Abstract
This research aimed to examine the enhancement of soft skills in public education in Peru through analysing non-profit organisations’ techniques at the school level. The objectives were (a)To understand how the quality of education in Peruvian public schools assures the development of soft skills, (b)To explore the potential of non-profit organisations in supporting the development of soft skills in public schools. Interviews with three non-profit organisations and a government official, alongside reports, were analysed based on an OECD model. The findings include government initiatives that indirectly develop soft skills, but management issues might lead to teacher-centred rather than student-centred methodologies, deterring skills development. Unfriendly environments characterise vulnerable areas for skills development; non-profits become supportive disruptive spaces to cultivate values, ethics, and skills. The discourse analysis concludes that, despite their small scope, they mainly develop collaboration and task performance skills, impacting career decisions, families and communities. Non-profits employ a playful and concrete methodology that fosters the development of soft skills, but which is difficult to implement in public schools due to a lack of resources and school management. Further research should explore non-profits’ impact on skills development. This study is a pioneer in this field in LATAM.
Highlights
Education qualityLATAM lands at the lowest positions in educational assessments and holds one of the lowest GDP growth rates when combining decades since the 1960’s, contrasting with higher-performing countries in education whose GDP increased further during the same time
The most relevant one is the absence of soft skills studies and public education in developing context, especially in Peru. This gap includes a lack of studies about basic education, soft skills, and development, which can be explained by the difficulty of measuring them, especially in a variety of settings
An analysis of the discourse revealed the research targets techniques used by nonprofits that can be useful when strengthening soft skills in the public system, and the feasibility of expanding their scope, which has not been studied in the Peruvian context
Summary
Education qualityLATAM lands at the lowest positions in educational assessments and holds one of the lowest GDP growth rates when combining decades since the 1960’s, contrasting with higher-performing countries in education whose GDP increased further during the same time. Despite several factors affect this correlation, and educational reforms could take decades to show results, the link between quality education and national development arises (Hanushek & Woessmann, 2007; Hanushek & Woessmann, 2015). Quality involves educating citizens who contribute to the development of communities and countries through different types of skills, including socioemotional skills (Tawil et al, 2012). FEQ illustrates education as a dynamic process with a cultural, social, and political side, providing an input-process-output path (Tawil et al, 2012)
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