AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON THE LATERAL THINKING APPLICATION OF TRANSFORMING TRADITIONAL CLASSROOM-BASED TEACHING INTO OUTBOUND ACTIVITIES IN SOFT SKILLS LEARNING

Abstract

This empirical research article asserts that the outbound andragogical experiments focusing on the acquisition of soft skills prove to achieve better outcomes as they are exercised in better learning environments. The study reports the findings of the research conducted on the practice of Outbound Training (OBT) in soft skills learning for university level Indian students. With an aim to project the perks of the lateral thinking application of outdoor education in soft skills learning, the study investigated whether the mode of outbound classes comfortably achieves acquiring all the fundamental skills targeted. The participants were 176 undergraduate students and two professors from a university. Both questionnaires and interviews were employed to collect the data. The results revealed that the outdoor training (1) could greatly contribute to the social, physical and academic skill development; (2) could help the learners escape the dullness of routine in-class training; (3) could achieve the key skills through certain types of activities; and (4) could identify its distinctive features.