An Evaluation of Secondary School Life Skill Education Programs

The Value of Life Skills Adolescent Development and Well-being Education

Some examples of life skills are the capacity to think critically and creatively, to communicate effectively, to solve issues, to make sound decisions, to connect with people, to adapt to changing circumstances, and to creatively control one's own life. The notion of life skills, which comprises a wide range of capabilities, is used in a number of disciplines, including education, health, and social policy, amongst others. The teaching of life skills is a valuable instrument that may assist adolescents in maintaining their flexibility. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), life skills education helps students improve their emotional and professional development, prevent health and social issues, and protect human rights. This is accomplished by providing opportunities to practise and reinforce psychosocial skills in a manner that is sensitive to different cultures and stages of development. It is essential for adolescents to possess both social and cognitive skills in order to foster peace and advocate for significant issues. There is no other period of a person's life that is more significant than the adolescent years. The transition from childhood to adulthood encompasses all of the changes that occur in a person's body, intellect, emotions, and social circle. Restrictions that are socially built, such as the direction of adults in their life and the encouragement of loved ones, are beneficial to adolescents since they assist in the maturing process. The introduction of globalisation and the widespread presence of technology in people's everyday lives have both had a significant impact on the manner of life of a great number of individuals. Due to the lack of customary standards and support networks, adolescents are under greater stress than they have ever been before. This is because of the laser-like attention that is placed on achievement in today's society. This stress may produce a wide range of unpleasant emotions and mental health problems, such as depression, feelings of isolation, humiliation, rage, difficulties in creating and sustaining relationships, and feelings of failure.

Social and interpersonal aspects of developing life skills in adolescents

It is vital to have interpersonal connections in order to develop one's personality and adapt to the social situation in which one finds oneself. The interactions that adolescents have with others such as their parents, instructors, classmates, and friends are beneficial to them since these individuals play a significant part in the development of a healthy sense of how they should feel about themselves. It has been shown by researchers that there is a connection between reneging behaviour and either damaged or insecure family connections. This would suggest that children and adolescents are not acquiring these skills via traditional means, such as through their families or other social settings. These talents have been developed as a result of a number of factors, including the influence of the media, the social and moral settings of children and their families, cultural shifts, hobbies, and values. It is just as vital to educate children and adolescents the ability to read, write, and count as it is to provide them with opportunities to gain useful life skills. around the last several years, there has been a significant amount of study conducted on the subject of mental health, and the importance of this issue is growing all around the world. As a consequence of this, its significance and how it contributes to society are more readily obvious to everyone. Individuals in today's society are lacking the core skills that are essential for thriving in the fast-paced world of today. We live in a world that is always changing, and it is the obligation of society to encourage the development of goals that are not related to academics. Adolescents are not yet equipped with the necessary life skills at this stage of their development.

The impact of life skills training on the academic and emotional well-being of adolescents.

Teenagers often engage in dangerous activity due to the fact that they lack the cognitive ability to comprehend and control their own emotional discomfort. Common reasons of risky behaviour among teenagers include anxiety, disputes, failure, and anxieties about the future. A number of factors, including substance addiction, damaged family relationships, peer pressure, ineptitude, and academic stress, are among the factors that contribute to disruptive conduct in adolescents. As a result of receiving instruction in life skills, teenagers may have a variety of positive effects, including improvements in academic anxiety, flexibility, and self-esteem.

In addition, research has shown that training in life skills may greatly cut down on drug intake and can play a role in avoiding addiction to drugs. It was the goal of the Vedic education system to improve people's intellectual, physical, and ethical qualities; hence, the teaching of life skills was taken from this tradition. Not only did it have a theoretical foundation, but it was also influenced by many real-world occurrences. When students meditate, reflect, listen, and reason, they may be better able to comprehend a broad variety of situations that are encountered in the actual world. The single most essential thing that they can do is to make sure that they have all of the resources that they need in order to be successful in life. The ability to know oneself, to have pleasant thoughts towards oneself, and to be satisfied with oneself are all components of self-awareness. To ensure that members of autonomous societies are equipped with the core skills necessary to engage fully in society and make contributions that are meaningful, it is of the highest significance that these organisations educate their members. The basic educational practices of the state and the social components of life skill education work together to assist the people of the state in achieving independence, preserving their identity, and learning how to properly live with one another. Physiological, psychological, and social health are all aspects that are targeted for improvement via the implementation of life skill education.

It is anticipated that teenagers would successfully traverse a wide variety of high-stakes social contexts. A collection of general life skills is required in order to keep up with the demands of your family and friends. If you want to successfully navigate the many facets of life, it is essential to acknowledge the significance of life skills. Adolescents who have acquired life skills have mastered the core competences that are required to flourish in any given environment.

The Importance of Life Skills Education for Social Issues and Adolescent Development

The concept of "life skills" may be understood in a variety of different ways. It is possible that the qualities and interpretation of the term "life skills" will vary from one culture and historical period to another. There are ten vital life skills that have been recognised by the World Health Organisation. A number of skills, including self-awareness, empathy, critical and creative thinking, decision-making, effective communication, the formation and maintenance of relationships, the management of stress and emotions, and so on, are included in the package. The fact that these groupings are independent does not change the fact that there is some overlap and link between them. There is a disparity in the current educational system that has to be addressed. An emphasis is placed on the acquisition of facts and data, which comes at the expense of the development of one's character. For the sake of preserving a cultural way of life and a high degree of sophistication, we need an intellectual approach to the educational method. When information is not put into practice, it is worthless. A number of factors have contributed to the fact that our dependence on living skills has replaced that of information recognition. The life skills of a person are the collection of competences that allow them to effectively navigate the inevitable ups and downs that are a part of life and to successfully carry out the various duties that come their way.

A life skill is any talent that assists us in our day-to-day lives and is considered to be beneficial. The prevention of drug abuse and teen pregnancy, in addition to the development of mental health, need to be among the key aims of an educational program for adolescents that focusses on life skills. Activities that require both mental and physical effort from the participant are excellent candidates for training in life skills. An essential component of adolescence is the acquisition of the skills necessary to enhance and strengthen one's life, which may assist one in reaching their greatest potential. One approach to see life skills as a kind of human resource is in light of the fact that they enable people to improve themselves and achieve their goals. This is one way to look at life skills. It is possible that adolescents need a wide range of life skills, such as those that are subjective (information, knowledge, and reasoning), psychomotor (strong movement connected with mental processes and the ability to execute physical labour), and affective (emotions and feelings). The development of core competencies in teenagers includes the acquisition of skills in quality control, attitude, goal orientation, decision-making, problem-solving, execution, evaluation, and communication. Teenagers may hone their capacity for self-acceptance and resiliency by participating in this activity.

1.     To investigate how secondary school-aged male and female adolescents vary in their education of life skills.

2.     To investigate how secondary school students in rural and urban areas vary in their instruction of life skills.

The researcher in this study evaluated secondary school life skill education programs using a descriptive survey technique. The data was collected using a self-designed scale that included seventy elements. There are ten parts to these things, and they all deal with various parts of teaching life skills. To make sure there was a diverse assessment across the components and to avoid response bias, the items were combined at random. Fifty students from Visakhapatnam District in Andhra Pradesh's secondary schools were randomly chosen for the data collection. The sample was chosen at random to guarantee it was a good representation of the regional population of high school pupils. The purpose of the survey was to collect data on how students felt about life skill education, what they had experienced, and how it had affected their personal growth. The data was subsequently examined in order to assess the breadth and depth of life skills programs in the schools that were part of the sample.

Data analyzing

The findings of the study for the first objective are shown in Tables 1 and 2, respectively. This analysis comprised the computation of the mean, the standard deviation, and the percentage of the total samples of mean scores obtained from secondary school participants.

Table 1: Secondary school students' life skills

Table 2: Levels of Life Skills among Secondary school pupils.

Procedure:

The addition of one standard deviation brings the mean to 198.62

(Mean+1SD=184.24+14.38=198.62), which is the result of the addition. This brings the total to 198.62, as the outcome. Once the numbers have been rounded up, the number of secondary school students that have scores that are greater than 198 is eight. This number is then converted into a percentage, which is sixteen percent. This group places a high importance on the acquisition of life skills. One standard deviation should be subtracted from the mean when calculating it. A sum of 169.86 was determined to be the total. (Mean minus 1 standard deviation equals 184.24-14.38) The mathematical formula is 169.86. A total of nine students had rounded-off scores that are lower than 169, which is then converted into a percentage of eighteen. It is often believed that those who belong to this group have a lack of a strong feeling of national pride. Those students who are enrolled in secondary school and whose scores fall within the range of 169 to 198 are considered to have acceptable levels of life skills.

Interpretation:

1.     It seems from tables 1 and 2 that the sample of high school students has an average level of life skills.

2.     Life skills are lacking among 18% of secondary school students.

3.     Among secondary school students, 33% demonstrate an average proficiency in life skills.

4.     Out of all the students in secondary school, just 16% have excellent life skills.

Figure 1: Bar Diagram Displays Life Skills Levels

One is conducting experiments to test the following hypotheses. Conjectures generated:

1.                 Students' living skills would not vary much between male and female students in high school.

2.                 Students' living skills would not vary much between urban and rural secondary school students.

Mean, standard deviation, percentage of mean, standard error of distribution, and "t" value for assessing significance for mean difference between the two subgroups of variables are shown in the following table.

Table 3: Life Skills Comparison of Secondary School Students in Rural and Urban Areas, as well as Male and Female Students.

Not Significant at 0.05 level.

Interpretation:

1.     Students' Life Skills are unaffected by the gender variable in secondary school.

2.     In terms of students' Life Skills, the variable area is insignificant in secondary school.

Figure 2: Gender, Area, Mean, and Life Skills are shown as a bar diagram.

Educational Implications:

1.                 Ultimately, it will be the secondary school students' job to direct their younger peers towards the most appropriate paths.

2.                 Educators and policymakers may utilise this research to inform the development of a new skill-based curriculum for use in the classroom.

3.                 Insights from this research may assist educational institutions of all stripes provide their students with the knowledge they need to build a better society in the years to come.

4.                 Skill sets such as creative thinking, effective decision-making, self-awareness, communication, interpersonal interactions, stress and emotion management, etc., may be fostered among secondary school students who exhibit positive personality traits.

A person's life skills are an absolute need. The development of good general life skills is of utmost significance for students who are going to be working with big groups of children. Simply by being themselves, teachers are able to pass on their expertise and skills to the pupils in their classrooms. As a result, the researcher attempted to evaluate the functional capabilities of the pupils. Rather than only being aware of these abilities, it is of far greater significance to put them into action and make use of them in real situations. Because they represent the nation's future, they are of utmost significance for students in particular. Therefore, in the modern world, it is of the utmost importance to be aware of the life skills that students possess, as these abilities contribute to the entire development of the students as individuals. They are more likely to be successful if they have acquired the requisite life skills. Through this study, the investigator was able to get a comprehensive picture of the life skills possessed by the students. The data may be used by school administrators and policymakers in particular for the purpose of providing input about the development of curriculum and classroom procedures. According to the findings of this study, researchers working in the subject of life skills will find it helpful in guiding their future work. In addition, the researcher gained from this study by gaining an understanding of the standards for these abilities in students. Since this is the case, the objective of this study is to gather information about the influence that critical life skills have on students. Despite its shortcomings, this small attempt may be beneficial to a variety of individuals, including students, researchers, parents, and those working in the vocational sector.