This study investigated the relationships between soft skills, hard skills, and learning motivation among environmental design students in Jiangxi, China, employing a quantitative correlational research design to examine how different skill domains influence motivational processes in this specialized educational context. Data were collected from 384 undergraduate environmental design students across three major institutions in Jiangxi Province using validated questionnaires measuring learning motivation (intrinsic motivation, goal orientation, self-directed learning, and interest/relevance), soft skills (communication skills, teamwork capabilities, adaptability dimensions, and cultural competence), and hard skills (technical design proficiency, software competency, engineering knowledge, and project management). The theoretical framework integrated Self-Determination Theory, Expectancy-Value Theory, Social Learning Theory, Goal Theory, Cognitive Load Theory, and Skill Acquisition Theory to explain skill-motivation relationships. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, independent samples t-tests, ANOVA, and multiple regression analysis to test four hypotheses examining gender differences (H1), age variations (H2), soft skills influence (H3), and hard skills influence (H4) on learning motivation. Results revealed significant gender differences in learning motivation favoring male students (t(382)=5.529, p<.001), significant age-related increases in motivation (F(4,379)=6.868, p<.001), and strong positive influences of both soft skills (R²=.978) and hard skills (R²=.582) on learning motivation. The findings demonstrated that communication skills were the strongest predictors among soft skills, while technical design proficiency showed the strongest relationship among hard skills. These results provide empirical evidence for educational practitioners and policymakers to develop targeted interventions that enhance both skill development and learning motivation in environmental design education, particularly in Chinese provincial educational contexts.
Abaszadeh, H., Amani, M., & Pordanjani, T. R. (2024). The relationship between motivational-cognitive variables, academic self-efficacy of students mediated by parent’s educational expectations, parent-child interaction, and teacher-student interaction. Learning and Motivation, 86, 101983.
Abbas, A., Ekowati, D., Suhariadi, F., Fenitra, R. M., & Fahlevi, M. (2022). Integrating Cycle of Prochaska and DiClemente With Ethically Responsible Behavior Theory for Social Change Management: Post-COVID-19 Social Cognitive Perspective for Change. In Handbook of research on global networking post Covid-19 (pp. 130-155). IGI Global.
Abdulrahman, O., & Mahmood, A. (2023). The Correlation between Kurdish EFL University Students' Self-Efficacy and their Motivation: A Socio-Cognitive Study. Journal of Garmian University, 10(2), 1023-1038.
Afroze, R., Eva, T. P., & Sarker, A. R. (2019). Do soft skills matter? A study on employability of engineering graduates in Bangladesh. Journal of Intercultural Management, 11(3), 21-44.
Al Hajri, M., Al Mekhlafi, A., & Al Barwani, T. (2021). Connecting the Dots: Impact of CLIL on Vocabulary Size and Content Mastery in Higher Education. Multicultural Education, 7(9).
Al-Ababneh, M. M. (2020). Linking ontology, epistemology and research methodology. Science & Philosophy, 8(1), pp.75-91.
Alharahsheh, H. H., & Pius, A. (2020). A review of key paradigms: Positivism VS interpretivism. Global Academic Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 2(3), pp.39-43.
Al-Hoorue, A. H., & Al Shlowiy, A. (2020). Vision theory vs. goal-setting theory: A critical analysis.
Alrshed, A. M. (2021). Exploring Saudi Teachers? Goal Orientations: An Appeal for Mastery Goal Orientation as a Vision for a Better Future (Doctoral dissertation, The University of Toledo).
Anjum, S. (2020). Impact of internship programs on professional and personal development of business students: a case study from Pakistan. Future Business Journal, [online] 6(1). doi:https://doi.org/10.1186/s43093-019-0007-3.
Ao, Y., Liu, Y., Tan, L., Tan, L., Zhang, M., Feng, Q., Zhong, J., Wang, Y., Zhao, L. and Martek, I. (2021). Factors driving BIM learning performance: research on China’s sixth national BIM graduation design innovation competition of colleges and universities. Buildings, 11(12), p.616.
Asmus, E. P. (2021). Motivation in music teaching and learning. Visions of Research in Music Education, 16(5), p.31.
BabajideAtoyebi, S., & Obilade, T. (2024). Effect of Increasing Sample Size on Multi-Collinearity in Multilevel Non-Linear Model. Asian J. Prob. Stat, 26(1), 104-128.
Bai, B. (2021). Piano learning in the context of schooling during China’s ‘Piano craze’and beyond: Motivations and pathways. Music Education Research, 23(4), 512-526.
Bakar, M. B. B. A. (2025). Learning Arabic language: motivational factors of students in Singapore. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science.
Balogun, T. B. (2024). Built environment professionals’ perspective on digital technology skills. Education+ Training, 66(2/3), 181-194.
Barkley, E. F. & Major, C. H. ( 2020). Student engagement techniques: A handbook for college faculty. John Wiley & Sons.
Beauchamp, M. R., Crawford, K. L. & Jackson, B. (2019). Social cognitive theory and physical activity: Mechanisms of behavior change, critique, and legacy. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 42, pp.110-117.
Beigzadeh, A., Bazyar, H., Delzendeh, M., Razmi, M. H., & Sharifi, N. (2024, December). Comparing the effect of lecture method and cooperative teaching method on the learning, communication skills, and attitudes of students: a quasi-experimental study. In Frontiers in Education (Vol. 9, p. 1449538). Frontiers Media SA.
Bergdahl, N., Nouri, J., Fors, U., & Knutsson, O. (2020). Engagement, disengagement and performance when learning with technologies in upper secondary school. Computers & Education, 149, 103783.
Bilgino?lu, E. (2021). A Contemporary Approach to Learning Transfer from the Perspective of Constructivist Theory: Marathon Running as a Leadership Development Strategy for Millennial Leaders. In Leadership-New Insights. IntechOpen.
Bloomfield, J. & Fisher, M.J. (2019). Quantitative research design. Journal of the Australasian Rehabilitation Nurses Association, 22(2), pp.27-30.
Bowden, J. A., Green, P. J., Bowden, J. A., & Green, P. J. (2019). Integrity principles for the conduct of research. Playing the PhD Game with Integrity: Connecting Research, Professional Practice and Educational Context, 101-126.
Bowling, A. M., Ball, A. L., & Bird, W. A. (2020). Exploring Motivational Strategies, Outcomes, and Theories within the Career Development Event Preparation Process. Journal of Agricultural Education, 61(1), 221-234.
Brear, M. R., & Gordon, R. (2021). Translating the principle of beneficence into ethical participatory development research practice. Journal of International Development, 33(1), 109-126.
Breda, T., & Napp, C. (2019). Girls’ comparative advantage in reading can largely explain the gender gap in math-related fields. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(31), 15435-15440.
Brosnan, K., Grün, B. & Dolnicar, S. (2021). Cognitive load reduction strategies in questionnaire design. International Journal of Market Research, 63(2), pp.125-133.
Bruggeman, B., Tondeur, J., Struyven, K., Pynoo, B., Garone, A. & Vanslambrouck, S. (2021). Experts speaking: Crucial teacher attributes for implementing blended learning in higher education. The Internet and Higher Education, 48, p.100772.
Button, C., Seifert, L., Chow, J. Y., Davids, K., & Araujo, D. (2020). Dynamics of skill acquisition: An ecological dynamics approach. Human Kinetics Publishers.
Cheng, L., & Wahid, P. R. B. A. (2025). The Influence of Soft and Hard Skills on Learning Motivation in Environmental Design Education: Evidence from Jiangxi, China. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 15(6), 157–168.
Copyright: © 2025 The Author(s)
Published by Knowledge Words Publications (www.kwpublications.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode
