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Liz Estrella Ugarte Rojas
José Orlando Abanto Berrospi

Background: Technical training requires balancing hard skills with soft skills for healthy school coexistence. The literature reveals gaps between labor market expectations and graduate preparedness. Objective: This study analyzed how the development of soft skills impacts the improvement of school coexistence among students in technical educational environments. Methodology: A qualitative systematic review guided by PRISMA was conducted in Scopus (2020- 2025). Fifty-one empirical studies were analyzed using thematic analysis supported by NVivo. Results: Five conceptual approaches to soft skills and six effective methodological strategies were identified. The findings reveal that active methodologies and immersive technologies enhance interpersonal competencies, although methodological limitations persist in cross-sectional designs and small samples. Conclusion: Soft skills constitute a structural component of technical education. Curricular transformation and the development of cross-culturally validated assessment instruments are required.

Contexto: La formación técnica requiere equilibrar competencias duras con habilidades blandas para una convivencia escolar saludable. La literatura evidencia brechas entre expectativas laborales y preparación de egresados. Objetivo: Se analizó cómo el desarrollo de habilidades blandas incide en la mejora de la convivencia escolar en estudiantes de entornos educativos técnicos. Metodología: Se realizó una revisión sistemática cualitativa guiada por PRISMA en Scopus (2020-2025). Se analizaron 51 estudios empíricos mediante análisis temático con apoyo de NVivo. Resultados: Se identificaron cinco enfoques conceptuales de habilidades blandas y seis estrategias metodológicas efectivas. Los resultados revelan que las metodologías activas y tecnologías inmersivas potencian competencias interpersonales, aunque persisten limitaciones metodológicas en diseños transversales y muestras reducidas. Conclusión: Las habilidades blandas constituyen un componente estructural de la formación técnica. Se requiere transformación curricular y desarrollo de instrumentos de evaluación validados transculturalmente.

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Ugarte Rojas, L. E. ., & Abanto Berrospi, J. O. . (2026). The power of soft skills in school coexistence in technical educational environments. Horizontes, 10(42), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.33996/revistahorizontes.v10i42.1252
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