Habilidades blandas y educación para la paz en estudiantes Universitarios

Abstract

In the current context of globalization, diversity, and conflict, the development of soft skills becomes essential. These skills enable individuals to interact effectively, respectfully, and peacefully with others. Therefore, it is necessary to train integral professionals capable of providing practical solutions to social issues. This involves not only focusing on hard skills but also possessing tools for capacity development. Peace education serves as a means to promote these skills from an intercultural, ethical, and democratic perspective, aiming to prevent and transform violence in its various forms. However, the reality reveals a limited appreciation and practice of soft skills and peace education both within the educational system and society at large. This deficiency gives rise to social problems such as stress, depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and selfdestructive thoughts, among others. Additionally, it leads to situations of discrimination, exclusion, intolerance, aggression, and suffering. This issue adversely affects the holistic development of individuals, impacting their performance, well-being, coexistence, and participation in society. Considering these concerns, this research topic aims to determine the relationship between soft skills and peace education in university students. The study is descriptive and correlational, conducted with a population of 300 students from “Universidad Técnica de Ambato”, specifically from the Faculty of Civil and Mechanical Engineering. The research employed a mixed-methods approach, and an instrument was designed for the variable "Peace Education," consisting of three dimensions and 24 items. The content validity was ensured through the expert judgment method, and its reliability was assessed using Cronbach's Alpha