Research Paper
Education
E-ISSN No : 2454-9916 | Volume : 4 | Issue : 8 | Aug 2018
PERCEPTION OF TEACHER TRAINEES ON THE INCULCATION OF LIFE SKILLS AMONG THE ADOLESCENT STUDENTS Dr. Amandeep Kaur Assistant Professor, Amity Institute of Behavioral and Allied Sciences, Amity University. ABSTRACT Life skills are defined as “the abilities for adaptive and positive behavior that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life”(WHO). 'Adaptive' means that a person is flexible in approach and is able to adjust in different circumstances. 'Positive behavior' implies that a person is forward looking, even in difficult situations, can find a ray of hope and opportunities to find solutions. The inculcation of life skills among individuals should be done from their formative years so that they are able to cope up with their day-to-day problems and situations. The research was conducted with the following objectives: (1) to discuss the importance of inculcation of Life Skills among adolescent students (2) to identify the perception of teacher trainees on the importance of inculcating life skills among students (3) to identify the perception of teacher trainees on the ways of inculcating life skills among students . The sample of the study comprised of 50 Teacher Trainees from 1 Higher Education Institution in Delhi NCR. The tools used in the study was Rating Scale and an Open-ended questionnaire administered on the Teacher Trainees. The findings suggested that there are numerous effective ways and techniques to inculcate life skills among students. KEYWORDS: Life Skills, Teacher Trainees. INTRODUCTION: “Adolescence is a period when young people acquire new capacities and are faced with many new situations that create not only opportunities for progress but also risk to health and well being.” WHO (1998).
Life skills focus on 10 core life skills as given by WHO( Self-awareness, Empathy, Critical thinking, creative Thinking, Decision making, Problem solving, Interpersonal relationships, Effective Communication, Coping with Emotion, Coping with Stress).
Adolescent period plays a crucial role in one's life as this period is associated with adolescent's social and emotional problems, which are the result of the misinterpretations and misunderstandings of involved feelings, sentiments and emotions. Adolescents are agents of change in society and therefore they need guidance in their day-to-day lives.
Teachers have a great responsibility of making students aware of the life skills and the importance of developing these in their personalities. Therefore the perception of teacher trainees is very essential so that they are aware of the importance of developing life skills among students and even are familiar with the methods and techniques of developing the skills among students.
“Adolescence is a process, rather than a period, a process of achieving the attitudes and beliefs needed for effective participation in the society.”- (Dorothy Rogers, 1972, p. 9)
Research Design: Statement of the problem: Perception of Teacher Trainees on the Inculcation of Life Skills among the Adolescent Students
Adolescents in order to maintain a balanced life, need to inculcate life skills in their personalities so that they are able to cope up with their daily complex situations and see the world in a harmonious way.
Objectives of the Study: (1) To discuss the importance of the inculcation of Life Skills among adolescent students
UNICEF defines life skills as “a behavior change or behavioral development approach designed to address a balance of 3 areas: knowledge, attitudes and skills”.
(2) To identify the perception of teacher trainees on the importance of inculcating life skills among students
Considering the importance of adolescent period and the vital task to prevent adolescent students from their psycho-social problems, the World Health Organization (1996) program, named “Education of Life Skills” aims at promoting the psychological health level and prevention of psycho-social damages, as pointed in a UNICEF document (1993). Since then, this program is being studied in action in many countries (Nori, 1998). Life Skills include psychosocial competencies and interpersonal skills that help adolescents make informed decisions in their lives. Rationale of the Study: Adolescence is a vital stage among all the stages of life in an individual as they are prone to many physiological as well as psychological changes. They are often disturbed and feel anxious at many stages of their lives. They require regular assistance from their seniors and more experienced persons at different situations. Life skills are required to be developed among them so that they are ready to face the challenges in their lives, solve problems and make sound decisions in their lives. Adolescents mainly have ambiguity regarding their self-identity, their likes, interests, capabilities, weaknesses and therefore, need proper guidance regarding experiencing new situations and challenges. Life skills are defined as “the abilities for adaptive and positive behavior that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life” (WHO). “Adaptive” means that a person is flexible in approach and is able to adjust in different circumstances. “Positive behavior” implies that a person is forward looking, even in difficult situations, can find a ray of hope and opportunities to find solutions.
(3) To identify the perception of teacher trainees on the ways of inculcating life skills among students Methodology: The present study was descriptive in nature and employed Sample Survey method. Sample: The sample of the study comprised of 50 Teacher Trainees from 1 Higher Education Institution in Delhi NCR. Tools: 1. Self-made Rating Scale for Teacher Trainees 2.
Open-ended questionnaire for teacher trainees
Analysis and Interpretation: Scoring Procedure: 1. Self Made Rating Scale for studying the perception of teacher trainees on the inculcation of life skills among adolescent students. The rating scale had 25 items and each item had 5 options that are scored from 5,4,3,2,1 in the positive stated statements (always, very often, often, rarely and never) to respondents and a score of 5-1 obtained from each item positively.
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International Education & Research Journal [IERJ]
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Research Paper
E-ISSN No : 2454-9916 | Volume : 4 | Issue : 8 | Aug 2018
S. No. Range 1.
REFERENCES:
Interpretation
100-125 Highest score indicates that the perception of teacher trainees about the need of inculcation of life skills among adolescents is very high, i.e. they strongly agree
2.
75-99
Highest score indicates that the perception of teacher trainees about the need of inculcation of life skills among adolescents is high.
3.
50-74
Highest score indicates that the perception of teacher trainees about the need of inculcation of life skills among adolescents is average.
4.
25-49
Highest score indicates that the perception of teacher trainees about the need of inculcation of life skills among adolescents is below average.
1.
WHO (1997).Promoting Health Through Schools. Report of a WHO Expert Committee on Comprehensive School Health Education and Promotion.(WHO Technical Report Series, No. 870).
2.
UNESCO.(2001).Life Skills in non-formal education: A review New Delhi: UNESCO.Retrieved from www.unicef.org/lifeskills/index_8400.html
3.
WHO.(1997).Life Skills Education in Schools for Children and Adolescents in Schools. Programme on Mental Health. Introduction and guidelines to Facilitate the Development and Implementation of life Skills Program.Division of Mental Health and Prevention of substance Abuse. Retrieved from www. who.int/mental_health/media/en/30.pdf.
Web Resources: 4.
UNESCO%20Learning%20to%20live%20Together.pdf.
5.
https://www.unodc.org/pdf/youthnet/action/message/escap_peers_07.pdf
6.
www.unicef.org
Interpretation: 1. 70% of the responses lie between 100-125. Interpretation: From this we can interpret that a majority of teacher trainees were having very high perception on the importance of inculcation of life skills among students. 2.
20% of the responses lie between 75-99 Interpretation: From this we can interpret that 20% of the teacher trainees from the sample were having high perception of teacher trainees on the importance of inculcation of life skills among students.
3.
10% of the responses lie between 50-74 Interpretation: From this we can interpret that 10% of the teacher trainees from the sample were having average perception on the importance of inculcation of life skills among students.
S. No.
Range of Scores
% of students
1.
100-125
70
2.
75-99
20
3. 4.
50-74 25-49
10 NIL
2.
Open -ended Questionnaire for Teacher Trainees
Scoring Procedure: The self-made Open-ended Questionnaire had 10 items to study the perception of teacher trainees on the various ways of inculcating life skills among adolescent students. Item-wise analysis and interpretation of the data gathered from the open-ended questionnaire was done. Analysis and Interpretation: The analysis and interpretation was done to study the perception of teacher trainees on different ways of inculcating life skills among students. It was analyzed that around 97% of the teacher trainees were of the view that through childcentered teaching ,life skills can be inculcated among students. Around 96% of the students were of the view that through organizing special lectures and seminars in schools, students get good exposure of the ideals to be followed. Around 80% of the teacher trainees were of the view that teachers should encourage students to interact in class and share his/her thoughts. Around 98% of their teachers were of the view that moral lessons should be discussed in the classes and instances from around the world, so that students are aware of the right and wrong decisions that can affect their lives. Around 95% of the teacher trainees were of the perception that students should be given different situations to think and act, such as in role plays, so that they are able to understand the daily situations and ways of handling them. Around 98% of the teacher trainees were of the view that life skills workshops should be conducted in the schools. Around 99% of the teacher trainees were of the view that every school should have a guidance and counseling cell and counseling should be provided according to the requirement of the students. Around 98% of the teacher trainees were of the perception that the School Principals should take major initiatives to create a life-skills friendly environment for the students. Around 92% of the teacher trainees were of the perception that remedial teaching can help in developing life skills among students. Around 97% of teacher trainees were of the perception that showing documentaries and taking students for field visit will be helpful in developing life skills among students. CONCLUSION: Life Skills are essential to be developed among students especially at adolescence level because they are at that stage where they face many confusing situations, remain anxious and aggressive. It was important to know the perception of the future teachers on the importance of inculcating life skills among students and the various ways that can be helpful in developing life skills among students.
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International Education & Research Journal [IERJ]