Life Skills from the Perspectives of Classroom and Science Teachers

Abstract

The aim of this study is to determine classroom and science teachers’ views about life skills. The study employed phenomenological method. The participants of the study were 24 teachers; twelve of them were classroom teachers and the remaining were science teachers. They were working at public schools in Turkey. The participants were selected using the maximum variation sampling technique. The data of the study was collected through focus group interviews. Six focus group interviews consisting of four participants per focus group were conducted. The findings of the research showed, teachers play a significant role in the process of acquiring life skills. Furthermore, teachers expressed that science courses were significant setting to teach life skills. In the current research it was found that the participants used some in class and extracurricular activities to teach life skills. In addition, teachers expressed that they experienced difficulty in teaching life skills due to problems related to teachers, parents, school, educational program, educational system, school management and society.