Development of a Chatbot with Artificial Intelligence for Career Guidance Based on the Competency Profile of Third-Year High School Students

Authors

  • Fernando Ericsson Montoya Naguas Universidad Técnica de Machala, Facultad de Ingeniería Civil, Carrera de Tecnologías de la Información, Machala, El Oro, Ecuador. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1709-8369
  • Carlos Elian Lalangui Flores Universidad Técnica de Machala, Facultad de Ingeniería Civil, Carrera de Tecnologías de la Información, Machala, El Oro, Ecuador. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7360-8883
  • Fausto Fabián Redrován Castillo Universidad Técnica de Machala, Facultad de Ingeniería Civil, Carrera de Tecnologías de la Información, Machala, El Oro, Ecuador. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9255-9810
  • Freddy Aníbal Jumbo Castillo Universidad Técnica de Machala, Facultad de Ingeniería Civil, Carrera de Tecnologías de la Información, Machala, El Oro, Ecuador. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5200-7162

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33936/isrtic.v9i2.7907

Abstract

This article presents the design and implementation of an artificial intelligence-based chatbot developed to provide personalized career guidance to senior high school students in Ecuador. The tool addresses the limited availability of vocational guidance professionals and the lack of interactive technological platforms in educational institutions, offering recommendations aligned with students’ individual competencies and the academic programs of the Technical University of Machala (UTMACH). The system leverages the Deepseek language model and prompt-engineering strategies to process open-ended responses, assessing mathematical, digital, communication, and socio-emotional skills in accordance with the prioritized curriculum established by the Ministry of Education. The chatbot was developed following the agile Scrum methodology, and its effectiveness was evaluated through a quasi-experimental study with 351 participants. The recommendations generated by the chatbot were compared with those of the official SENESCYT vocational test. Results revealed an 80.1% agreement between the two methods, highlighting the chatbot’s clarity, empathy, and perceived usefulness. Furthermore, 76% of the students expressed a preference for the AI-driven system, valuing in particular the conversational interaction, accessibility, and relevance of the recommendations. In line with the stated hypothesis, the findings confirm that the chatbot can serve as a valid alternative to the SENESCYT test, complementing traditional vocational guidance practices. Although limitations such as non-probability sampling and the absence of continuous learning in the AI ​​model are acknowledged, the system demonstrates significant potential to democratize access to personalized career recommendations within the Ecuadorian educational context.

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References

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Published

2025-11-18

How to Cite

[1]
Montoya Naguas, F.E., Lalangui Flores, C.E., Redrován Castillo, .F.F. and Jumbo Castillo, F.A. 2025. Development of a Chatbot with Artificial Intelligence for Career Guidance Based on the Competency Profile of Third-Year High School Students. Informática y Sistemas. 9, 2 (Nov. 2025), 184–196. DOI:https://doi.org/10.33936/isrtic.v9i2.7907.

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 2: July - December (2025)

Section

Regular Papers

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Copyright (c) 2025 Fernando Ericsson Montoya Naguas, Carlos Elian Lalangui Flores, Fausto Fabián Redrován Castillo, Freddy Aníbal Jumbo Castillo

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