“The Role of Mass – media in Developing Personality and Soft Skills among Degree Students of Rural Area: A Study”

(With Special Reference to Hingoli District)”

Final Report of

Minor Research Project

Submitted to

The Joint Director, University Grant Commission

Western Regional Office, Ganeshkhind, Pune- 411007

Principal Investigator

MR. TUKARAM RANGRAO HAPGUNDE,

Assistant Professor Department of English,

Adarsh Education Society’s Arts, Commerce and Science College, Hingoli

Ref: 23-1430/14 (WRO) Date 20 February 2015

DECEMBER 2017

CONTENTS

Sr. No. Particulars Page No

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

LIST OF TABLES

LIST OF GRAPHS

Short Summary of the Dissertation

I INTRODUCTION

II PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT AND SOFT SKILLS – AT A GLANCE

III PROFILE OF HINGOLI DISTRICT

IV INTERPRETATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE COLLECTED DATA

V CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

APPENDIX

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I wish to express my deep sense of gratitude and appreciation to UGC for granting

me this Minor Research Project which is a great opportunity for me to extend my horizons

of knowledge regarding the research work.

I owe a special word of gratitude to Honorable Shri Kamalkishorji Kabra President,

Adarsh Education Society’s, Arts, Commerce and Science College, Hingoli and Vice-

president, Shri Madhavraoji Naik, Secretary, Shri R. B. Bagadiya, Tresurer, Shri

Madhukarraoji Dodal, Joint- secretary, Shri Dyneshwarappa Gotre, and all Management

Members of Adarsh Education Society’s, Arts, Commerce and Science College, Hingoli

for giving me golden opportunity to do this research work.

I further wish to convey my sincere thanks and acknowledgements to the Incharge

Principal Dr. A. R. Lathi, Vice Principal Dr. B. D. Waghmare, Shift Incharge Dr. V.B.

Aaghav, Librarian Ms. Jyoti Shankpale, Office Superintendent Mr. Vijay Kavane,

Acountant Mr. Dilip Dube Dr. R.R. Pimplapalle, Dr. S.V. Narwade, Dr. S. P. Hatkar, Dr.

A.V. Pawade, Mr. A. K. Pathan, and all my Colleagues, Adarsh Mahavidyalaya, Hingoli

for motivating and encouraging me during the study.

I am thankful to Mr. Dodal, Head of English Department, who has supported and

promoted me a lot to complete my research work.

I am also thankful to all authors of reference books, reports and articles on the

subject.

I express my heartfelt thanks to my loving father, mother, brothers, Sisters, friends,

students and my wife Surekha and my sweet little Kshitij & Akansha for their motivation

and moral support.

I am also thankful to Mr. Deepak Maske, Mr. Rahul Haral for bringing out this

project in its accurate, neat and well versed form.

At the last but not the least, I am also grateful to all those who directly or indirectly

helped me to bring out this research work successfully.

- Mr. T.R. Hapgunde

LIST OF TABLES WITH GRAPS

Table No.

Name of Table Page No

1 SAMPLE FOR THE RESEARCH STUDY TABLE NO.1

2 LIST OF SENIOR COLLEGES FO HINGOLI DISTRICT CONSIDERED

FOR THE PRESENT STUDY TABLE NO.2

3

TEACHERS, DEGREE STUDENTS AND RESPONSBLE PARESNT

OPINIONS ABOUT MASS MEDIA, PERSONALITY & SOFT SKILLS

DEVELOPMENT

4 RURAL DEGREE STUDENTS VIEWS ABOUT MASS MEDIA

5 DEGREE STUDENTS, WORKING FACULTIES AND RESPONSIBLE

PARENTS’ VIEWS - CUM- CONCLUSIONS IN TABULATED FORM

Submission of Final MRP Dissertation of “The Role of Mass – media in

Developing Personality and Soft Skills among Degree Students of Rural Area: A Study”

(With Special Reference to Hingoli District)”conducted by Mr.Tukaram Rangrao

Hapgunde, Assistant Professor, Department of English, Adarsh Education society’, Arts,

Commerce. & Science College, Hingoli. Dist Hingoli under UGC XII plan sanctioned

UGG WRO,PUNE vide letter: File. No. 23-1430/14 (WRO) Date 20 February 2015.

Summary of the Thesis/Dissertation

The present research study ‘Role of Mass Media in Developing Personality and

Soft Skills among Degree Students of Rural Area. (With Special Reference to Hingoli

District) deals with a very genuine and severe academic problem of ‘lack of real soft skills

and personality development experience’ in rural area of Hingoli district .It discovers a

new concept of learning soft skills and personality through the mass media .It explores 900

degree students, 100 working faculties and 50 responsible parents as the respondents for

collecting the primary data for the study. By employing descriptive and analytical research

methodology and questionnaire as a tool for data collection, the researcher has tried to

establish the idea that the degree students from the rural area of Hingoli district suffer from

a very grave academic problem. It reveals that lack of exposure to personality development

and soft skills, lack of authentic learning resource on the soft skills in rural area, lack of

relevant syllabus, motivation and academic environment are important factors leading to

the problem of soft skills among degree students of rural area. It successfully establishes

the thesis that with the absence of quality and authentic learning resources, particularly, on

personality grooming and soft skills building in rural area, mass-media ,including print

media like newspapers, magazines ,motivational literature, self-help books and broadcast

media like T.V., Radio, internet ,news channels, smart phones, with its academic virtues

like audio visual appeal, reliability, portability, mass reach, 24x7 access, user friendliness,

active participation inviting nature, convenience etc. can serve as an effective audio visual

tool for personality and soft skills building for rural students. Mass media positively

influence, add and develop rural students’ soft skills and personality. It provides degree

students with the 'most necessary exposure' and ' feel' of soft skills. It proves that internet is

arch hub of information on personality and soft skills development. It also highlights the

loopholes and lacunas of the current curriculum and classroom practice s of language and

literature class. It exposes the fact that the current English university syllabus and degree

classroom teaching of language and literature do not meet the students’ educational

expectations and requirements. The study also suggests some realistic, practical solutions

to the problem under study. It advocates that teachers and responsible parents should create

the awareness among their students about the educational virtues of the print and broadcast

media that can be fruitfully harnessed for effective learning of soft skills. It also

recommends the degree students that they should realise the importance of wise, efficient,

regular, studious attendance of mass media as a powerful tool for effective learning of soft

skills that are not covered in their curriculum and classroom teaching. It also emphasises

the role of parents in educating their children on the mass media etiquettes so that it will

enhance their children’s educational achievements. It calls for the need to incorporate live

and practical mass media material in the university syllabus. In, short, the present research

study addresses a very seminal academic problem in rural are and suggests realistic

solution to the problem in the form of wise and careful attendance of mass media. No

doubt, the study will empower the underprivileged rural students. It is, surely, a very

valuable learning resource for the passionate learners of personality and soft skill

development.

Final Dissertation of MRP on“The Role of Mass – Media in Developing Personality and Soft Skills among Degree Students of Rural Area: A Study” (With Special Reference to Hingoli

District)”

Chapter I

Introduction

21st century is often described as the ‘age of science and technology’. It is

sometimes referred as ‘the age of Computer’. In today’s changing, globalized and

competitive world, Soft skills and personality development have become an integral

ingredient of education and a password for success at individual, professional and

organizational level. Nowadays, it is seen that mere academic qualification is no more

important. We have to have a good soft skills and positive personality traits to achieve and

retain a good and lucrative job at market. It is very pertinent to note the observations of

made by scholars like Gopalaswami Ramesh and Mahadevan Ramesh in the ‘Prepace’ to

their book: “ we believe ,based on our personal experience in various capacities, that to

create and nurture successful professionals, one needs to instill in them a strong sense of

measure of the so-called soft skills. It is our opinion that to succeed in today’s and

tomorrow’s –competitive environment the acquisition, cultivation and fine-tuning of soft

skills highly essential” 1So, it is highly demanded qualification in today’s corporate and

media-dominated world. It is essential for personal and social growth and all-round

success. But as a matter of fact, students from rural area miserably suffer from the must-

have skills as they, unlike metropolitan students, lack exposure and access to the world

class soft skills. Universities from rural area are doing well but failing to address these

particular phenomena where students are not met with their educational needs and

expectations. In such a scenario, the best and most efficient way to teach rural students soft

skills and personality development is to train them to realize the potential of mass-media

like T.V. channels, radio, internet, android mobiles, bestseller self-help books, magazines,

journals, newspapers as a teaching aid that can go a long way in democratizing the quality

education in rural area through its merits like wide coverage, affordability, 7 x 24 access,

exposure to all, suitability and quality resources. And this present study is an attempt to

design a roadmap for the same. So, it focuses on the crucial factors that play decisive role

in the building the students personality and the soft skills.

Ever-changing technology has witnessed tremendous innovations and

changes influencing every walk of human life. Emergence of computer, radio, television,

internet, mobile and other communication technologies has a profound impact on human

life bringing about dramatic changes in the way we do things and perceive the world.

With the rise of mass media, the world has become a global village. English, being a

vehicle of globalisation in far off rural area, is the driving force and dominant language of

mass media. ‘English’ and ‘mass media’ have become the catchwords of the21st century.

Both the phenomena are witnessing reciprocal influences thereby shaping each other.

Mass media, perhaps, the most widely used communication technologies of the

age, involves of technological innovations like radio, television, internet, and smart phones

, newspapers, magazines, and bestselling self-help books that has huge coverage and a

mass reach. It is chiefly used to communicate information to larger sections of the society.

It is divided into two parts .i.e. First the ‘broadcast ‘media and the second is the ‘print

‘media. It is an umbrella term that encompasses and refers to both the ‘print media ‘like

newspapers, magazines, bestsellers and ‘broadcast media’ television, radio, mobile, film,

and internet that are used for mass communication. It bears tremendous educational

potential with a number of academic benefits like speedy perception, multisensory

appealing ,variety, ,open access to all, portability ,time, money, energy-efficient ,mass

cover ,etc that lack in traditional teaching- teaching process. Moreover, it is a rich

storehouse of valuable, standard knowledge, effective techniques for the effective

internalisation of English communication skills like listening, speaking, reading and

writing.

In recent scenario, soft skills and well-groomed positive personality play a sort of

password role like to enter any promising business, industry or career .It is a basic

requirement and essential qualification for personal, economic and academic

empowerment in almost every walks of life. So, it has become imperative to acquire the

heart winning and world class soft skills and winner’s personality. Most of the times, rural

degree students from Hingoli district are very poor at the most sought –after skills In spite

of having excellent technical and domain knowledge , these rural fail to acquire these life

skills .Neither their curriculum nor their class room practices help them to understand and

develop these necessary skills .They lack authentic and accessible learning resources on

personality development and soft skills . With the absence of exposure and guidance on

these seminar aspects, the rural degree students miserably grope in the darkness of

ignorance. Unfortunately, they aspire to the right kind of soft skills and personality

brushing experience in rural area. So, the present minor research project study address this

important academic problem in educationally and economically backward area. It aims to

find alternative and practical solution to the problem .It proposes the thesis that mass

media with its educational merits and applications can serve as a powerful audio visual,

user friendly, engaging soft skills and personality building tool for the disadvantaged rural

degree students. No doubt, mass-media with it’s a number of plus-points bear educational

potential that can be utilised in shaping powerful personality and soft skill proficiency of

rural degree students.. So, mass-media has a deep shaping impact on its attendants.

Computer and mobile open innovative vistas of developing English language fluency.

Computer with access to internet and educational software emerge as an excellent teaching

tool radio and T.V. channels like CNN, Discovery, HBO, Animal Planet,NDTV-

24x7,BBC World, History T.V, Star World, Loksabha T.V, Rajyasabha T.V ,Fashion T.V

are effective and open sources of life skills . Newspapers like The Hindu, The Times of

India, The Deccan Chronicle, Indian Express, and magazines like Science Reporter,

Outlook, Yojana, India Today, Frontline, Krukshetra, Business Economy, Tehelka, SSR

add considerably to the reader’s reading, writing and speaking abilities. Newspapers like

The Hindu are rightly called as the Bible of English fluency. A number of T.V serials,

movies ,radio programmes educate us on ‘how to ‘and ‘what to’ of soft skills

.Smartphone’s with a number of educational software’s like e-book reader and merits like

sound recording and producing capability become a teacher in our non-English speaking

country where there no exposure to soft skills . Bestsellers like ‘You Can You’, ‘Think and

Grow Rich’,’ ‘The Alchemist’, ‘Seven Habits of Highly Effective People’, ‘The Monk

Who Sold His Ferrari’, ‘Rich Dad and Poor Dad’, ‘The Magic of Thinking Big’ and so on

add considerably in our linguistic fluency, particularly, English communication skills . In

short, the present research study is a humble and sincere attempt at defining the shaping

role of mass-media in building personality and soft skill fluency among degree students.

Significance of the study:-

The present study bears a strong element of utility and socio-economic & education

significance as it deals with a more practical aspect of Indian rural academia where average

students with a passion for self-development are at disadvantaged situation no access and

exposure to standard, word class and quality education of soft skills and personal

grooming. The present study harnesses the mass-media with teaching learning process as a

teaching aid and tries to see it as a potential educational tool with its innumerable academic

merits. The study will prove highly useful for not only the young students but also the

faculty and all those who are desirous to lead a successful life by adopting positive

thinking, right approach, healthy habits and positive attitude. The study will also provide a

roadmap for the current compulsory English education in Maharashtra thereby exhibiting

the lacunas and gaps in the existing syllabus and teaching method in rural areas and

underlining the need to introduce personality development and soft skills as an integral

ingredient of compulsory English learning in Indian English classroom.

The study will help rural students and faculties to understand and realize that soft

skills and positive personality development is the only thing that determines their

employability in the corporate world. In short, the study will provide the students with the

real education – as education is the all-round development of personality.

(2) Objectives:-

The present study is a result of social commitment, academic needs and personal

curiosity thereby yoking modern mass-media with educational world. So, the present

research study has following key objectives:-

1) To define the role of mass-media as a potential tool of positive personality

building.

2) To define and clarify the concept of soft skills and personality development for

rural students.

3) To introduce the graduates from rural area like Hingoli with the conceptual and

practical aspects of soft skills and personality development.

4) To suggest remedial measures for degree students to improve and build world

class soft skills and positive personality.

5) To recognize and asses the role of modern mass-media as a potential

educational teaching – learning tool/technology.

6) To help rural students to build up and polish their soft skills and positive

personality traits.

II) Origin of the research problem:

With the performance of rural graduates in soft skills and positive personality from

Hingoli district and all over Maharashtra, academicians, policy-planners, corporate world,

parents and employers are worried. Moreover there is growing demand of introducing ICT

and other technologies in educational field. Considering all this, some hypothesis are

assumed to guide the study: So the present study stands on the following hypothetical

premises.

1) Today, mass-media, a rich reservoir of updated and practical knowledge, serves

and can be a potential acquisition tool of soft-skills and personality

development.

2) There is a miserable dearth of soft skills among degree students of rural area of

Hingoli district.

3) Lack of soft skills is also visible, as a major academic problem, among the

faculties teaching in rural areas.

4) Lack of exposure, right training, relevant syllabus, motivation and environment

are important factors leading to the problem of soft skill among degree students

and faculties from rural area.

5) Effective employment and utilization of mass-media as a modern tool of

learning can play a big role in building desirable soft skills among degree

students and faculties from rural area.

6) Area of the study:-

Hingoli, one of the eight districts of Maharashtra, is educationally and

economically backwards districts. The present research is conducted in a degree

colleges situated in sub-divisional towns (Tehsils) some 30 to 50 miles away

from district headquarters i.e. Hingoli. The study area consists of five blocks of

Hingoli district, namely, Kalamnuri, Basmat, Sengaon, Hingoli and Aundha.

The prime reason for selecting Hingoli district as a study area is its economic,

social and educational backwardness. By developing their soft skills and

personality, the graduates from rural area of Hingoli will empower themselves

thereby bringing them into the mainstream of inclusive development.

Time-span of the study:-

The present study exclusively takes into consideration the time span of 2

years i.e. Academic year 2014-15 and 2015-16.

IV) Research Methodology:-

Keeping in mind the objectives, hypothesis and scope of the study, descriptive and

analytical methods are used. The present research work involves field work. Therefore, the

sources of collecting material would be from both the sources i.e. primary sources and

secondary sources. The investigation would be initiated with an in-depth exploration of

primary sources like personal interviews and structured questionnaires with specific

questions studying the degree student’s experiences with mass-media from a soft skill and

personality – building point of view. The secondary sources will be used for arriving at a

definite conclusion. It also exploits some published journals and articles on soft skills,

personality development, communication skills, personal grooming and mass media etc. It

is innately of a survey type largely relied on primary data collected through questionnaires

with specific questions. In spite of the above – methods, the research plan is flexible in

applying the new and a useful method of research as the need arises.

Selection of Research sample:-

The sample for the present study consists of 900 degree students and 100 practicing

faculty from the various colleges of rural areas of Hingoli district. It undertakes to explore

some 900 degree students of all the disciplines like art, commerce, science, BCA and some

100 teaching faculties from the various colleges of five blocks of Hingoli district. The

researcher will also interview some 50 responsible parents about their observations

regarding mass media and its utilization by their children in learning personality and soft

skills. The research sample is represented in the following chart.

SAMPLE FOR THE RESEARCH STUDY

Sr.

No.

Block in Hingoli

Districts

01

Aundha

02

Sengaon

03 04

Hingoli

05 Total

Vasmat Jawala Bazar Kalamnuri Balapur

1 No. of Colleges 02 02 03 02 05 01 02 17

2 No. of Degree Students 90 90 270 50 300 60 70 900

3 No. of Practicing

Teachers 15 15 15 10 20 15 10 100

4 No. of .Responsible

Parents 05 05 10 05 10 10 05 50

There will be three types of questionnaire. Questionnaire – A will be for degree

students. It will consist of 20 questions. Questionnaire – B for working faculties will also

consist of 15 questions. Questionnaire-C will be for responsible parents from the selected

area. It consists of 15 questions. All the three questionnaires will explore young graduates

and serving faculty and parents with their experiences with mass-media as a potential source

of soft-skills and personality development.

Methods of Data Collection:-

The present research is based on both the primary and secondary data. Being a survey

study, random sampling technique is used to select the sample of the study. A total of 900

graduate students, including male and female of degree level students and 100 serving

faculties from rural area of Hingoli district form the sample of the study.

1. Primary Data:- Primary data is will be collected through personal interviews and

understood through mixed questionnaire with specific questions observation an

important role also play an important role in collecting the data discussion will also

play.

Year Quarter Targets to be achieved

First I Review of literature, purchasing equipment and

II Collecting secondary data and its analysis

III Preparing questionnaire and attending conference on

the topic

IV Collecting primary data and its analysis.

Second I Close study of the data and participation in seminars,

workshops, conferences.

II Data analysis and verification of the hypothesis

III Drawing logical conclusion and prepare a rough draft

of the thesis

IV Final Report of the Project

2) Secondary Data:-

The research also depends on secondary data. Secondary data will be collected

through published sources like 1) Library 2) Journals 3) Newspapers 4) Magazines 5) Internet

V) Report Writing - Chapter Scheme:-

The present research work includes following six chapters.

I) Introduction

II) Personality Development and Soft Skill –At a Glance.

III) Profile of Hingoli District

IV) Interpretative Analysis of Collected Data.

V) Conclusions and Suggestions.

References

Appendix – Questionnaires A,B & C.

Limitations of the study:-

The present study bears following limitations.

i) The present study is largely dependent on the primary data.

ii) It exclusively deals with the degree students of Hingoli districts only.

iii) The study focuses on the topic only from a rural area stand point.

iv) The time-span of the present study is two years i.e. 2014-2015 and 2015-2016.

Bibliography:-

A) Books:-

1) Ramesh, Gopalswami & Mahadevan : The ACE of Soft skills (Attitude,

Communication and Etiquette for Success), Dorling Kindersley (India), Pvt. Ltd

(Pearson), New Delhi, 2013

2) Singh, Achhru & Ubha Dharminder Singh : Personality Development and Soft

Skills, New Academic Publishing Co. Jalandhar, 2011

3) Dcruze, Teresa Gomes; Essentials of personality Development, Aadi Publications,

Jaipur – 2011

4) Gaur, Sanjay : Mandras for personality Development, Yking Books, Jaipur, 2010

5) Dcruze Teresa Gomes, Body Language and Communication skills, Aadi

Publications, Jaipur – 2011

6) Sharma, Sangeeta & Mishra Binod: Communication Skills for Engineers and

Scientists, PHI learning Pvt. Ltd, New Delhi, 2012

7) Khera, Shiv : Yon Can Win, Macmillan India Ltd, Ned Delhi, 2012

8) Keller, Jeff; Attitude is Everything; Pentagon press, New Delhi, 2013

9) Goleman, Daniel : Emotional Intelligence; Bloomsbury Publishing, London, 1996

10) Sarkar, Y.K. : Personality Development, Group Discussion, Carrer Management

and Interview Technique; (Vol.2) : Mark Publishers, Jaipur, 2012

11) Rao, M.S. : Soft skills for students : Classroom to corporate; Aadi Publications;

Jaipur, 2011

12) Saini, A.K. : ICT and English Language Teaching-Challenges and Innovations;

Yking Books, Jaipur – 2012

13) Thakar, K.R., Effective Teacher – Parent Communication, Prism Books (India),

Jaipur (India), 2012

14) Nayar, Rajnessh: Communicative Spoken English; Mark Publishers, Jaipur (India),

2012

15) Shah, Tejas F. : English Learning; Mark Publishers, Jaipur – 2012

16) Mahan, Shaila : Teaching English Communicatively – Principles, Practice,

Perspectives; Yking Books, Jaipur, 2012

Chapter- II

Personality Development and Soft Skills –At a Glance

The present research explores the role of mass-media in developing the personality

and soft skills of the degree students. Mass-media the watchword of the new-age is an

umbrella term describing all kinds of means that play a very significant role in establishing

strong public relations. It includes traditional media as well as modern media like

Newspapers, Television, Radio, Magazines, best-sellers, self-help books, mobile, Internet and

so on. In recent times, the role played by mass-media in the modern man’s life is of

permanent importance. Along with forming public opinion, it creates mass awareness

regarding socio-economical, political, cultural, problems and informs government’s laws,

schemes and policies to the citizen of the country. It also plays a very crucial role as a

potential educational tool. Nowadays, it has acquired a special role as teaching-learning aids

with all its merits like a 24x7 accesses, universality, user-friendly wide coverage, audio-

visual element, standard informative content, quality retention. It also saves time, money,

energy thereby emerging as learner-friendly teaching-learning aids. Today, educationist and

policy-planners are recognizing its educational utility. They are one with N.Kaur and J.Singh

who believe that “The 21st century desktop multimedia applications will considerably

enhance the user’s pleasure, productivity and knowledge base by providing the capability to

access, retrieve, use and exchange information from a variety of domestic and international

sources.” 1 So, there is a great scope to delve into the role and issues related to its application

as a teaching-learning tool in the present education system. It is interesting to note the

observation of Qasseemudin Haider who maintains that “Media eliminates the problems of

distance and carries education to the doorsteps of the learners. Blend of media gives

maximum benefits to the students”. 2

Personality development is a hallmark of today’s scenario. Personality development

refers to positive intellectual and emotional development of a person. It also refers to the

psychological awakening of a person to his or her hidden potential and natural abilities and

latent powers. It also connotes human ability to think creatively and differently. It is power of

understanding the best from the better It is a science that deals with shaping attitude,

emotional intelligence, behavioral pattern, good manners and positive habits. It discusses how

to discover individual potential and brush it up and present oneself to the people around us. It

teaches on how to discover one’s personality i.e. the innate qualities and traits that define a

particular character; how to groom and galvanize oneself; how to cultivate oneself as an ideal

human being and successful professional by incorporating positive traits and expurgating the

individual personality from negative attributes. It deals with how to shape individual with

positive and desirable human qualities like self-respect, inner-motivation, self-confidence,

good spirit, spirit de corps, patience, leadership, social skills, assiduousness, knowledge,

communication skills, honesty, empathy, positive attitude, love for all, considerate

disposition, morale and so on. It guides students on how to conduct oneself with others at

home as well as in a professional workplace. It also includes expurgating individual of the

negative traits like ego, negative attitude, indulgency, anger, suspicion, ignorance,

immorality, etc.

Soft skills are a catchword of a new generation. It has been a buzz word in the recent

times. soft skills refers to certain abilities inherent in human beings, specific positive

personality traits, and heart winning behaviours that reveal the speaker‘s / person’s emotional

intelligence .They are essential to effectiveness and success. “Soft skills” – a sociological

term referring to emotional intelligence and relating to a collection of personal, positive

attributes and behavioural competencies that enhance your relationships, job performance

and value to the market. Soft skills include your ability to listen well, communicate

effectively, be positive, handle conflict, accept responsibility, show respect, build trust, work

well with others, manage time effectively, accept criticism, work under pressure, be likable

and demonstrate good manners. Portland Business Journal defines soft skills as “people

skills are often described as understanding ourselves and moderating our responses, talking

effectively and emphasizing accurately, building relationships of trust, respect and

productivity interactions.” A British definition of soft skills: “The ability to communicate

effectively with people in a friendly way, especially in business”.

The corporate world runs after the people with these skills. It makes a common

individual to think much. They are addressed interchangeably as people skills or life skills.

They assume a very significant role in personal growth and career advancement as they are

the basic requirements of successful professional as well as personal life. Studies by Stanford

Research Institute and Carnegie Mellon Foundation among 500 CEO’s found that 75% of

long term job success depended on people skills and only 25% on technical skills. This is true

at other levels as well for effective performance in the workplace. Companies need their

employees to have not only domain knowledge, technical and analytical skills, but also the

skills to deal with the external world of clients, customers, vendors, the government and

public, and to work in a collaborative manner with their colleagues. They are also termed as

interpersonal skills, implying the ability to communicate well with other people and to work

in a team. A good number of academicians and corporate trainers while speaking on the

importance of soft skills, refer to the crucial “soft skills” –leadership, teamwork,

communication, and the ability to think “outside the box” of a discipline that separate the best

from the rest in the management world.

In short, soft skills are a psycho-social term signifying behavioural competencies.

They include proficiencies such as communication skill, conflict resolution and negotiation

skills, personal effectiveness, creative problem solving, strategic thinking, team-building,

influencing to name a few. Soft skills play a vital role in spoken English. Actually, spoken

English is a part of soft skill or spoken English is medium by which soft skills are expressed.

They help to excel in the workplace and their importance cannot be denied in this age of

information and knowledge.

Mass media, perhaps, the most widely used communication technologies of the age,

involves of technological innovations like radio, television, internet, and smart phones ,

newspapers, magazines, and bestselling self-help books that has huge coverage and a mass

reach. It is chiefly used to communicate information to larger sections of the society. It is

divided into two parts .i.e. First the ‘broadcast ‘media and the second is the ‘print ‘media. It

is an umbrella term that encompasses and refers to both the ‘print media ‘like newspapers,

magazines, bestsellers and ‘broadcast media’ television, radio, mobile, film, and internet that

are used for mass communication. It bears tremendous educational potential with a number

of academic benefits like speedy perception, multisensory appealing ,variety, ,open access to

all, portability ,time, money, energy-efficient ,mass cover ,etc that lack in traditional

teaching- teaching process. Moreover, it is a rich storehouse of valuable, standard knowledge,

effective techniques and the effective internalisation of English language skills like listening,

speaking, reading and writing.

Mass-media is a rich reservoir of such a great information on personality development

best sellers like ‘You Can Win’ (Shive Khera), ‘Live With Honor’ (Shiv Khera), ‘Seven

Habits of Highly Effective People’ (Stephen Covey), ‘Rich Dad and Poor Dad’ (Robert

T.Kiyosaki), ‘Think and Grow Rich’ (Nepolean Hill), ‘Alchemist’ (Paulo Coelho), ‘The

Monk Who Sold His Ferrari’ (Robin S.Sharma), guide the reader on a number of issues like

personality development, basic mannerism and soft skills like time management, character

building, motivation, communication skills. They also improve the reading skills of the

reader. Internet, the wonder of the modern age, is also a great tool where almost everything

under the sun is available at a fingertip. What Qaseemuddin Haider maintains about computer

is quite true. He maintains “Computer as a tool is available to improve the process of

teaching and learning computer provides personalized education service to learners’’.3 Right

from programming individuals mind with positive auto-suggestions to loving a beloved is

taught on the internet through it’s a number of websites and blogs. A sea of worldly wisdom

is available on the internet. So, a man can emerge as a winner just being with the internet.

One can have almost everything by entering with key words on the internet. English

Newspapers can play a great role in furnishing the reader with the current English

vocabulary. The newspapers like the Hindu are rightly regarded the Bible of English fluency.

A learner can learn a lot of important things about the LSRW skills. They provide the learner

with the kind of regular vocabulary which is very important in building English fluency. Like

the internet and best-selling self-help books, newspapers add to the general awareness of the

learner thereby boosting their confidence level. Radio, one of the most widely available

media, is also a great source of knowledge regarding general knowledge and current

vocabulary thereby boosting reader’s confidence. It is especially useful in promoting

pronunciation by providing English listening stuff.

Television is perhaps the most important of all Medias, as it has audio-video element.

Television with it’s a number of channels like HBO, BBC, STARWORLD, ZEE NEWS,

NDTV provide exposure to standards of modern lifestyle. It is interesting to note the

observations of Qaiser Zoha Alam in this respect “Students should be encouraged to listen to

the B.B.C., broadcasts, see good English films, study specimens, e.g. newspapers.”4 It is a

rich store house of general information and current affairs. It can provide a world-class

exposure and access to the spoken English in practical form. It also provides quality guidance

on how to employ individual body language, in our social and official life. It also presents the

live application of soft skills and body language through video movies and serials. It also

provides guidance on various socio, economic, political, cultural and technological current

affairs through special programmers. What is special about the television is its audio-visual

appeal that helps to strong retention and understanding. Television with its serials, special

programs and movies provides the students with the essentials of personality development

and key aspects of social interactions like good manners, etiquettes, body language,

telephonic conversation, with the right kind of practical demonstrations. For example, movie

like ‘Nayak’ is very helpful in providing a better idea of how to maintain a positive and

professional image. In short, visual media like television helps students to understand and

learn about different aspects of body language, communication skills, manners, etiquette, etc.

Mobile does play a very crucial role in developing student’s personality. Modern

technological innovation like smart phones and androids are perhaps the most comprehensive

learning tools promoting and facilitating productive and quality grooming of personality as

they bear audio-visual element. By proper utilization of mobiles, one can learn thousands of

things that go into making the professional personality. One can also use mobile for

developing their voice and pronunciation by using mobile’s recording and voice producing

facility. It can also provide students with ample of English listening practice and quality

material adding special sparks to users personality.

However, right approach, learning attitude, careful observation and practice are some

of the key points that are to be imbibed by the perspective learner. In short, mass-media is a

virtual teacher in today’s changing scenario that plays a great role in developing the student’s

soft skills, mannerism, behavioral competency and personality.

Reference:-

1) Information Technology in Higher Education, Association of Indian Universities,

New Delhi, 2000, (Selections from University News-5), P.50

2) Ibid, P.68

3) Alam, Qaiser Zoha, English Language Teaching in India (Problems and Issues),

Atlantic Publications, New Delhi, 1995, P.20

4) Ibid.

5) Gaur, Sanjay, Mantras for personality Development, YKing Books, Jaipur, 2010

6) Dcruze, Teresa Goresa, Essentials of Personality Development, Aadi Publications,

Jaipur, 2011

7) Dcruze, Teresa Gomes, Body Language and Communication Skills, Aadi

Publications, Jaipur, 2011

8) Roy, Devashish, Developing Communication Skills, Mark Publishers, Jaipur, 2009

9) Simon, Peter, Communication Skills, Reader’s Delight, New Delhi.Dutta,

10) Ashish, Body Language-What Words Don’t Reveal, Goodwills, New Delhi.

Chapter – III

Profile of Hingoli District/Region

The district of Hingoli lies in the northern boundary of Marathwada in the state of

Maharashtra. In its early days the area of Marathwada was under the control of Nizam and

Hingoli was the taluka of Parbhani district. At that time it was used as the military base camp.

All the military activities including movement of military troops, hospitals, and medicines for

soldiers were operated from here. Hingoli has been the witness of two big wars one was

fought between Tipu Sultan and Maratha’s in 1803 and the second one between Nagpurkar’s

and Bhosale’s. After Independence when the states were being constituted Marathwada was

bordered closer to the state of Maharashtra and in 1960 Hingoli became the part of the

Parbhani district of Maharashtra. On May 1st, 1999 a portion of Parbhani district was carved

out and Hingoli got the recognition of being the separate district of Maharashtra. The district

is surrounded by the borders of Akola and Yevotmal in the northern side, Parbhani in the

west, and Nanded in the south-east. The district came into existence by carving out the areas

from Parbhani district from May 1st, 1999.

Administrative Set-up: Hingoli district is divided into 5 tehils (administrative units)

and two sub-divisions as per details given below.

Sub- Divisions Tehsils within the Sub-division

Hingoli Hingoli, Kalamnuri, Sengaon

Basmath Aundha, Basmath

Block Information

Tehsils Head Quarter Panchayats Villages

AUNDHA Aundha 102 122

BASMATH Basmath 119 152

HINGOLI Hingoli 111 153

KALAMNURI Kalamnuri 125 151

SENGAON Sengaon 108 133

Connectivity: The nearest airport to Hingoli is at Aurangabad. Nearest Railway

Station is Parbhani connected to Delhi, Mumbai, and Hyderabad by direct trains. There is

also a good network of roads connecting major towns/cities of the state and neighboring

states.

Distance from Hingoli:

Aurangabad: 230 Km.

Mumbai: 676 kms.

Parbhani: 80 Km.

Hingoli is situated at the northern part of Marathwada in Maharashtra. Borders of

Hingoli are surrounded by Akola and Yevotmal in northern side, Parbhani in western side

and Nanded at south-eastern side. The district came into existence by division of Parbhani

district on 1st may 1999. Latitude Of Hingoli District is 19.43 N and Longitude is 77.11 E

Nearest Railway Station: Hingoli

Biggest Railway Station: Parbhani which is connected to Delhi, Mumbai, Banglore,

Hyderabad by direct train.

Distance from Parbhani by Road: 80 Km.

Distance from Akola by Train: 115 Km.

Nearest Airport: Aurangabad

Distance from Aurangabad by Road: 230 Km.

List of Senior Colleges of Hingoli District considered for the present study

Sr.No. Name of the College Location 1 Adarsh Art, Commerce & Science College Hingoli 2 Shri Shivaji S.P.Mahavidyalaya Hingoli 3 Shri Sant Gadge Maharaj B.Ed. Collge Hingoli 4 Dnynvardhini Adhyapak College Hingoli 5 Sarjudevi Bhikulala Bharuka Arya Mahila College Hingoli 6 Swami Vivekanand College of Computer Science & IT Hingoli 7 Sant Shree Sant Namdev Maharaj Pathade College Hingoli 8 Bhaurao Patil Arts & Science College Hingoli 9 Khurana Sawant Institute of Engineering & Technology Hingoli 10 Rajarshi Shahu Arts, Commerce, Science & IT College Hingoli 11 Dr.Shankarrao Satav College Kalamnuri 12 B.Ed. College Kamanuri 13 Narayanrao Waghmare Mahavidyalaya Ak. Balapur 14 Bahirji Smarak Mahavidyalaya (ACS) Basmatnagar 15 Shri Yoganand Swami Art College Basmatnagar 16 MIT College of Computer Science & IT Basmatnagar 17 Savitribai Phule BCA College Basamath 18 Toshiwal College Sengaon 19 Balasaheb Kedar Computer College Sengaon 20 Shri Vithal BCA College Sengaon 21 MIP Computer College Aundha (N) 22 Nagnath Arts and Commerce College Aundha (N) 23 Nagnath College of Physical Education Jawala Bazar

24 Krushiratna Sharadchandraji Pawar Arts, Commerce & Science College

Jawala Bazar

25 MIP Arts & Computer College Jawala Bazar 26 Shri Chatrapati Arts & Science College Jawala Bazar 27 B.Ed. College Hatta 28 Bahirji Smarak Sr. College Hatta 29 Dr.V.K.Patil Engineering College Hatta

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Source: DC Office, Hingoli.(www.hingoli..nic.in) .

Map of Hingoli District with its Five Blocks (Area of Research Study)

Chapter-IV

Interpretative Analysis of the Collected Data

The researcher has used the primary as well as secondary data .He has used

questionnaire as a tool of data collection. He has employed statistical tools like percentage,

mean etc to analyse and interpret the collected data . An in-depth and exhaustive analysis of

the collected data from the rural students, working faculties from Hingoli district and

responsible parents through different questionnaires reveal the following shocking insights.

1) 88% faculties believe that mass media bears strong educational potential and

educational virtues for rural degree student’s personality and soft skills building.

2) 92% faculties believed that attending mass-media like T.V. shows, movies, smart

phone, Internet, news channels, English news papers, best seller self-help motivational

literature can be an effective and excellent tool to broom / develop rural student’s

personality and soft skills. 92% students believed that attending mass-media with its

number of potential educational applications and merits can emerge/serve/act as an

effective, dynamic, open reliable and excellent tool for rural students who earnestly

desire to broom their personality and soft skills. 88 % responsible parents believed that

audio visual mass media can be a great user friendly personality brooming and soft skill

building tool for their children.

3) 88% teachers maintained that exploitation of mass-media can be the best and suitable

audio-usual tool that facilitates rural degree student’s easy, effective and fast

acquisition of the soft skills. According to 91% students, attending mass-media

effectively and studiously enable them to learn soft skills efficiently and faster than the

traditional classroom practice.

4) 94% opines that mass-media influence, add and sharpen their student’s personality and

soft skills while 98% students believed that mass-media like T.V shows, news channels,

radio, bulletins, smart phone, news papers, and magazines regularly and studiously

positively influence, add and develop their personality and soft skills.100% parents

hold that all pervasive mass media positively influence, add and develop the soft skills

and personality of their children. 98% students believed that attending mass-media

should be a part of English curriculum and classroom practice.

5) 68% faculties believed that the current university syllabus and current degree classroom

teaching practice do not meet the educational needs and requirements of their rural

students regarding personality and soft skills development whereas 63% students

confirmed to the same view of held by the working faculty about the syllabus and

classroom teaching. Approximately, 50% parents believed that the current university

syllabus and classroom practice do not meet their disadvantaged rural children.

6) 76% faculties believed that our current university syllabi and current degree students

classroom teaching fails in developing soft skills and personality of rural learners.

7) 66% teachers believed that mass-media is the best source of authentic reading material

for soft skills and personality building in rural area.

8) 94% faculties believed that mass-media presents contextualised exposure to soft skills

and personality developments.

9) According to 66% teachers, rural students are not adequately exposed to soft skills and

personality development through their syllabus and classroom teaching.

10) 80% teachers hold that our language and literature class is inadequate to train rural

students in soft skills.

11) 84% working faculties maintains that rural students do not have access to authentic and

quality study material on soft skills and personality development.

12) 98% faculties and 97% students believed that rural students face the ‘problem of real

soft skills learning experience’. They identify that there is a big problem of ‘real soft

skill learning experience’ in rural area as a major academic problem.

13) According to 84% students and 66% faculties, important aspects of students’

personality like communication skill, soft skills, body language, and mannerism can be

effectively developed through mass-media.

14) 91% students and faculties hold the view that the internet is a rich hub of information

on personality development and soft skills with its number of educational websites and

informative videos. They confirm that today the internet with is ample websites on soft

skills training, emerges as a virtual teacher for the disadvantaged rural degree students.

15) 80% faculties and 76% students subscribe to the fact that almost all the mass media like

radio, smart phone, newspapers, magazines, best seller, self help books, and T.V. shows

bear considerable educational value, particularly, in terms of personality development

and soft skill learning.

16) 90% students and faculties subscribes to the view that mass-media contributes more

than 50% to the student’s knowledge of soft skills and personality development.

17) 77% students and 60% faculties identified that mass-media bears many educational

virtues like reliable, audio-visual, more convenient, interesting, easily available, user

friendly, 24x7 access, inviting learner’s active participation, portable, mass-reach etc.

that can be harnessed with teaching learning process in rural area.

18) 86% students and 80% faculty believed that attending mass-media wisely by rural

degree students offer innovative, exciting, accessible smarter, faster and better ways of

learning soft skills. They confirm that mass-media can ensure fast and effective

personality development among the advanced learners saving their time, money and

energy as they provide the degree students with the most ‘necessary exposure’ and

‘feel’ of soft skills.

19) 98% degree students believe that they enjoy access to print and broad cast mass-media

like newspaper, journals, magazine, best seller self-help books, T.V. radio, internet,

smart phone. 94% students affirmed that they have actually mass-media as a tool for

building their personality and soft skills.

20) 95% students feel that mass-media material can be the best source of quality and

creative study and reading material that help in improving their personality and soft

skills.

21) 89% degree students mentioned that they attend mass-media attentively and regularly

from personality and soft skills acquisition point of view.

22) 95% students feel that they can utilise mass-media for building their personality

development and soft skills.

23) 83% degree students believe that they can learn skills like effective reading and

speaking, critical listening, creative writing, communication skills, body language and

mannerism, soft skills, social skills etc.

24) 84% students identified the following factors as the major hindrances in the

development of their personality and soft skills.

i) Lack of quality and authentic learning resources for personality development.

ii) No exposure to soft skills in rural area.

iii) Lack of ‘real soft skills and personality brooming experience’ in rural area.

TABLE NO.3

Sr.No Opinions about Mass media & Personality & Soft skills Development

Teacher’s Response

Student’s Response

Parent’s Responses

01 Mass-media as a n effective audio visual tool for personality and soft skills building for rural students

92% 92% 88%

02 Mass media influence ,add and develop students soft skills and personality

94% 98% 100%

03 Current English university syllabus and degree classroom teaching of language and literature do not meet students educational expectations and requirement

68% 63% 50%

04 There is a big problem of Real soft skill and personality brooming experience in rural area

98% 97% 92%

CHART BASED ON TABLE NO. III

OPINIONS ABOUT MASS MEDIA & PERSONALITY & SOFT SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

120%

Mass-media as a n effective audio visual tool for

personality and soft skills building for rural students

Mass media influence ,add and develop students soft

skills and personality

Current English university syllabus and degree

classroom teaching of language and literature do

not meet students educational expectations

and requirement

There is a big problem of Real soft skill and

personality brooming experience in rural area

1 2 3 4

Teacher’s Response

Student’s Response

Parent’s Responses

Table 4

Sr.No Rural Degree Students Views about Mass Media Response in Percentages

01 Rural degree students who has access to mass media 98% 02 Students who believe that mass media is an effective personality & soft skill

building tool 95%

03 Students who believe that they can utilise mass media for personality & soft skill building

95%

04 Students who actually use /attend mass media for personality & soft skill building

89%

05 Students who have already exploited mass media for personality & soft skill building

94%

CHART BASED ON TABLE NO. IV

RURAL DEGREE STUDENTS VIEWS ABOUT MASS MEDIA

Response in Percentages

1 Rural degree students who hasaccess to mass media

2 Students who believe that massmedia is an effective personality & softskill building tool

3 Students who believe that they canutilise mass media for personality &soft skill building

4 Students who actually use /attendmass media for personality & soft skillbuilding

5 Students who have already exploitedmass media for personality & soft skillbuilding

Degree Students, Working Faculties and Responsible Parents’ Views - Cum- Conclusions in Tabulated Form

Table No. V

Degree Students, Working Faculties and Responsible Parents’ Views - Cum- Conclusions in Tabulated Form

Table No. V

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Mass-media as an effective

audio visual tool for personality and soft skills

building for rural students

Mass media with its academic

virtues positively influence ,add and develop students soft

skills and personality

Current English university

syllabus and degree classroom

teaching of language and

literature do not meet students educational

expectations and requirements

There is a big problem of Real

soft skill and personality brooming

experience in rural area

Mass media provide degree

students with the 'most necessary

exposure' &' feel' of soft skills

internet is arch hub of

information on personality &

soft skills development

Response cum findings 90% 95% 60% 95% 83% 91%

Axis

Titl

e

Responses-cum-findings

Views about mass media and soft skill and personality development Response cum findings

Mass-media as an effective audio visual tool for personality and soft skills building for rural students

90%

Mass media with its academic virtues positively influence ,add and develop students soft skills and personality

95%

Current English university syllabus and degree classroom teaching of language and literature do not meet students educational expectations and requirement

60%

There is a big problem of Real soft skill and personality brooming experience in rural area

95%

Mass media provide degree students with the 'most necessary exposure' &' feel' of soft skills 83% internet is arch hub of information on personality & soft skills development 91%

CHAPTER: V

Conclusions and Suggestions

Conclusions:

1) According to 95% degree students, working faculties and responsible parents, rural

students face a severe academic problem of ‘Soft skill s and personality brooming

experience’ in rural area of Hingoli district.

2) The study reveals that lack of exposure to personality development and soft skills, right

training to the faculties, lack of relevant syllabus, motivation and environment are important

factors leading to the problem of soft skills among degree students and faculties of rural area.

3) Approximately, 90 % degree students, working faculties and responsible parents opine

that today mass media which prove to be a rich reservoir of updated and practical knowledge

serves and can be a potential, effective, reliable, user friendly, participation inviting, multi

sense appealing, personality and soft skill building tool for rural students. 90% students and

faculties subscribe to the fact that mass media contributes more than 50% to the students

understanding of soft skills and personality development.

4.60% degree students, working faculties and responsible parents confirmed the view that the

current English university syllabus and class room teaching of language and literature class

fail to meet the educational expectations and requirements of degree students of rural area.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

Mass-media as an effective audio

visual tool for personality and

soft skills building for rural

students

Mass media with its academic

virtues positively influence ,add and develop students soft

skills and personality

Current English university

syllabus and degree classroom

teaching of language and

literature do not meet students educational

expectations and requirements

There is a big problem of Real

soft skill and personality brooming

experience in rural area

Mass media provide degree

students with the 'most necessary

exposure' &' feel' of soft skills

internet is arch hub of

information on personality & soft

skills development

Response cum findings 90% 95% 60% 95% 83% 91%

Axis

Titl

eResponses-cum-findings

Mass media, according to the respondents under study, due to its academic virtues like audio-

visual appeal, 24x7 open access, personalised way of individual learning, engaging and

attention inviting character, user-friendly, mass reach, creative contextualisation and use of

soft skills and interpersonal skills like communication skills can be an excellent and dynamic

teaching –learning aid and best supplement to traditional English language and literature

curriculum and practice in the class. It offers exciting and alternative ways of learning soft

skills creatively, innovatively and effectively. It helps in driving English phobia from rural

learners’ mind ,promotes learner’s internal motivation ,reduces drudgery, incites interest and

active participation of learners .It provides exposure to social skills like appreciation,

empathy ,team work, and valuable guidance on pronunciation , body language ,mannerism,

and so on .It saves learner’s time ,money and energy.. So, it can serve /act as effective

personality and soft skill building tool for rural students.

5) According to 95% students ,teachers and parents ,mass media like T.V.shows, internet

,radio, newspapers, magazines, journals, motivational self help books like ‘You Can Win”,’

Seven Habits of Highly Effective people “, ‘How to win and Influence People’ , ‘The Old

Man and the Sea’ , Up From Slavery’, ‘The Unposted Letters’, , The Monk Who Sold his

Ferrari’, ‘The Alchemist’ ,smart phones with its academic virtues positively influence ,add,

develop the soft skills and personality of rural students.

6) 98% students believe that mass media, being the most appropriate live material on soft

skills, should form the integral form of current university English curriculum and teacher

should use creative mass media material in the day to day classroom teaching.

7) 98%rural students enjoy access to mass media.95 % students believe that mass media is a

powerful personality and soft skill building tool and they can utilise it for enhancing their

knowledge and brushing up the essential competencies.89% student use mass media for their

personality development and 94% students have already used mass media for their learning .

8) A considerable number of students as well as teachers believe that mass media facilitates

easy, effective and fast acquisition of the soft skills like communication skills, body

language, mannerism ,social skills etc. It influences, and adds to the building of four basic

aspects of English language. One can develop one’s reading, listening and speaking skill

effectively. Writing skill is perhaps the least influenced and developed aspect of language by

mass media.

9) According to 83% students and faculties attending mass media wisely offers innovative,

exciting, accessible, smarter, faster and better ways of learning soft skills. They confirm that

mass media can ensure fast and effective personality development among the advanced

learners saving their time money and energy as they provide the degree students with ‘the

most necessary exposure’ and ‘feel’ of soft skills.

10) 68% students and faculties identify that mass media bears many educational virtues like

reliable, audio-visual, more convenient, interesting, easily available, user friendly, 24x7

access, inviting learner’s active participation, portable, mass-reach etc. that can be harnessed

with teaching learning process in rural area. These merits can go a long way in improving and

enriching the rural degree students learning achievements.

11) 91% students and faculties hold the view that the internet is a rich hub of information on

personality development and soft skill through a number of educational websites and

informative videos they believe that today internet with its ample websites on soft skills

training emerge as a virtual teacher for underprivileged rural degree students.

12) Considerable number of parents opined that their children are aware of the educational

benefits of mass media but they need orientation on the effective use of these tools in

maximizing their children’s learning outcome.

13) According to 84% students, lack of quality and authentic learning resources for

personality development, no exposure to soft skills in rural area, lack of ‘real soft skills and

personality brooming experience’ in rural area are the major hindrances in the development

of their personality and soft skills

In short, there is grave academic problem of ‘soft skills and personality brooming

experience’ in rural area of Hingoli district .Effective employment and utilisation of mass

media as a modern tool of learning can play magic wand like role in building desirable soft

skills among degree students and faculties from rural area.

Suggestions / Recommendations:

Positive personality and soft skills development, being the most essential prerequisite

of modern human existence, is very important to learn well both for personal growth and

career advancement. So, it is important that we should study soft skills and personality issues

in a formal and non-formal way so that we can make the most of the time we spend for

getting degrees. There are many ways to improve our students’ personality and soft skill

proficiency. The present study reveals that rural students earnestly desire to brush up their

personality and soft skills. However, with the absent of right kind of authentic and quality

learning resources on personality development and soft skill and no exposure to the most

sought-after soft skills fail to cultivate these traits and social skills in them. They are hard

working, passionate, dedicated, sincere and studious, yet they are miserably weak at heart –

winning life skills .Most of the time, existing university curriculum and classroom teaching

practices fail to address these core aspects. Unfortunately, both the existing university

curriculum and classroom teaching practices miserably fail to meet the academic

requirements and academic needs of the less-privileged rural degree students. So, it calls for

novel and alternative way to tackle the problem. So, the present research gets realistic

solution to the problem .It recommends that all-pervasive user- friendly mass media with its

academic virtues and all forms can serve as a reliable, audio visual, convenient, interesting,

easily available ,portable and inviting learner’s active participation personality and soft skill

building tool for degree students of rural area . It makes allowance for the educational merits

of mass media from personality development and soft skills acquisition point of view. After

an in-depth analysis and study of the problem under study, following suggestions-cum-

recommendations are made to improve the rural degree students’ personality positively and

enrich their soft skills faster and efficiently than the traditional classroom practices. These

suggestions are address not only to the degree students but also working faculties and

responsible parents from the rural area .They also address the seminal aspects of higher

education like university, syllabus designing, and media agencies.

1. Students should be open to and realise the educational benefits of mass-media and

use it effectively.

The present study underlines the fact that the lack of exposure to soft skills and ‘no

real soft skills learning and personality brooming experience’ in the rural is the most

important factor responsible for rural student’s failure in achieving heart winning soft skills

and all-round personality development. Moreover, there is lack of quality and authentic

learning resources on personality development and soft skills building in the rural area. The

present study discovers that the mass media like T.V. shows, news channels, radio bulletins,

self help books, English newspapers and magazines, and internet influence, add and increase

degree student’s soft skill proficiency. Today, we find that mass media with its educational

virtues and merits emerge a very important audio visual learner friendly learning tool for the

ESL’s in the rural area from soft skills and positive personality acquisition / learning point of

view. So, all the stakeholders of higher education including responsible parents should realize

that they can fruitfully harness the educational potential of the mass media with their

students’ academic enterprises. Degree students who grope in the darkness of non-conducive

ambience in rural area can learn a lot from mass media in an informal setting. Audio – visual

mass - media like T.V. channels, radio, smart phones, internet, movies and CD’s presents soft

skills in real life use. Parents should inform their children that a wise study of mass media can

offer innovative, exciting, accessible, smarter, faster and better ways of learning soft skills.

Almost all the print and broadcast media can come forward to ease the students in learning

personality and soft skills.

2). Teacher-training for yoking mass-media as a modern educational and technological

language learning audio-visual tool.

In the context of the present day globally-technology-driven education, a language

teacher is expected to perform various roles. In modern times, the role of English language

teachers is changed. So, all the teachers should be competent to handle various roles and the

teacher training ought to be relevant to the demands of a teacher’s job. What Surekha V.

Khairnar observes is quite applicable to the teachers of rural college in India: “In the absence

of a competent teacher with proper understanding of (CLT) communicative language

teaching philosophy, this is not possible. Hence, the teacher training is the most important

area for priority handing”1. A well planned and technology –supported training to the

working faculty will definitely go a long way in improving the teachers teaching skill set and

empower them with the new insights and pedagogical techniques that will ensure their

effective delivery as a soft skill trainer

3).Utilize the Internet Effectively.

Computer (Internet) can open new vistas of innovative ways of developing the

essential life skills including soft skills like positive Body language and mannerism, positive

disposition, social skills like appreciating goodness/expressing feelings, communication skills

like critical listening, effective reading, creative writing, and effective speaking skills. It is

also important to understanding the importance of the Internet as an ocean of knowledge.

Teachers should tell their students that internet is a rich hub of information on personality

development. It is a virtual teacher that can help passionate learners with their educational

websites. Internet has grown to be an anytime resource providing valuable information on

personality and soft skill development. Due to its multi-sensory educative value it can be a

virtual teacher for young learners. There are many websites that teach you effective English

communication. For example –

www.talkenglish.com,

www.freeenglishstudy.com,

www.freeenglishnow.com,

www.learn-englishtoday.com

www.speakenglishtoday.com

4). Read English newspapers, Magazines, comic literature and self-help books as a

personality and soft skill building tool.

It is well established fact that the more you read English, the more you use English.

Read short stories, newspapers, magazine, popular literature out aloud and try to see, say and

hear the words to reinforce your memory

5). Read daily English newspapers and popular literature.

Media particularly newspapers, magazines, popular literature are actually a storehouse

of practical vocabulary and structures that are used in day to day contexts of real life. So,

reading newspapers, magazines, and popular literature enriches your stock of active, practical

and working vocabulary that constitutes the major part of the problem; they teach you set

patterns in English generally used in day to day context of real life. Reading English books

especially in your space time, like novels and anything help one immensely. The reading

newspapers and magazines provide us with high frequency words. It helps to build your

active and working vocabulary .Regular and careful reading of daily English newspapers and

popular literature help students in developing interpersonal skills like communication skills.

6).Be a real/ideal student

Most of the time, we find that a considerable number of students from rural area are highly

indifferent about their learning and personality development. They show a very low level of

internal motivation. Unfortunately, they believe that just seating passively in the classes is

getting education. So, students should cultivate qualities like pro-activeness, passion,

commitment etc. Students should be a critical listener, creative writer, good observer and

voracious reader. He should think out of the box and explore other open, reliable, efficient

alternative ways of learning new things saving their time, money and energy. They should

cultivate positive study skills and habits. They should develop careful purposive listening

7). Introduce mass-media material as a core part of the ELT syllabus.

As per the in depth analysis of the data collected, it is found that 63 % students and

68% working faculties from rural area believed that the current English language and

literature class with its syllabus and regular classroom teaching fail to meet the educational

expectations of rural students about their personality development and soft skill building.80%

faculties believed that our language and literature class is inadequate to train students in soft

skills. 66% faculties believed that rural students are not adequately exposed to soft skills and

personality development .98% faculties and 97% students believed that there is big problem

of ‘real soft skill learning and personality brooming experience in rural area .These all

issues reveal that our current university syllabus of language and literature class is marred

with many lacunae. So, understanding the educational utility of mass media material like

audio-visual clippings , reading English newspapers , journals ,magazines and motivational

literature , attending movies ,serials ,informative broadcasts should be incorporated in the

syllabus and practical in actual classroom teachings. So, it is recommended that the

universities (Board of Studies of Languages and literature) should introduce drastic reforms

in the current university syllabus of languages and literature.

8). Have a Habit of making notes, noting down new words, phrases, expressions,

collocations, special grammatical usages, and sentence structures that you may come

across while attending mass-media and using them in your daily real-life social

interactions. This will help in building students communication skills

9). Know that Smartphone is a magic wand for the rural degree students who earnestly

and passionately wish to develop their fluency in social/soft skills.

10.) Spreading mass awareness among students about educational merits of mass media

by the working faculty.

Lack of awareness about the potential benefits of mass media in education, in

general, and in soft skills and personality development, in particular, is one of the insights

from the studied data .So, teachers from the rural area can be the torch bearer in this case

.Teachers should spread mass awareness among their students about the educational merits of

mass media like audio visual appeal, mass reach, easy availability, reliability, interesting,

convenience, portability, user-friendliness, and active participation engaging nature etc. They

should teach their students that the students can learn communication skills, like effective

reading and speaking, careful and critical listening, creative writing, body language

mannerism, soft skills including time management, appreciation and consideration skills

,social skills like team spirit ,etc. They should guide their students on how to use/attend mass

media wisely, attentively and efficiently for honing their soft skills and brushing up their

personality. They should adopt measures to increase motivation of their students by

developing different devices and systems which would help the learners. They should

encourage their students to read other mass media material such as journals, magazines,

newspapers and novels, storybooks. They should promote their students to use soft skills in

real-life situations. In short, teachers must create mass-media literacy among rural students

and parents.

11). Cultivate a healthy habit of attending the mass-media creatively and studiously.

Knowing the educational benefits of mass-media, rural degree students must cultivate

a healthy habit of attending mass media creatively, studiously, regularly, efficiently from

personality and soft skill learning point of view. Be open to the educational benefits of mass

media.

12). Listen to radio and television channels carefully. Students should develop their

keen observation faculty. Students should consciously cultivate study skills and habits.

13). Parents Should Educate their Children on Effective and wise use of Mass-media in

Learning

Parents play a very crucial role in their children’s academic achievement. Parents can

educate their children on the etiquettes, creative and educative use of mass-media. They

should realise the educational potential and merits of mass media as an effective and

powerful learner friendly tool of personality development and soft skill building. They should

also educate their college –going children on how to fruitfully utilise mass media and its

educational virtues for brushing and brooming the personality of their children .They should

set certain rules and etiquettes about the wise and efficient use of mass media in their studies.

14).Realize the importance of mass-media as a ‘virtual English teacher’, potential

‘educational technology’ and powerful ‘audio-visual teaching aids’.

98% faculties found that mass-media presents contextualised exposure to soft skills

and personality development. 88 % faculties from rural area hold that mass media bears

strong educational potential and educational virtues for rural degree students’ personality and

soft skills building. Students should realise that they can learn a lot of important skills like

communication skills, like effective reading and speaking, careful and critical listening,

creative writing, body language mannerism, soft skills including time management,

appreciation and consideration skills, and social skills like team spirit. All the stakeholders of

the higher education: students, teachers and responsible parents should note the merits of

mass media like reliability, audio visual appeal, engaging nature, easy availability,

convenience, learner friendliness, portability, interesting etc that can enhance rural students

learning and achievement

. 15) Creation of Authentic and quality learning resources and study material students.

The present research study highlights those scanty learning resources on soft skills

and personality development in rural area as one of the leading stumbling block in the failure

of rural students’ achievements .A considerable number of students maintained that lack of

authentic, quality and accessible learning resources and study material on soft skills and

personality development in rural area as one of the major hindrances in the failure of rural

learners’ personality and soft skill development. Scholars, experts, teachers should invest

their time and thinking in designing creative, accessible and authentic material for average

rural degree learner who earnestly desire to study and acquire life skills. Teachers should

exploit mass media like television shows, radio, movies, Internet (smart phone), newspapers;

journals, and magazine, best seller self-help motivational literature as the best source of

quality and creative study material that can improve their students’ personality and soft skills.

16) Focus on students’ personality development.

Teachers should stress the development of students’ personality and soft skills as they

are the most essential element of present time workforce. So, as a devoted teacher, faculties

from rural area should invest their quality time for promoting self awareness and attitude of

the students .what the scholars like Gopalaswamy Ramesh and Mahadevan Ramesh

maintains that in the ‘Preface’ of their book “good soft skills have their roots in a strong and

healthy attitude ,of feeling good about oneself and being able to relate to the environment

better .This attitude will be reflected in effective communication ,polished by proper

application of etiquette appropriate to a given situation .It is, in our view, essential that all the

three components –attitude ,communication and etiquette-get their due importance and

attention ,in that order .You cannot have a good communication gushing out of a poor

attitude ,nor can you sugar coat poor communication with etiquette that is superficial”.2 so,

teachers should note this meticulously. Parents should also note that they should instil a

positive sense of the self awareness among their children as “good manners come from

having sympathy with others and from understanding our own limitations”3.Students should

invest their time and energy in exploring these seminal issues as core issues .So, it should be

noted that inner aspects of our personality are more important than the surfacial ones and

taken seriously by all the stakeholders of higher education.

In a nutshell, all the above suggestions and recommendations can surely help the rural

degree students to come with flying colours .If teachers and responsible parents could play

their part properly in this case, then surely, the suggestions can work wonders. However, it

should be seriously noted what Dr. A .P .J. Kalam, former president of India always exhorted

that “Yet it (Internet/Computer) is a mere tool and has no wisdom or mind of its own, no

inherent ability to learn or teach. This fact should never lost sight of. It can never replace the

teacher!” 4

The above remedial measures will surely improve and build world-class soft skills

and personality traits.

References:

1) Halyal, Pooja, Informational Technology: What is the Role of The Internet and

Educational Software in Language Teaching. Literary Endeavour (Vol-III No. I, Jan -2012,

(P.157).

2) Ramesh, Gopalswami & Mahadevan : The ACE of Soft skills (Attitude, Communication

and Etiquette for Success), Dorling Kindersley (India), Pvt. Ltd (Pearson), New Delhi, 2013.

3) ‘Radiance: Communication Skills, Prose and poetry ‘Orient Black swan, Hyderabad

(p.174).

4) ‘IT. Revolution, Globalization and Teaching of English’- Atlanta Publishers &

Distributions , New Delhi 2001 (ed. G. Damodar, D. Shailaja, M.Rajeshwar)

5) Bukhari, A.Z, Mass media and Methods of Education: New Delhi, Amol Publications Pvt.

Ltd, 2006.

6) Alam, Qaiser Zoha, English Language Teaching in India (Problems and issues), New

Delhi: Atlanta Publishers and Distributions, 1995.

7) Dodson, C.J.Language Teaching and Bilingual Method, Pitman Publishing Company.

1967. (P-91).

8) Nagaratnanam, R.P, Al-Mekhalafi Abo, 2012, The Teaching of Literature in as ESL/EFL

Context: the Dynamics of Change. The Journal of English Language. (Vol.XLX/5).P-03.

9) Masaldan K.N. “Spoken English: New Delhi: New Light Publishers. (P. 30).

7) Ibid. (p.29).

Appendix - A

QUESTIONNAIRE FOR DEGREE STUDENTS - A

This questionnaire is meant for degree students from rural area and will be used purely for the MRP research purpose only. The topic of the MRP research is “The Role of Mass

– media in Developing Personality and Soft Skills among Degree Students of Rural Area: A Study” (With Special Reference to Hingoli District)

A) Give Your Introduction:

Name : _______________________________________________________________

Faculty : B.A. B.Sc. B.Com. Other….

College : _______________________________________________________________

Address : Village: _______________________ Taluka : _________________________

Note: - Please mark () your response within the stipulated box. (Total No. Of Questions: 20)

B) Research - Specific Question:-

1) Do you have access to mass – media like T.V., radio, English newspapers, best-seller self – help books, magazines, internet, android smart phones?

Yes No 2) Do you believe that media like television shows, radio, movies, Internet (smart phone)

newspapers; journals, and magazines, best seller self-help motivational literature can be the best source of quality and creative study and reading material that can improve your personality and soft skills?

Yes No 3) Do you think that there is a big problem of ‘real soft skills learning experience’ in

rural area? Yes No

4) Do you think that attending mass media effectively and studiously enable you to learn soft skills efficiently and faster than the traditional classroom practice?

Yes No 5) Do you think that attending mass – media like reading English newspapers, magazines

and watching T.V. channels, English movies should be a part of your English curriculum and classroom practice?

Yes No 6) Do you think that attending mass – media like T.V. shows, news channels, radio

bulletins, smart phones and newspapers and magazines regularly and studiously positively influence, add and develop your personality and soft skill proficiency?

Yes No 7) Do you attend to mass media like English news channels, newspapers, magazines,

television shows, movies, smart phones and self help books attentively, studiously and regularly from personality development and soft skills acquisition point of view?

Yes No 8) Do you think that the current English university syllabus and language and literature

classroom practice meets your academic needs and requirements about personality brooming and soft skill development?

Yes No

9) Do you think that attending mass – media with its a number of potential educational applications and merits can serve / act as an effective, dynamic, open, reliable and excellent tool (aid) for you as a learner from rural area who earnestly desire to broom your personality and acquire soft skills ?

Yes No 10) Have you ever used mass – media as a tool for building your personality and soft

skills? Yes No

11) Do you think that you can utilize mass – media for building your personality development and soft skill proficiency?

Yes No 12) Which of the following aspects of your personality, according to you, can be

learned/developed through mass – media? A) Communication skills B) Effective Body language& Mannerism C) Social/Soft skills D) All the above

13) Which of the following statement is true about internet and soft skills and personality development?

A) Internet provides ample of videos/websites on soft skills B) Internet is a rich hub of information on personality development , C) Internet serve as a virtual teacher for you as a rural learner D) All the above

14) Up to what percent, according to you, mass – media, contribute to your knowledge of soft skills and personality development?

A) 75% B) 50% C) 25% D) Specify....

15) Which of the following mass – media, according to you, bear the most educational value, particularly, in terms of your personality development and soft skills learning?

A) Radio and smart phones (Internet) B) News papers, Magazines, Best seller self – help books C) T.V. shows D) All the above

16) Which of the following aspect(s) of your language performance, according to you, is\are positively influenced by mass media and improved your knowledge of that area?

A) Effective Reading & speaking B) Critical listening

C) Creative Writing D) All the above 17) What, according to you, are the major hindrances in the development of your

personality & soft skills? A) Lack of quality and authentic resources for personality development. B) No exposure to soft skills in rural area C) Lack of ‘real soft skill and personality brooming experience’ in rural area D) All the above

18) Mass – media, as a personality and soft skill building tool, is …… A) More convenient B) Reliable C) Portable D) Mass – reach E) 24 x 7 access F) Audio visual impact G) User – friendly H) easily available I) Money & time – saving J) Interesting K) Inviting learner’s active participation L) All the above

19) Which of the following statement/s will you subscribe to regarding mass-media and acquisition of personality development and soft skills?

A) Attending mass media wisely offers innovative, exciting, accessible, smarter, faster and better ways of personality development.

B) Mass media can ensure your fast and effective acquisition of soft skills saving your time, money and energy

C) Mass media provides the passionate learners with the most necessary exposure to and the ‘feel’ of soft skills.

D) All the above 20) Give your opinion about “The Role of Mass – Media in Developing Personality and

Soft Skills among Degree Students of Rural Area:” __________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Signature with Date

(Respondent)

Appendix-B

QUESTIONNAIRE FOR ASSISTANT PROFESSOR - B

This questionnaire is meant for Asst. Professor from rural area and will be used purely for MRP research purpose only. The topic of the research is “The Role of Mass – media in Developing Personality and Soft Skills among Degree Students of Rural Area: A Study” A) Give Your Introduction: Name : _______________________________________________________________

Designation : ________________________ Subject: ______________________________

College : ______________________________________________________________

Contact : Mob: ______________E-mail: _____________________________________

Experience of Teaching (In Years): UG-_______________ PG-__________________________

Note: Please mark () your response within the stipulated box (Total No. Of Question: 15)

B) Research - Specific Question:-

1. Do you feel that mass – media bears special (strong) educational potential and educational virtues for the rural degree students’ personality development and soft skills building?

Yes No 2. Do you believe that attending mass media like TV shows, movies, smart phone,, Internet,

news channels, English newspapers, journals, magazines, best seller self-help motivational literature can be an effective and excellent tool to broom (develop) your student’s personality and soft skills ?

Yes No 3. Do you think that audio – visual mass – media like T.V. channels, radio, smart phones,

internet, movies and CD’s present soft skills in real life use?

Yes No 4. Do you think that exploitation of mass – media can be the best and suitable audio-visual tool

that facilitates rural degree student’s easy, effective and fast acquisition of the soft skills?

Yes No 5. Did you ever notice that mass – media like T.V. shows, news channels, radio bulletins, self

help books, English newspapers and magazines, and internet influence, add and sharpen your student’s personality and soft skills?

Yes No 6. Do you think that the current university syllabus and classroom practice meets the academic

/educational needs and requirements of your rural students regarding personality and soft skill development?

Yes No 7. Do you feel that our current university syllabi and current degree classroom teaching practice

fails in developing soft skills and personality of rural learners?

Yes No

8. Which of the following aspects of your students’ personality, according to you, can be learned/developed through mass – media?

A) Communication skills B) Soft skills C) Body language and mannerism D) All the above

9. Which of the following statement is true about internet and soft skill (personality) development?

A) Internet provides ample of soft skill teaching videos/websites B) Internet is a rich hub of information on personality development. C) Both A &B D) None of the above

10. Up to what percent, according to you, mass – media, add to student’s knowledge of soft skills and personality development?

A) 75% B) 50% C) 25% D) Specify….

11. Which of the following mass – media, according to you, bear the most educational value, particularly, in terms of personality development and soft skills learning?

A) Radio and smart phones ( Internet) B) News papers, magazines, best seller self – help books C) T.V. shows. D) All the above

12. Mass – media as a personality development and soft skills learning tool is ……

A) More convenient B) Reliable C) Portable D) Mass – reach E) 24 x 7 access F) Audio visual impact G) User – friendly H) easily available I) Money & time – saving J) Interesting K) Inviting learner’s active participation

L) All the above

13. Which of the following statement will you subscribe to regarding mass- media and acquisition of soft skills?

A) A wise study of mass media offers innovative, exciting, accessible, smarter, faster and better ways of learning soft skills

B) Attending mass media studiously can ensure fast and effective personality development among advanced/passionate learners saving their time, money and energy

C) Mass media provides degree students with the most necessary exposure to and the feel of soft skills.

D) All the above

14. Which of the following observation/s, as a teacher, would you subscribe to?

* Observations /views about mass media & soft skills and personality development

Yes No

A Mass media is the best source of authentic reading material for soft skills & personality building among degree students in rural area

B Rural students are not adequately exposed to soft skills & personality grooming.

C Mass media presents contextualised exposure to soft skills & personality development

D Mass media is the best and effective audio visual aids for soft skills & personality development

E Rural students face the problem of real soft skills learning experience F Rural students do not have access to authentic and quality study material on

soft skills and personality development G Our language and literature class is inadequate to train students in soft skills

15. Give your opinion about “The Role of Mass – Media in Developing Personality and Soft Skills

among Degree Students of Rural Area: A Study”:

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

Signature with Date

(Respondent)

Appendix -C

QUESTIONNAIRE FOR RESPONSIBLE PARENTS – C This questionnaire is meant for responsible parents from rural area and will be used purely for

MRP research purpose only. The topic of the research is “The Role of Mass–media in Developing Personality and Soft Skills among Degree Students of Rural Area: A Study”

A) Give Your Introduction: Name : ___________________________________________________________________ Education: B.A. B.Sc. B.Com. Other…. Address: ________________ Village: _____________________ Tehsil: _______________ Profession: Details about your college going Child (Name& Class): _____________________________ Note Please mark ( ) your response within the stipulated box. (Total Number of Questions: 15) B) Research - Specific Question:-

01) Do you think that your child faces a severe problem of ‘real soft skills learning experience ‘in rural area?

Yes No 02) Do you agree with the view that mass media, with its educational, audio-visual merits

, can act as an effective soft skill building and personality building tool for your child? Yes No

03) Do you feel that the current English syllabus and ELT Classroom practice meets your child’s needs and requirements regarding personality and soft skill development?

Yes No 04) Do you agree with the view that attending mass media by your child, strategically and

studiously, from personality and soft skill proficiency acquisition point of view can be highly beneficial?

Yes No 05) Do you agree with the view that mass media with its educational merits like audio-

visual appeal; student’s active participation inviting and engaging nature is a rich storehouse of quality information on personality and soft skill development?

Yes No 06) Do you agree with the statement that mass media influence, add and sharpen your

child’s personality and soft skills? Yes No

07) Do your children enjoy regular access to any one or more of the following mass media?

A) Television/Radio B) English Newspapers /Magazines

C) Best-sellers (Self-Helpbooks) /internet. D) All the above. 08) What is your observation/s about your children’s experience with the mass-media?

A) My children are mindful and careful about the educational benefits of the Mass-media.

B) My children regularly attend mass-media as a knowledge tool/resource. C) My children know that mass-media is a virtual teacher and personality and soft skill proficiency building tool.

D) All the above.

09) Up to what percent, according to you, mass – media, adds to your children’s knowledge of soft skills and personality development? A) 75% B) 50% C) 25% D) Specify….

10) Which of the following aspect(s) of your child’s personality, according to you, is\are positively influenced and developed through mass media? A) Communication Skills. B) Soft Skills

C)Body Language & Mannerism D) All the above

11) Which of the following aspect(s) of your child’s language performance, according to you, is\are positively influenced by mass media and improved your knowledge of that area?

A) Effective Reading & speaking B) Critical listening C) Creative Writing D) All the above

12) What, according to you, is/are the major hindrances in the development of your children’s personality & soft skills?

A) Lack of quality and authentic resources for personality development. B) No exposure to soft skills in rural area C) Lack of ‘real soft skill and personality brooming experience’ in rural area D) All the above

13) Which of the following statement/s will you subscribe to regarding mass-media and acquisition of personality development and soft skills?

A) Attending mass media wisely offers innovative, exciting, accessible, smarter, faster and better ways of personality development.

B) Mass media can ensure your fast and effective acquisition of soft skills saving your time, money and energy

C) Mass media provides the passionate learners with the most necessary exposure to and the ‘feel’ of soft skills.

D) All the above 14) What is your observation about your children’s experience with the Internet as a Personality & soft skills building tool?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

15) Write your views on the role of mass media in developing personality & soft skills among degree students of rural area in brief:

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Signature with Date

(Respondent)