Assessing Students’ Life Skills and their Sources of Learning

Abstract

University education is being criticized due to the least focus on the development of life skills and their contributing sources among the students. To investigate the issue, a self-developed questionnaire was used to obtain data from 400 undergraduates from eight universities and colleges. Results using descriptive statistics revealed that the skills of knowing and living with oneself were reported to exist among the majority of the undergraduates, while some students reported to lack of self-awareness, controlling emotions, and coping with stress. The results of life skills of ‘knowing and living with others’ showed students were highly skillful in these skills. But, some students were not properly skillful in effective communication, interpersonal relationships, and empathy. The result of life skills of effective decision-making shows that majority students were good in these skills, while some students have problems in decision-making and creative thinking. The analysis of sources of life skills showed that majority students have ranked family, peers and teachers respectively as major sources of learning life skills. The study implies that there should be reasonable focus on development of life skills among the undergraduates.