The effects of soft skill integration on quality of college life of diploma business students Evidence from Malaysian private higher education

Purpose - The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of soft skill integration in the curriculum on quality of college life of diploma business students in Malaysian private higher educational institutions. Design/methodology/approach - Descriptive quantitative survey research was used to assess the views and relationship between variables from 429 business students in Peninsular Malaysia. The adapted self-administered questionnaires were distributed through stratified random sampling method. Descriptive analysis, correlation and regression analysis were used in the findings. Findings - The results advocated significant influence from soft skill integration on quality of college life. Soft skill integration in critical thinking and problem solving especially has significant positive influence on quality of college life in all the aspects from academic, social and also facilities. Research limitations/implications - Generalizability of the research as it was conducted in the northern region of Peninsular Malaysia only. It was also limited by subjectivity bias of the students who responded to the questionnaire. Practical implications - The implication of this study was that it serves as an evidence-based information of soft skill integration and effects on college quality. In this way, it provides an empirical reference to the authorities for better guidelines, evaluation, control and development in the curriculum, delivery approaches, co-curriculum, campus environment or facilities. Social implications - Local education in particular is closely linked to the neighboring community and also dependent on the socio-economic needs of the state or region. According to Kayrooz and Parker (2010), greater engagement with local issues and higher local autonomy for spending could lead to greater effectiveness and efficiencies. Originality/value - The study was a pioneering research in the context of Malaysian private higher education, guided by Devadason et al.'s (2010) soft skill integration study in Malaysian public higher education, plus Sirgy et al.'s (2007) study on quality of college