Nurturing soft skills in students: a systematic literature review of challenges, strategies, and frameworks used in secondary education

This study examines the integration of soft skills into secondary school settings and secondary school teacher training institutions, based on studies published in SCOPUS between 2014 and 2024. A systematic literature review was conducted using the PRISMA protocol, in November 2024 to extract key trends and gaps. Two hundred and Sixty-Nine records were retrieved from the SCOPUS database, of which, 156 studies were selected for qualitative synthesis through thematic analysis. The study excluded records that failed to provide empirical data, focused on non-educational settings, and data that did not match the research questions. The review is categorised into three key areas (1) challenges teachers face in integrating soft skills into their teaching curricula, (2) innovative strategies adopted to overcome these challenges, and (3) frameworks or models proposed to enhance soft skills education. The analysis underscores the need to revise policies and implement comprehensive teacher training programs aligned with SDG 4 (specifically Targets 4.3, 4.4, and 4.7), emphasising inclusive and equitable learning opportunities for all. Most importantly, the review identifies the necessity to update school curricula and assessment strategies to ensure soft skills are taught and systematically assessed using structured models for soft skills measurement, to meet national and international standards. This review offers data-driven recommendations to guide teachers, teacher trainers, policymakers, and course developers to implement soft-skills training in secondary schools.