THE EFFECT OF STRUCTURED TRAINING ON IMPROVING THE SOFT SKILLS OF MAMBAUL ULUM PONJANAN TIMUR ISLAMIC HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

This study aims to determine the effect of structured training on improving students' soft skills at Mambaul Ulum Ponjanan Timur Islamic High School. Soft skills are non-academic skills that are very important in supporting students' success, both in education and social life. However, initial observations show that most students still have low soft skills, such as ineffective communication, weak teamwork, and lack of leadership and self-management skills. For this reason, intervention in the form of systematically and structurally designed training is needed. This study used a quantitative approach with a quasi-experimental design in the form of a pretest-posttest control group design. The sample consisted of two classes, namely the experimental group and the control group, each consisting of 30 students. The instrument used was a soft skill questionnaire that had been tested for validity and reliability. The experimental group received soft skill training for eight sessions, while the control group did not receive special treatment. The results showed a significant improvement in students' soft skills after undergoing structured training. The average post-test score of the experimental group was higher than that of the control group. The paired sample t-test and independent t-test showed a significance value of <0.05, with a large effect size value. These findings indicate that structured training is effective in improving students' soft skills overall.