The Role of Palestinian Universities in Developing Professional Interpersonal Skills according to Stephen Covey’s Model in the Knowledge Era

Abstract

The study aimed to identify the role of Palestinian universities in developing students’ professional personal skills based on Stephen Covey’s model, in light of the demands of the knowledge era and the unique nature of education under occupation. The study employed a descriptive-analytical approach, and a questionnaire was administered to a stratified random sample of students from universities in the Hebron Governorate (348 valid questionnaires were analyzed). The results revealed that universities play a high-level role in developing students’ skills according to Covey’s seven dimensions. The skill of “creative cooperation (synergy)” ranked first, followed by personal management, social leadership, self-leadership, empathic, and balanced self-renewal skills, while personal vision ranked last. The study recommended strengthening university environments that support entrepreneurial ideas and adopting students’ creative initiatives, as these contribute to developing personal vision and promoting self-responsibility, thereby preparing graduates with professional competencies capable of meeting knowledge-era challenges and the realities of occupation.