No abstract

This paper attempts to deal with the issue of developing soft skills among trainee teachers by applying the elements of outdoor education in teacher training programs. It is known that there are elements of outdoor education which were already included in the teacher training curriculum in Malaysia's Teacher Training Institutions. However, outdoor education is not a compulsory activity or subject for trainee teachers in Malaysia's universities except for those majoring in sports and recreation or physical education. However, due to the declining economic conditions, outdoor education programs at Teacher Training Institutions were the first program that was scaled down. This article attempts to identify the elements of soft skills that can be applied through a well-planned outdoor education activities. The study was conducted involving 671 samples from teacher training institutions and universities using the Life Effectiveness Questionnaire. This article focuses on four elements of soft skills namely team work, leadership ability, self-esteem and time management. The results of this study showed that outdoor education improves students' soft skills in the elements studied.

Outdoor education is a holistic form of education which aids in overall wellbeing of adolescence, including academic, physical, emotional, social and psychology well being. The aim of this study was to see whether outdoor education promotes social skills and assess its effects on participants. Research sample comprised of 671 adolescence attending a five-day residential outdoor education program. Kolb's Cycle of Learning through Experience is used as the theoretical framework while the research framework is adapted from Carver's Outdoor Education Framework. Social skills measured are cooperative teamwork, leadership ability, and ability to cope with changes. Descriptive and inferential statistics used were t-test, Cohen's D, multiple analysis of variance, and post hoc test. The result showed that the outdoor programme had a significant influence for all the constructs involved in this study. Cohen's D showed that the treatment contributes greatly to leadership ability (60%), and ability to cope with changes (61%). Wilks' Lambda in multiple analysis of variance showed that the outdoor education module contributes significantly high F=30.78, p<0.05; ή²= 0.57 to changes in social skills. Analysis of variance showed that there is a retention period whereby the changes in social skills examined remain in the participants for a certain period of time. This retention of changes in social skills is significant for all factors studied which are cooperative teamwork, leadership ability, and ability to cope with changes.

No abstract

Self-esteem is fundamental component in psychological health and is affected with dynamics of physical exercise. This study explore the effects of selected aerobic exercise programs on self esteem and attempts to determine the most effective aerobic exercise program in boosting self-esteem. This study uses the experimental design on a sample of 120 female undergraduate students. The instruments used were the Self-Esteem Scale. Data was analyzed using inferential statistics. t-test conducted shows significant differences in self-esteem score between pretest and posttest in all modalities of aerobic exercise programs. Analysis of variance reveals that there is a significant difference (F=81.299, p<0.01) between the four modalities of aerobic exercise programs, and post hoc test shows that combination of step-dance aerobics and weight training program is most effective in increasing self esteem among female students. Results of this study contribute to developing the role of aerobic exercise in improving self esteem. It is also useful in assisting to develop policies and programs that enhance self esteem.