Teaching Strategies Associated with the Perceived Improvement of Soft Skills among ITB Students

Abstract

Objective: to analyze, by dimension, the association between teaching strategies and the perceived strengthening of soft skills among students at Instituto Superior Universitario Bolivariano de Tecnología, and to examine differences across faculties. Methods: quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional, descriptive-correlational study. The initial database contained 142 faculty responses; after removing four duplicate records, 138 complete cases were analyzed. The questionnaire included 30 five-point Likert items organized into two 15-item scales with five dimensions each. Descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s alpha, Spearman correlations, Kruskal-Wallis tests with Holm-adjusted post hoc comparisons, and linear regression with HC3 robust standard errors were used. Results: internal consistency was high for teaching strategies (α = .91) and perceived soft skills (α = .95). The overall association was positive and statistically significant (ρ = .612, p < .001). Feedback and learning climate showed the highest mean among teaching strategies (M = 4.78), whereas communication and argumentation showed the highest mean among perceived soft skills (M = 4.50). Only collaborative learning and communication differed across faculties (H = 7.33, p = .026, ε² = .040). In the multivariable model, collaborative learning and communication (β = .245, p = .029) and autonomy and self-regulation (β = .287, p = .018) were significant. Conclusion: teaching strategies are moderately associated with perceived soft skills, although the cross-sectional design and high-score concentration preclude causal or longitudinal interpretations.