Abstract
Introduction. The universities around the world attach great importance to acquiring self-management skills for students while training at the university. Recent studies have proven that these skills have a major role in the development of human personality and academic competencies. Communication and thinking skills are considered to be one of the most important skills that have become taught and have been included in the curricula in almost all Saudi universities. This process involves both theoretical and practical aspects, aiming to provide the student with the necessary knowledge to deal with the other, to use new technologies, to be able to think positively, and to solve problems.
The aim of the present research is to assess the impact of communication and thinking skills formation on the development of self-management skills among male and female students of the preparatory year in Northern Border University (Arar, Saudi Arabia).
Methodology and research methods. In the course of the research, the survey method was applied. The survey received responses from 400 students of eight faculties from the Northern Border University (200 male and 200 female students). To draw comparisons between male and female students' perspectives, the Student's t-test was used. The research hypotheses were validated, and the obtained data were statistically processed.
Results. The survey results indicate that there is a substantial difference in male and female student perspectives regarding the impact of communication and thinking skills. It was found out that male students had a much more positive perspective while considering its impact on self-development, on the development of successful social circles, and the ability to teamwork. On the other hand, according to the female students, the development of communication and thinking skills has a positive impact on problem-solving ability, mental ability, intellectual development, creative thinking, and practical life application or life realism of students.
Scientific novelty. The present study confirms the importance of the implication of academic programmes aimed at students' self-development; as such training programmes allow students to cope with the challenges of the era of technology and remote communication. In addition to training programmes directed to positive thinking in the light of the challenges facing the world such as terrorism, extremist ideology, and racism, this study comes as an important step towards enhancing self-development skills in the field of communication and human reasoning for undergraduate students.
Practical significance. The authors formulated the recommendations to reform the system of particular educational services, to improve their quality due to the fastest, synchronous implementation of technological innovations and modern equipment, and to support teachers' competencies at the proper level. The importance of media education development actualises the creation of academic programmes at universities for the training of qualified teachers in the field of specific education, especially for countries, which do not have the same experience of training, since media education is becoming compulsory in the contemporary world, increasingly affecting the formation of individuals, culture, and society. Several proposals have been made to promote further research in this direction.