Impact of Developing Soft, Digital, and Research Skills on The Job Performance of Engineering Graduates: A Mixed-Sector Study in Peruvian Public Education.
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| Title: | Impact of Developing Soft, Digital, and Research Skills on The Job Performance of Engineering Graduates: A Mixed-Sector Study in Peruvian Public Education. |
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| Authors: | Guerra Bendezú, Carlos Andrés1 cguerra@uni.edu.pe, Vásquez Rodríguez, Rafael1 rvasquezr@uni.edu.pe, Carranza Elguera, Victor Humberto1 vcarranza@uni.edu.pe, Sánchez Camino, Alberto Francisco1 asanchezc@uni.edu.pe |
| Source: | International Journal of Special Education. 2026 Special Issue, Vol. 41, p708-720. 13p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Research skills, *Job performance, *Mixed methods research, *Curriculum planning, *Engineering students, *Public education, *Core competencies, Soft skills |
| Abstract: | The objective of this research was to analyze how the development of soft, digital, and research skills influences the job performance of engineering graduates trained at a Peruvian public university. To this end, a mixed sequential explanatory design was used to articulate quantitative and qualitative evidence based on the graduates' experience. In the quantitative phase, 600 graduates participated, responding to a Likerttype questionnaire to assess their levels of cross-cutting skills and their self-perception of professional performance. With this information, an ordinal logistic regression model was estimated to identify the predictive weight of each skill. Subsequently, in the qualitative phase, 125 of these participants answered open-ended questions aimed at delving deeper into the educational and work experiences associated with the use of these competencies. The analysis was performed using first- and secondcycle thematic coding. The results show that research competencies have the greatest impact on the probability of achieving high levels of job performance, followed by soft skills and, to a lesser extent, digital competencies. The negative coefficients recorded for low levels in each competency indicate that when these are not adequately developed, the possibility of superior professional performance decreases significantly. Complementarily, the qualitative narratives reveal gaps in leadership, communication, use of specialized software, research methodology, and practical experience, forcing many graduates to resort to self-training to respond to market demands. It is concluded that optimal job performance depends on the balanced development of the three competencies analyzed. In turn, the need to modernize the curriculum, strengthen practical training, and improve university-business links is highlighted in order to close gaps in job relevance and enhance the employability of graduates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of International Journal of Special Education is the property of International Journal of Special Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
| FullText | Links: – Type: pdflink Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: ehh DbLabel: Education Research Complete An: 194922933 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Impact of Developing Soft, Digital, and Research Skills on The Job Performance of Engineering Graduates: A Mixed-Sector Study in Peruvian Public Education. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Guerra+Bendezú%2C+Carlos+Andrés%22">Guerra Bendezú, Carlos Andrés</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><i> cguerra@uni.edu.pe</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Vásquez+Rodríguez%2C+Rafael%22">Vásquez Rodríguez, Rafael</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><i> rvasquezr@uni.edu.pe</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Carranza+Elguera%2C+Victor+Humberto%22">Carranza Elguera, Victor Humberto</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><i> vcarranza@uni.edu.pe</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sánchez+Camino%2C+Alberto+Francisco%22">Sánchez Camino, Alberto Francisco</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><i> asanchezc@uni.edu.pe</i> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22International+Journal+of+Special+Education%22">International Journal of Special Education</searchLink>. 2026 Special Issue, Vol. 41, p708-720. 13p. – Name: Subject Label: Subject Terms Group: Su Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Research+skills%22">Research skills</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Job+performance%22">Job performance</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mixed+methods+research%22">Mixed methods research</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Curriculum+planning%22">Curriculum planning</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Engineering+students%22">Engineering students</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Public+education%22">Public education</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Core+competencies%22">Core competencies</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Soft+skills%22">Soft skills</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: The objective of this research was to analyze how the development of soft, digital, and research skills influences the job performance of engineering graduates trained at a Peruvian public university. To this end, a mixed sequential explanatory design was used to articulate quantitative and qualitative evidence based on the graduates' experience. In the quantitative phase, 600 graduates participated, responding to a Likerttype questionnaire to assess their levels of cross-cutting skills and their self-perception of professional performance. With this information, an ordinal logistic regression model was estimated to identify the predictive weight of each skill. Subsequently, in the qualitative phase, 125 of these participants answered open-ended questions aimed at delving deeper into the educational and work experiences associated with the use of these competencies. The analysis was performed using first- and secondcycle thematic coding. The results show that research competencies have the greatest impact on the probability of achieving high levels of job performance, followed by soft skills and, to a lesser extent, digital competencies. The negative coefficients recorded for low levels in each competency indicate that when these are not adequately developed, the possibility of superior professional performance decreases significantly. Complementarily, the qualitative narratives reveal gaps in leadership, communication, use of specialized software, research methodology, and practical experience, forcing many graduates to resort to self-training to respond to market demands. It is concluded that optimal job performance depends on the balanced development of the three competencies analyzed. In turn, the need to modernize the curriculum, strengthen practical training, and improve university-business links is highlighted in order to close gaps in job relevance and enhance the employability of graduates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of International Journal of Special Education is the property of International Journal of Special Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 13 StartPage: 708 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Research skills Type: general – SubjectFull: Job performance Type: general – SubjectFull: Mixed methods research Type: general – SubjectFull: Curriculum planning Type: general – SubjectFull: Engineering students Type: general – SubjectFull: Public education Type: general – SubjectFull: Core competencies Type: general – SubjectFull: Soft skills Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Impact of Developing Soft, Digital, and Research Skills on The Job Performance of Engineering Graduates: A Mixed-Sector Study in Peruvian Public Education. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Guerra Bendezú, Carlos Andrés – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Vásquez Rodríguez, Rafael – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Carranza Elguera, Victor Humberto – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Sánchez Camino, Alberto Francisco IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 08 M: 01 Text: 2026 Special Issue Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 08273383 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 41 Titles: – TitleFull: International Journal of Special Education Type: main |
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