Life Skills Education for Youth in Developing Countries: What Are They and Why Do They Matter?

Erin Murphy-Graham,Alison K Cohen

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-85214-6_2

Abstract

AbstractDrawing from a review of theoretical, methodological, and empirical literature on life skills from the fields of education, public health, psychology, economics, and international development, this paper attempts to clarify basic definitional and conceptual issues that relate to life skills education. It addresses the questions: (1) What are life skills, and how has the term emerged in academic and donor agency literature? And (2) What bodies of practice and research evidence converge in the rise of ‘life skills’ programming and increased interest in ‘life skills’ among thought leaders and donors in the field of international education? The paper identifies implications from this analysis to be considered in research and interventions that focus on life skills for adolescents, particularly in light of global efforts to improve the quality of education.

Highlights

Clarifying the Muddy Waters of Life Skills Education ‘Life skills’ is a popular concept in the field of education
Drawing from a review of theoretical, methodological, and empirical literature on life skills from the fields of education, public health, psychology, economics, and international development, this chapter attempts to clarify basic definitional and conceptual issues that relate to life skills education
Our review and analysis suggest three converging bodies of research and practice that have resulted in the rise of life skills education programming

Summary

Introduction

Clarifying the Muddy Waters of Life Skills Education ‘Life skills’ is a popular concept in the field of education. Drawing from a review of theoretical, methodological, and empirical literature on life skills from the fields of education, public health, psychology, economics, and international development, this chapter attempts to clarify basic definitional and conceptual issues that relate to life skills education. While there is some overlap in how these discourse communities conceptualize life skills, the goals of each of these are somewhat distinct, and the ways in which they invoke ‘life skills’ varies These discourse communities include the education community in which we situate ourselves and our concern with the quality of education, in developing country contexts. After discussing the findings from our examination of ‘life skills’ in the academic and donor agency literature, we conclude by explaining how the capabilities approach to education, which explicitly links education with a social justice perspective and provides a wider set of outcomes from life skills education than offered by any

Life Skills Education for Youth in Developing Countries

Conclusion