This study primarily aimed to examine the relationship between soft and hard skills and English-speaking proficiency among college students in Nanchang, China, while exploring the moderating effects of technology-based resources and motivation. It addresses a significant gap in English language learning research concerning the interaction among these key variables. Four research objectives were drawn up to answer four research questions using as a background a few theories. One aim was to examine the role of technology-based resources as well as motivation which is believed to enhance the influence of soft and hard skills to improve the speaking of English. A quantitative survey design was employed, with 387 students participating. Data collection involved an instrument which was adapted from various sources. The design involved the initial collection and analysis of quantitative data. Quantitative data was analysed using SPSS-27. The findings revealed significant positive correlations between all the variables which were identified. Moreover, the study identified the moderating role accurately. All the hypotheses were also accepted. By filling a theoretical gap, this research contributes valuable insights that can guide educational policy and practices aimed at enhancing language learning outcomes. Furthermore, the study offers practical implications for educators, suggesting the importance of technology-based resources and motivation as among the factors which influence the impact of soft skills and hard skills on improving English speaking among vocational college students in Nanchang, China.
Abbasi, M. H., Siddiqi, A., & Azim, R. U. A. (2011). Role of effective communications for enhancing leadership and entrepreneurial skills in university students. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 2(10).
Abu-Hamour, B., & Al-Hmouz, H. (2013). A study of gifted high, moderate, and low achievers in their personal characteristics and attitudes toward school and teachers. International Journal of Special Education, 28, 5–15.
Abu-Hamour, B., & Al-Hmouz, H. (2013). The relationship between students’ interest and achievement in English language learning. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 2(1), 34–45.
Akcan, S., & Tatar, S. (2010). An investigation of the nature of feedback given to preservice English teachers during their practice teaching experience. Teacher development, 14(2), 153–172.
Akaike, H. (1974). A new look at the statistical model identification. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 19(6), 716-723.
Alizedah, M. (2016). The Impact of Motivation of English Language Learning. Islamic Azad University: Iran.
Al-khresheh, M. H., Demirkol Orak, S., & Alruwaili, S. F. (2025). The development of language proficiency through global skills enhancement using Web 2.0 tools in university EFL contexts: A mixed-methods quasi-experimental study. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 12(1), 931. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-05210-2
Ali, R., & Hassan, N. (2021). Factors influencing English language proficiency among university students in multilingual contexts. Journal of Language and Education, 7(3), 45–60. https://doi.org/10.5430/jle.v7n3p45
Al Zoubi, S. (2018). The impact of exposure to English language on language acquisition. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Language Research, 5(4), 157–168.
Alvarez, G. (2023). Latin's Role in the Development of the English Language: How historical events changed the English language forever, and How Latin is Presented in the Modern English.
Al-Sibai, D. (2004). Promoting Oral fluency of Second Language Learners: Educational Linguistics. Department of English. King Saud University.
Amini, A., Gabriel, S., Lin, S., Koncel-Kedziorski, R., Choi, Y., & Hajishirzi, H. (2019). MathQA: Towards Interpretable Math Word Problem Solving with Operation-Based Formalisms, 2357-2367. http://doi.org/10.18653/v1/N19-1245
Amoah, S., & Yeboah, J. (n.d.). The speaking difficulties of Chinese EFL learners and their motivation towards speaking the English language. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies. https://www.jlls.org/index.php/jlls/article/view/2394
Anel B. Serik, Kassymova, G. K., Kosbay, S. D., Kalimoldaeva, A. K., & Dzhambulova, Z. (2024). Relationship between soft skills and language learning. Muallim Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 8(3), 39–50. https://doi.org/10.33306/mjssh/284
Andrews, J., & Higson, H. (2008). Graduate employability, ‘soft skills’ versus ‘hard’ business knowledge: A European study. Higher Education in Europe, 33(4), 411–422.
Ang, S., Van Dyne, L., Koh, C., Ng, K. Y., Templer, K. J., Tay, C., & Chandrasekar, N. A. (2007). Cultural intelligence: Its measurement and effects on cultural judgment and decision making, cultural adaptation and task performance. Management and Organization Review, 3(3), 335–371. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1740-8784.2007.00082.x
Apsari, Y. (2017). THE USE OF PICTURE SERIES IN TEACHING WRITING RECOUNT TEXT. ELTIN JOURNAL, Journal of English Language Teaching in Indonesia, 5(2), 51-56.
Arnold, J. (2000). Affect in language learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Arpentieva, M.R., Retnawati, H., Akhmetova, T.A., Azman, M.N.A., Kassymova, G.K. (2021). Constructivist approach in pedagogical science. Challenges of Science. Issue IV, 2021, pp. 12-17. https://doi.org/10.31643/2021.02
Atilgan, T., & Bozdogan, H. (1987, June). Information-theoretic univariate density estimation under different basis functions. A paper presented at the First Conference of the International Federation of Classification Societies, Aachen, West Germany.
August, D. (2018). Educating English language learners: A review of the latest research. American Educator, 42(3), 4.
Azar, Ali & Tanggaraju, Darshini (2020). Motivation in Second Language Acquisition among Learners in Malaysia. Studies in English Language and Education. 7. 323 – 333. 10. 24815/siele.v7i2.16506.
Babu, R. (2010). Teaching Spoken English for Non-native Students: Problems, Solutions and techniques. [Online] Available: http://www.eltweekly.com/elt-newsletter/2010/06/60-articleteaching-spoken-English-for-non-native-students-problems-solutions-and-techniques-by-a-rameshbabu/. (March 15, 2011)
Baker, J., & Westrup, H. (2003). Essential speaking skills: A handbook for English language teachers. Continuum.
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. W.H. Freeman.
Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. Prentice Hall.
Bates, T., (1995). Technology, Open Learning and Distance Education, London Rootledge.
Bates, T., (2008). Managing Technological Change, (San Fransisco: Jossey-Boss Inc. 2000)
Bell, D., Morrison-Love, D., Wooff, D. & McLain, M. (2017). STEM education in the twenty-first century: Learning at work-an exploration of design and technology teacher perceptions and practices. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-017-9414-3
Bendarkawi, J., Ponce, A., Mata, S., Aliu, A., Liu, Y., Zhang, L., Liaqat, A., Rao, V. N., & Monroy-Hernández, A. (2025). ConversAR: Exploring embodied LLM-powered group conversations in augmented reality for second language learners. arXiv. https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.24000
Bhatti, M. A., & Basri, W. (2024). English proficiency and tacit knowledge transfer: Investigating mediating and moderating effects in multicultural workplaces. International Journal of Management Education, 22(2), 101–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2024.100832
Donghua, Z., & Almaki, S. H. (2025). The Influence of Soft and Hard Skills on English-Speaking Proficiency: Moderating Effects of Technology-Based Resources and Motivation among College Students in Nanchang, China. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 15(10), 652–663.
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
