Preparing learners to thrive in a changing world
Communication and interpersonal skills
Students want to develop their interpersonal skills to understand the perspective of others, feel included and increase their confidence – but teachers report that students’ fear of judgement, their social anxiety and use of digital forms of communication get in the way.
A common theme emerging from our qualitative interviews with educators is concern around students’ interpersonal skills. Educators are positive about how technology offers opportunities to make connections across the world, but they also raise questions around whether young people are developing the skills necessary to communicate effectively face to face, and to develop meaningful relationships.
Therefore, one objective of our quantitative study was to explore students’ social and interpersonal skills in more depth. We wanted to understand how well developed teachers feel students’ social and interpersonal skills are, the ways in which students choose to communicate, and what the benefits and challenges are of developing social and interpersonal skills at school.
"Although technology has opened the world in terms of the connections it can offer, it has also limited understanding in the way it offers solutions, opinions, and what the world looks like, because they [students] are building a worldview precisely based on what they see online."
School leader, India
Findings
How well developed are students’ interpersonal skills?
We asked teachers to rate the development of different aspects of students’ social and interpersonal skills – including collaboration, relationship building, active listening, conflict management and understanding the perspectives of others.
Question: To what extent are the following elements of social and interpersonal skills developed among your students? Please answer on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is ‘Not at all developed’ and 5 is ‘Extremely developed’.
Can't see this chart? Download it here↗.
Most teachers (59%) rate students’ collaboration skills as well developed (that is, they give a rating of 4 or 5).
"Teamwork is the best way to go. I think a mistake people can make when they are a team leader is to be bossy. They can think that as the leader they are the one who knows. But other people also have ideas, and when we put creative minds together, we tend to get something that is extraordinary."
Student, Zimbabwe
When considering which skills are not well developed, more teachers rate students’ active listening skills and conflict management skills as not well developed (that is, they give a rating of 1 or 2) compared to other aspects of social and interpersonal skills.
We know that many students view communication skills as among the most important for their future. In addition, students are more likely to say these skills are the most difficult to learn than teachers were to say they are the most difficult to teach (see our previous chapter on subject knowledge and skills).
Qualitative interviews with students provide deeper insight, revealing that students consider verbal communication to be challenging. They also reveal that students may choose to avoid disagreement due to fear of social repercussions, such as being the ‘lone voice’ or facing social judgement.
"It’s very hard for me to imagine how you can teach verbal communication skills, but it is important to have the ability to talk through your problems and to work hard even when it's tough."
Student, Serbia
"Communicating with teammates and problem solving a lot of times in school just feels like making people happy rather than being able to communicate your ideas because there are social stakes in school. It’s mainly because of the maturity level. For example, if someone in the group has an idea, and most people agree with it but someone else disagrees, there can be backlash on that person that creates a division."
Student, United States of America
Benefits and barriers to developing social and interpersonal skills at school
When asked about the greatest single benefit of developing social and interpersonal skills, 25% of students choose understanding the perspective of others. Students also frequently select feeling supported and included (16%) and feeling confident (12%) as the greatest benefit.
Question: Which of the following do you think are benefits of building relationships and getting along with people? Please select all that apply.
Which of the following is the greatest benefit in encouraging you to develop your social and interpersonal skills? Please select one option.
Can't see this chart? Download it here↗.
Teachers most commonly choose greater resilience and adaptability (20%) and stronger preparation for future teamwork and collaboration (16%) as the greatest benefit of encouraging students to develop their social and interpersonal skills. This is closely followed by ensuring students understand the perspective of others (15%), mirroring students’ responses.
Question: Which of the following, if any, do you view as benefits of encouraging students to develop social and interpersonal skills? Please select all that apply.
Which of the following is the greatest benefit of encouraging students to develop social and interpersonal skills? Please select one option only.
Can't see this chart? Download it here↗.
We also asked teachers to share the challenges they face in helping students to develop their social and interpersonal skills at school.
Fear of judgement and social anxiety are the most selected greatest challenge. This seems to be consistent with students’ concerns about the social repercussions of disagreement and reflects a broader challenge in encouraging meaningful communication.
The options that are least selected as greatest challenges in helping students develop social and interpersonal skills are limited face-to-face interaction (3%), language differences (3%) and cultural differences (6%).
Question: And which of the following do you think is the biggest challenge to helping students to develop social and interpersonal skills when at school? Please note: Teachers were first invited to select all that apply, and as a follow-up question they were asked to select the biggest challenge.
The figure shows the percentage of teachers selecting each challenge as the biggest one:
Student fear of judgement
Student social anxiety
Students' use of digital forms of communication
"I would say that students are asking for more opportunities to connect. We have a mentorship programme where the class is divided into groups according to their interests and personalities, allowing them to build stronger connections with one another. They often spend their breaks discussing the world and exploring values together."
School leader, Kenya
"Having the vocabulary and the words to describe what they’re feeling is really important. In our context English is often a second language and the default is ‘that’s bad’ or ‘I’m sad’ and the challenge is trying to pin down the feeling and having the tools to say ‘it’s not that I’m feeling sad, it’s that I’m feeling frustrated.’ Once they identify it, they can tell someone."
School leader, China
We also know from our research that digital technology has a part to play. When asked about the challenges technology poses in preparing students for the future, 60% of teachers select decreased social skills as one of the challenges.
Question: Which of the following, if any, do you view as challenges technology poses in preparing students for the future?
Please select all that apply.
Screen time
Digital distractions and reduced attention span
Over-reliance on digital technology and reduced critical thinking and creativity
Decreased social skills
Cyber security and online safety
Knowledge retention
Instant gratification that technology brings
Difficulty in assessing students' understanding through technology
Social pressure
Unequal access to technology and digital infrastructure
Online image
Other
None
This aligns with findings from our qualitative interviews where some teachers voiced concerns about students’ reliance on digital forms of communication, which they feel hinder students’ ability to connect with each other.
"During breaks, the younger year groups will run...but the older years, most of the time they will stay in the classroom holding their devices, playing games. Their time could be devoted to more meaningful activities. I’m not against entertainment through digital technology. There are many YouTube videos that are very good. There are some that inspire, and critique, and teach them something. I think they just need some guidance."
Teacher, China
How do students most often communicate
When asked how they most often communicate with others, students are almost equally likely to mention messaging platforms (described in the survey as ‘WhatsApp, Instagram DMs [direct messages], Snapchat, Discord, etc.) as face-to-face conversations.
Question: How do you most often communicate with others? Please select all that apply.
Messaging platforms
Face-to-face conversations
Phone calls
Text messages
Voice notes
Video calls
Gaming chats
None of these
Qualitative interviews show that some students prefer face-to-face communication, with several students noting that it helps them avoid misunderstandings:
"I prefer face-to-face because I can’t be misunderstood."
Student, United States of America
"Some things you say can have two different meanings depending on the tone or the facial expression and text doesn’t really capture that. So the person you’re texting can misinterpret what you’re trying to say and can maybe get offended or think you’re being rude, and if they don’t tell you, then you don’t realize that you’ve had that effect."
Student, Costa Rica
Analysis
The fear of getting communication wrong is a recurrent theme in teachers’ and students’ responses. This anxiety is perhaps unsurprising given the increasing dominance of online spaces in young people’s lives and the idea that they are much more visible to, and contactable by, a wider range of their peers.
"The 24/7 nature of children's social lives and the pressures that are on children, through their phones, didn’t exist for previous generations."
Lord Jim Knight, Member House of Lords, second chamber of the UK government
This increased pervasiveness of online communication can also impact key social and interpersonal skills such as active listening and conflict management.
"In a world where our feeds often become echo chambers and [social media] algorithms amplify certain belief systems and perspectives, it’s really hard for our young people to learn how to disagree well and practice active listening."
Zubair Junjunia, Founder, ZNotes
Digital communication can lack the nuance and depth of face-to-face interaction, while at the same time amplifying social pressures and fear of judgement. Teachers observe that social anxiety, the nature of digital platforms and students’ reluctance to speak openly are all challenges to students developing interpersonal skills in the classroom.
These challenges may be particularly acute in international education settings, where students are navigating diverse cultural norms and could be asked to communicate in a language that is not the one they use socially. Without intentional support, this can limit their ability to connect with teachers and fellow students and to feel a sense of belonging.
"Cross-cultural differences can explain why learners in an international education context can find conflict management or being able to disagree agreeably slightly more challenging."
Jane Larsson, Executive Director, Council of International Schools (CIS)
Students themselves recognise the importance of communication skills for their future success. They say that being able to communicate well helps them to understand others’ perspectives, feel supported and included and build confidence. Yet many also report that these skills are difficult to learn – more so than teachers perceive them to be to teach. This disconnect suggests a need to consciously consider how we approach the development of social and interpersonal skills in schools
"Communication skills are very useful in a school environment or a work environment. We need to exchange ideas and to be a person who understands and is able to talk about problems and talk about issues before it gets out of hand."
Student, India
Creating safe, inclusive and structured spaces for students to practise communication is essential. Schools should create an environment where students can experiment with language, consider different ways of communication, make and learn from mistakes, and grow in confidence, so that they can participate fully in learning.
"I would continue to urge that we think about the experience of young people. We often think about what we teach young people, but far too little about where and the environment around them. If you think about nonverbal or relational communication skills - how to read body language, tone, facial cues, understanding implicit social norms - most of that stuff is undermined by the engagement with the technological and it's not rehearsed enough. We need to think about the context which enable various skills to emerge and deepen."
Dr Robert Loe, Deputy Principal - Academics, The Scots College Sydney
"There’s a sense in the findings of how critical relational and physical safety is in the classroom to developing these skills."
Dr Louise Edgington, Educational Psychologist and part of the Climate Psychology Alliance
Oracy, which is broadly defined as the set of skills involved in using spoken language to communicate effectively, offers a valuable framework for this. It enables educators to embed communication skills into everyday learning, helping students to listen actively, engage in constructive dialogue and articulate ideas.
The creation of a safe and respectful environment for talk lies at the heart of oracy. It requires clear ground rules and shared expectations, such as taking turns, listening without interruption and encouraging everyone’s contribution. These principles not only build trust and inclusion in the moment but also equip learners with the habits of respectful dialogue that prepare them for future relationships, workplaces and communities where effective communication and collaboration are essential.
Importantly, these opportunities to practise communication should begin early. Embedding communication and relational skills from the early years can help students build a strong foundation, becoming more confident and better prepared to navigate complex social interactions as they progress through education and into the workplace.
"Anecdotally, I’m seeing many workplace challenges emerging, especially among young people at the start of their careers who lack the skills to manage conflict. For example, I’ve heard of employees leaving a job rather than speaking with their manager about workload. I think this reflects a broader inability to disagree well."
Zubair Junjunia, Founder, ZNotes
International schools may be uniquely positioned to support this development. The diversity of their student bodies provides a rich context for learning how to appreciate different viewpoints, communicate across cultures and collaborate effectively. When harnessed thoughtfully, this environment can be a powerful asset in preparing students for a global future.
"Students will talk about the value of their international education experience in relation to living and learning with people from different backgrounds, or who hold very different beliefs to their own and how this helps them to better understand and respect diverse perspectives, while also enabling them to understand their own beliefs more clearly and express them in a more constructive way."
Dr Fiona Rogers, Deputy Director, Council of British International Schools (COBIS)
How you can get started
In the ‘How you can get started’ sections of this report we highlight the Cambridge resources and support available now, or coming soon, that can help teachers and school leaders start putting what they have learned into practice.
- We have resources to support bilingual learners through language awareness, and resources to help students develop strong communication and social skills through oracy. Go to the learner resources section within this report for more information and links to these resources.
- We can help you maximise the impact of the wellbeing conversations you are having in the classroom. The Cambridge Wellbeing Check↗ (for ages 7 to 19) is a great starting point. It gives students the chance to explore and share with teachers how well they are feeling, and how well they feel they are doing (whether they feel they are fulfilling their potential). This classroom assessment helps teachers to spot students who need more support with their wellbeing.
Spotlight on Personal, Social and Emotional Development
We recognise that building confidence and proficiency in these skills needs to start from a young age, which is why they are emphasised in our Cambridge Early Years programme.
Our Personal, Social and Emotional Development learning area aims to ‘shape children’s ability to empathise, interact and build positive relationships with others, and work collaboratively’ and enable them to ‘develop a sense of self-esteem and identity’. Learning statements explicitly address these aims.
In Language, Communication and Literacy, speaking and listening are rightly called ‘powerful tools’ for children’s learning across the curriculum. We explicitly support the development of listening and attention, understanding spoken text and speaking.
Teachers can easily see the expected progress in these areas through the learning statements progressing across the year groups and are supported to help children through play-based learning approaches and observational assessment practices.
