Developing soft skills in dual higher education: Necessary and sufficient conditions of tutor communication and theory–practice integration

This study examines the conditions associated with high levels of soft skills among undergraduates enrolled in Dual Higher Education (DHE) programmes, where academic learning and workplace practice are systematically integrated. Although tutor communication and theory-practice integration are assumed to support learning in work-integrated settings, little is known about whether these elements function as necessary conditions or how they combine to generate high soft skill levels. Drawing on survey data from 142 students in education ( N = 119) and engineering ( N = 23) programmes, the study applies Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA) to identify constraining conditions and fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) to uncover sufficient configurations leading to high social competence, efficacy beliefs, flexibility, lifelong learning, and communication skills. The NCA results show that the quality of communication with workplace and university tutors is a necessary condition for most soft skills. FsQCA findings indicate that multiple configurations lead to high skill levels and that no single factor is sufficient. Across both analyses, communication quality with university tutors emerges as a central element. These findings suggest that DHE programmes should pay particular attention to the quality of tutor communication and to the coordination of university and workplace supervision.