Life Skills Research Articles

The Transformative Teaching Practice of Teachers and Cultivation of 21st Century Skills of College Students in Selected Sports Universities in China

This study aims to explore the impact of teachers' transformative teaching practices on college students' mastery of 21st-century skills, with a focus on the teaching dimensions of "Personalized Considerations" and "Inspiring People," as well as the students' mastery of "Professional Skills" and "Life Skills." By analyzing students' assessments of their proficiency in 21st-century skills, the research demonstrates a significant positive correlation between transformative teaching behaviors and students' skill mastery. Specifically, the ability of teachers to motivate and provide personalized support significantly enhances students’ performance in learning, life, literacy, and professional domains. The data analysis revealed that students generally rated their mastery of 21st-century skills, including learning, life, literacy, and professional skills, as "agree," indicating a moderate level of manifestation. Additionally, differences in students' skill levels across gender, age, and grade level were found to be insignificant. However, the impact of transformative teaching practices on students' skill development was notably significant, particularly in the areas of "Charm Influence" and "Intellectual Stimulation." Regression analysis further highlighted that "Personalized Considerations" and "Inspiring People" teaching styles are strongly associated with students' mastery of 21st-century skills, especially in enhancing "Life Skills" and "Professional Skills." The proposed intervention program, developed from this study, aims to strengthen teachers' transformative teaching abilities to improve students' mastery of professional and life skills. Through personalized support and motivational guidance, college students will be better equipped to face future challenges in both their personal and professional lives. This study provides practical recommendations for educators to enhance teaching strategies to more effectively cultivate students' core 21st-century skills.

Usability of Pseudo-Haptic Feedback for Manual Precise Manipulation of Objects in Augmented Reality

Manual precise manipulation of objects is a critical skill in daily life, and Augmented Reality (AR) is increasingly used to support such tasks. In this study, we propose a system utilizing pseudo-haptic feedback to support precise manipulation for six degrees of freedom (6DOF). Two types of AR instruction interfaces were developed: Visual Deviation Instruction Interface (VDI) and Pseudo-Haptic Instruction Interface (PHI). A user study with 18 participants compared the two instruction interfaces in terms of performance and user experience. The objective measures of performance (task completion time, deviation), and the subjective measures (system usability scale, NASA Task Load Index) were collected. Results show that both instruction interfaces effectively support manual precise manipulation, achieving position deviations under 2 mm and orientation deviations under 1°. PHI outperformed VDI in speed, mental effort, physical demand, performance, perceived workload, custom user experience elements and reduction deviations of manual precise manipulation. Finally, we discuss research limitations and future directions.

Financial Inclusion and Financial Education - An Effective Tool for Poverty Reduction (Georgia's example)

Poverty is one of the main challenges of the contemporary world. The Covid-19 pandemic has worsened the already slow pace of poverty reduction around the world. Some countries have managed to avoid the further growth of poverty, while others failed to overcome the problem. The troubles caused by the pandemic were also added to those caused by Russia-Ukraine war. If this trend continues, millions of people will still live in poverty in the future. The governments of almost all the countries, including Georgia, are actively taking various steps to reduce poverty, inter alia, largely by strengthening financial inclusion and financial education. Lack of financial inclusion is a challenge for low- and middle-income countries, which leaves millions without access to formal financial services. Another important barrier to overcoming poverty is the lack of financial education, one of the most important life skills for everyone. Without understanding basic financial concepts, it is quite difficult to make correct decision. Differences in financial education may affect wealth, inequality and poverty. The presented paper studies the impact of financial education and inclusion on poverty in Georgia based on the processing and analysis of secondary data, academic works, and reports of various international and local organizations.

Navigating the Curriculum Landscape: The Impact of Curriculum 2013 and Merdeka Curriculum on Teachers' and Students' Learning Outcomes in Indonesia

This study explores the impact of implementing the 2013 Curriculum and the Independent Curriculum on teachers and student learning outcomes in Indonesia. The 2013 curriculum is designed to improve the competencies of 21st century students through a scientific approach and project-based learning. However, its implementation is limited, including the lack of teacher readiness and adequate infrastructure. On the other hand, the Independent Curriculum offers a more flexible and student-centered approach, focusing on character development and life skills. This study uses a mixed approach, involving surveys and in-depth interviews to analyze the perceptions of teachers and students from different regions. The study results show that the Independent Curriculum significantly increases student motivation and engagement, especially through a project-based learning approach. And more than 50% of teachers agree that the integration in independent curriculum is is more effective in helping teachers to design more effective in learning.. However, the main challenge in implementing this curriculum is the resource gap, especially in remote areas. Many teachers also have difficulty adjusting to more innovative teaching methods, although they welcome the flexibility offered by this curriculum. The study concludes that while the Independent Curriculum has the potential to improve the quality of learning, its success is highly dependent on the support of more intensive teacher training and the improvement of educational infrastructure. The main recommendation is the need for more focused efforts to ensure equal access to education and increase teacher capacity throughout Indonesia.

Strategic approaches: Practical applications of English communication skills in various real-life scenarios

The article presents an in-depth overview of a comprehensive study investigating the practical applications of English communication skills across a wide array of real-life scenarios. This research delves into how individuals employ their English proficiency in various domains such as the workplace, travel, education, social settings, online communication, cultural exchanges, personal development, and job interviews. The study examines a diverse range of situations, including presenting in professional meetings, asking for directions while traveling, participating in classroom discussions, making new friends in social contexts, engaging in online forums, attending language exchange programs, pursuing hobbies that require English, and negotiating job-related matters. Data for the study was meticulously gathered from a broad spectrum of online survey participants, encompassing different demographics to ensure a comprehensive analysis of the multifaceted uses of English communication skills in everyday life. The findings of this research underscore the strategic approaches that individuals employ to communicate effectively in English, thereby highlighting the pivotal role of language proficiency in navigating diverse social, professional, and cultural contexts. Moreover, the study sheds light on the nuanced ways in which English is used to facilitate not only basic communication but also to achieve higher-level interactions and goals. It reveals how proficiency in English can significantly enhance one’s ability to integrate into various environments, from academic settings to international travel and professional arenas. The article concludes by emphasizing the pedagogical implications of these findings for language educators and learners. It suggests avenues for further research and advocates for the development of language learning strategies that are finely tuned to meet real-world communication needs. By doing so, it aims to contribute to more effective teaching methodologies that prepare learners to use English confidently and competently in diverse situations.

The Impact of Close Reading Strategies on Individual Innovativeness and Life Skills: Preservice Teachers.

Reading is one of the fundamental tools for acquiring knowledge that has a direct effect on an individual's life. Many single and multiple strategies are used to improve reading comprehension, which is a strategic acquisition. (1) This study aims to investigate the effects of close reading strategies on the life skills and individual innovativeness of preservice Turkish language teachers. (2) The study group for this research consists of 31 preservice teachers studying in the Turkish Language Teaching department at a university in northern Türkiye. A sequential mixed-method design was used. In the quantitative aspect of the research, a pre-test and post-test experimental design without a control group was used, while in the qualitative aspect, a case study design was employed. Data were collected using the Life Skills Scale, Individual Innovativeness Scale, and semi-structured interview form. In analyzing the data obtained to examine the effect of the experimental process, a t-test for dependent groups was used, whereas data from the interviews were analyzed through content analysis (3-4). According to the results obtained from the research, the close reading strategy was determined to be a strategy that significantly improves the life skills and individual innovativeness of preservice Turkish language teachers.

Direct and Indirect Effects of Inhibition, Working Memory and Cognitive Flexibility on Reading Comprehension of Narrative and Expository Texts: Same or Different Effects?

Reading skills are essential adaptive skills for daily life, enabling individuals to function effectively in society. This study examines the relations between executive functions components - including inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility - and reading comprehension in both narrative and expository texts. A total of 263 fourth grade elementary school students participated in this study, who were evaluated on their reading comprehension skills, as well as on their executive functions and reading variables such as word reading, fluency and vocabulary. The results of this study suggest that inhibition, working memory and cognitive flexibility have direct and indirect effects on reading comprehension of narrative and expository texts. Especially, the direct effect of working memory is highlighted, both for reading comprehension of expository and narrative texts. Additionally, academic vocabulary is an important mediating variable between executive functions, especially inhibition, and reading comprehension in students of this age. These findings underscore the relevance of strengthening executive functions to improve reading comprehension, especially in middle school students.

Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL): A Teaching and Learning Experience in Nursing.

Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) involves international online activities that allow the support of transversal competencies in diverse and multicultural environments without moving from home. This paper presents the learning experiences and satisfaction of undergraduate nursing students at the University of Girona (Spain) from a COIL activity involving clinical simulation in collaboration with the University of Coventry (United Kingdom). Qualitative study of content analysis. Twelve students from each of the two universities participated in the data collection process using reflective diaries. The data analysis highlighted five topics related to the COIL activity involving clinical simulation: (a) initial attitudes towards the COIL activity; (b) main learning through the COIL activity; (c) positive aspects of the COIL activity; (d) weaknesses of the COIL activity and proposals for improvement; and (e) overall evaluation of the COIL activity. The main learning outcomes referred to by students were the relationships between transversal competencies and the skills for life, language skills, cultural skills, and more specific skills related to clinical standards. The students were most satisfied with the teaching activities and specified positive aspects and weaknesses that will add value to future versions of the activities.

The Effect of Sports on Life Skills: A Descriptive Study on Parents

The Effect of Sports on Life Skills: A Descriptive Study on Parents

Increasing creativity, production innovation and commercialization through the new teaching factory model based on life skills

This research aims to implement and develop a new teaching and learning factory model based on life skills in Vocational Secondary Education (SME) Creative and Production Crafts Expertise Program. This model is designed to support the needs of the Industrial Revolution 4.0 by integrating project-based learning through collaboration between the school curriculum and the industrial world. This research usesmixed methods, with a quasi-experimental design involving control and experimental groups using pre-test and post-test. The results showed that the new teaching and learning factory model was valid and reliable based on expert validation tests. The implementation of this model successfully increased students' creativity in product design, production, and commercialisation, and it developed social skills such as critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and interpersonal skills. In conclusion, the implementation of the life skills-based teaching factory model is effective in preparing students to face the challenges of the world of work, improving innovation skills, and supporting production processes that are relevant to industry needs. The contribution of this research is in the development of an innovative learning model that integrates the education curriculum with the world of work, thus producing graduates who are better prepared to face the challenges of the Industrial Revolution 4.0.

Investigating the Methods of Teaching English as a Foreign Language to Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Introduction: Teaching foreign languages, such as English, as an international language, to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been considered by the researchers of language instruction, language learning, and teachers of children with special needs. The population of children diagnosed with autism is rapidly growing and they must have similar opportunities for enhancing life skills, education, successful interactions, and universal communicative skills. Materials and Methods: This study reviews and discusses the findings of past studies that investigated effective ways and efficient methods for teaching these children English as a foreign language. Results: Although there has been restricted literature throughout the world, the reviewed studies demonstrated improvement of English language learning by suitable strategies and various methods, including pictures representing, humanoid robots, Montessori-oriented methods, applied behavior analysis (ABA), cognitive method, the picture exchange communication system (PECS), well-designed educational environments, mixed methods and strategies, speech therapy, media, total physical response (TPR), and individualized education plan (IEP). Conclusion: This narrative review encourages various interventions and integrated methods for teaching the English language to autistic children, considering their differences from diverse aspects.

Beyond the Classroom: Integrating the ORID Model for In-Depth Reflection and Assessment in Service-Learning

Service-learning is a community-based learning approach that bridges academic knowledge with practical application through purposeful exploration, action, and reflection. In addition to enhancing academic learning in various disciplines, service-learning cultivates students’ self-awareness, personal values, and social responsibility, preparing them with essential skills for life beyond the classroom. However, due to its experiential nature, service-learning presents challenges for effective assessment. This study provides a concrete example of student reflections structured by the Objective, Reflective, Interpretive, and Decisional (ORID) model in practice. Content analysis was implemented by examining undergraduate students’ end-of-semester reflection papers while volunteering during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The results showed that the model provided a guided and structured format for students to reflect on their service-learning, going beyond reporting on factual details to engaging in profound reflections on the emotional, cognitive, and prospective aspects. Moreover, with the solution aspect added to the model, students could express their creativity, articulating on innovative solutions they proposed to overcome challenges and how they turned the challenges into favorable outcomes. Clearly, the model stands as a powerful tool for educators, offering deeper insights into students’ authentic experiences, fostering comprehensive, critical, and insightful reflection, and thereby facilitating the effective assessment of experiential learning.

Model-Model Pembelajaran Pendidikan Agama Islam

This study aims to explore Islamic Religious Education (PAI) learning models that can improve students' cognitive, affective, and psychomotor intelligence. The background of the research underscores the importance of various elements in education, such as teachers, students, curriculum, environment, and chosen learning model. The learning model, as a teaching plan, must be adapted to the needs of students and be able to cover theoretical and practical aspects. Success in learning depends heavily on the selection of the right model, which influences five key aspects of effective learning: clarity, variety, task orientation, student engagement, and achieving high success. This study formulates several main problems, including the types of PAI learning models, aspects that affect students' intelligence, and models that can improve cognitive, affective, and psychomotor intelligence. The focus is also given on the Contextual Teaching and Learning (CTL) approach and life skills. The findings of this study are expected to contribute to the development of effective learning strategies for Islamic religious education.

Alternative Justice Using Religious Principles in Solving Domestic Violence of Muslim Family in Thailand

The purpose of this research was to find the level of Muslim domestic violence and the pattern of alternative justice corresponding to religious principles to solve the problem of Muslim domestic violence in southern border areas in Thailand. This was qualitative research using in-depth interviews with 52 samples, including victims, close persons, the provincial Islamic council, and Thai-Muslim family role models. The research showed that the level of Muslim domestic violence in studied communities was divided into 3 levels: 1) extreme violence, namely physical abuse 2) conflict, namely a quarrel with non-physical abuse, and 3) the way the family encountered both internal and external problems that might lead to quarrel and domestic violence. For the pattern of alternative justice corresponding to religious principles, reconciliation approaches should be used by focusing on the justice processes of all sectors along with the community. Furthermore, the recommendation of this research was to promote knowledge and skills of family life and educate good values according to Islamic principles.

A Study of Life Skills (Jeevan Kaushal) Among College Students of Mizoram in The Light of NEP: 2020, India

A Study of Life Skills (Jeevan Kaushal) Among College Students of Mizoram in The Light of NEP: 2020, India

Designing a mentorship curriculum for assisting social reintegration among youth in institutional care in India

Although child protection policies and laws in India recognise the importance of aftercare, there is still a significant lack of infrastructure, available services, and systematic preparation for the transition. The accelerated and compressed journey from adolescence to adulthood, coupled with limited options to return home if their initial endeavours falter, adds to the complexity of the transition process. To develop knowledge and skills for transition preparedness, this paper presents a step-by-step approach to designing an educative, mentorship-based curriculum. The curriculum is based on an exploratory study conducted across 17 child care institutions in Pune, India. Findings showed that the adolescents appreciate the existing support resources, but feel that much of the critical, practical, and seemingly more urgent transitional needs are still left out. Borrowing insights from the primary data and the available literature, the curriculum has been designed to target six core areas addressing needs for belongingness, preparation for life after transition, enabling clarity of future vision, life skills, enhancing employability, and problem-solving. To buffer the overall stress of the transition, the focus of the curriculum has been kept simultaneously on promoting overall well-being and providing professional and career development support. The study recommends a robust evaluation framework to assess the relevance and effectiveness of the curriculum.

Teachers’ and principals’ challenges in implementing Life Skills Education at secondary schools in Lesotho

Lack of training complicates the teaching and learning process. This study explores teachers' and principals’ challenges in implementing Life Skills Education (LSE) at secondary schools in Lesotho. Few graduate teachers received short-term training on LSE; hence, most teachers already practising in schools cannot teach LSE. The findings also revealed that teachers encountered challenges implementing LSE in Lesotho secondary schools. The results indicated that teachers feel troubled when teaching LSE for multiple reasons. These include the lack of skills of unqualified teachers and teachers' lack of confidence and interest. As a result, teachers turn to inappropriate teaching methods. The results indicated that sexuality education and HIV and AIDS could challenge the delivery and implementation of LSE schools. Thus, teachers need to acquire appropriate training and teaching methods in LSE.

Mobile Learning and Verbal Proficiency: A Cross-Sectional Study Investigating English Speaking Skills Enhancement

Mobile learning supports a constructivist approach to learning by providing student-focused pedagogies and enhancing students' self-directed learning toward a goal. While reading, writing, listening, and speaking are all important life skills, speaking or, to put it another way, communication—occurs often in both official and casual settings. For this reason, speaking is typically more important than the other abilities. Gaining speaking proficiency is just as crucial as developing other abilities that are necessary for target language learners to improve their communication. Offering a comprehensive picture of how mobile learning interventions function for different learner profiles is the aim of this methodical sampling strategy. Due to their widespread use, mobile devices offer unparalleled accessibility and flexibility for learning, independent of location. Consequently, developing successful educational interventions requires an understanding of the connection between these technology benefits and the enhancement of English language proficiency through speaking. Data from 29 surveys were gathered for a quantitative cross-sectional study using Google Forms, which examined the effects of mobile learning, prior English proficiency, frequency of mobile engagement, and their link to English-speaking abilities. The study sought to clarify the importance and association of these factors in improving verbal competency through mobile learning in English language acquisition, using t-tests for group comparison and Cronbach's Alpha for reliability. Findings highlight the necessity for customized methods depending on learners' proficiency levels to maximize their efficacy. Regular mobile learning engagement is strongly correlated with prior English proficiency and increased language abilities.

Life Skills Education: Equipping Individuals for the Enigmatic World

Traditional academic achievement is no longer the only measure of success in today’s world of fast change. Education in life skills has become an essential part of holistic learning, giving people the tools they need to deal with the challenges of daily living. The debate surrounding integration into existing education systems is addressed, emphasizing the need for fostering active participation and critical thinking. Life skills education, when effectively integrated, empowers individuals to become well-rounded, adaptable and responsible members of society. This article explores the core components of life skills education, encompassing personal, social and citizenship skills. It highlights the many benefits, including improved academic performance, enhanced mental health and increased employability. It also discusses how to integrate life skills programmes into formal education systems successfully and looks at potential strategies for developing these crucial skills.

Do Non-Clinical Services Help to Improve Functional Outcomes Among Young Adults With Mental Disorders? A Systematic Review.

Mental disorders during young adulthood can significantly impair functioning in daily activities. Non-clinical support services aim to improve functioning by helping people to build social and life skills, participate in education and employment and improve physical health. This study aims to examine and synthesise the evidence for non-clinical services on improving functional outcomes for young adults with mental disorders. A systematic search was undertaken to identify quantitative and qualitative studies reporting on a non-clinical service component (vocational support, peer support, youth development, lifestyle interventions, family and network support) and examining functional outcomes (e.g., outcomes focussed on work and education, life skills, relationships and healthy behaviours). Seventeen studies met inclusion criteria. Identified studies focussed on vocational support services (n = 9), lifestyle interventions (n = 6) and family and network support services (n = 2). No studies on peer-support services or youth development services were found. More than half of the vocational support service studies reported increased employment rates among young adults (n = 6). Studies focussing on lifestyle interventions included a combination of physical activity, nutrition education, health coaching and motivation and behaviour change. However, the measures of functioning used across studies were too varied to determine whether lifestyle interventions may be useful in improving functional outcomes for young adults. Further research is needed to understand the impact of non-clinical services on functioning. This evidence will provide pragmatic guidance for service planners to invest in supports and interventions that make a meaningful difference to the lives of young adults living with mental disorders.