 credits, 90 hours) for third-year students of the educational program “Foreign Language: Two Foreign Languages” at a pedagogical university. A total of 160 students participated in the quasi-experiment (experimental group, n=80; control group, n=80). Diagnostics were conducted before and after the course using the author’s Likert-scale questionnaire, the standardized TEIQue-SF and CD-RISC-25 tests, and physiological data (heart rate variability). Covariance analysis (ANCOVA) confirmed a statistically significant advantage of the experimental group on most indicators. The data demonstrate the model's effectiveness in addressing perceived gaps in self-reported readiness, reflective capacity, intercultural adaptability, and emotional stability. Notably, students' awareness of the professional importance of soft skills increased significantly by 11.9% (p < .001), suggesting a positive shift in motivational orientation. However, direct measurement of motivation was beyond the scope of this study. The results offer practical implications for improving teacher training in multilingual settings and may be adapted to other contexts with similar linguistic and pedagogical profiles, pending further cross-cultural validation.