Development of Transferable Skills among Grade 7 Students through Discussion Method

Abstract

Transferable skills are the demand of the 21st century. There is a need to prepare the younger generations for survival in their personal, professional, and social lives. An individual’s development requires the integration of these skills at each level, that is, primary, secondary, and tertiary level of education. Traditional teaching methods are not considered up-to-date for the development of required skills among students in the modern technological era. The development of students is the focus of demanded skills and education system as well. This goal can be achieved if teachers switch from traditional teaching methods towards interactive teaching methods. Therefore, research was conducted to explore the effect of discussion method on the development of transferable skills among students. Pretest posttest quasi-experimental design was employed to conduct the current study. The population of the study comprised Grade-7 students studying in public schools of Rawalpindi. Whereas, the targeted sample included 120 students of the selected public school. A school was selected with two intact groups taught by teachers following discussion and traditional methods of teaching. A paper-pencil test was designed based on communication, reasoned-decision making, and reflective thinking skills and was employed as pretest and posttest. The data was analyzed by using paired sample t-test to compare the means of both groups. Results showed that there was a significant difference in the development of transferable skills among students taught through discussion method and traditional method. It was recommended that teachers should use interactive teaching methods while teaching to develop communication skills, reflective thinking skills, and reasoned decision-making among students for their survival in contemporary century.