Students' Perceptions of Learning Life Skills Through the Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility Model: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

PurposePhysical education (PE) lags behind community-based sport and physical activity programs in the integration of positive youth development (PYD) principles and practices such as teaching transferable life skills. However, research and educational policy indicates this can and should be part of the PE curriculum. Therefore, there is a significant need to explore students' perceptions and experiences about learning life skills within the PE context. In the current study, an intervention based in a wellestablished PYD approach called Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility (TPSR), was delivered to assess these issues.MethodsThe current study was conducted in the mid-western U.S. Participants were 122 adolescent students (m = 60, f = 62; M = 12.48 years, SD = 0.97 years) in intervention and control classes. For the intervention, a PE teacher received training on the TPSR approach to promote life skills, while the control teacher received no training and participated in usual practices. Pre- and post-surveys were distributed that examined student perceptions about learning life skills, and supplemental systematic observations were recorded to capture the intervention teacher's fidelity to the TPSR model.ResultsResults indicated that the intervention group students' perceptions of in-class experiences with life skills such as problem solving, emotional regulation, effort, goal setting, identity experiences, time management, and promoting social norms were enhanced overtime, compared to the control group.ConclusionPE is in a unique position to promote PYD in the school curriculum by teaching of life skills. In this case, participants in the intervention group demonstrated learning personally and socially responsible behaviors across the course of 15 PE lessons. Future research should examine if changed in-class perceptions about life skills can foster use of these skills outside of the PE setting.

Defining Life Skills in health promotion at school: a scoping review

“…Some are proposed by NGOs, others provided by the scientific community. These definitions are often reworded and sometimes aggregated to form a mix between the operational and conceptual ( 33 , 72 , 73 , 82 ). Although the conceptual definitions of Life Skills are numerous ( 63 , 90 ), the difficulty to establish a consensual, conceptual definition has been identified ( 63 , 66 ).…”

Influence of a Summer Wellness Program on Bullying Reduction Among School-Age Children

“…During a preprogram orientation over 2 days, the camp staff participants were introduced to and had opportunities to practice experiencing and planning for activities guided by TPSR. Lesson plans were also developed for the activity leaders at all six stations to incorporate TPSR and guide the overall program structure (Jacobs et al, 2022). An assistant program director provided ongoing support to ensure the implementation of TPSR in all stations throughout the program.…”

Lifestyles and entrepreneurial orientation of future teachers

“…И само опажање предузетничких намера и предузетничких иницијатива је подложно учењу и промени. Студија у оквиру које су студенти експерименталне групе учили технике решавања проблема, емоционалне регулације, постављања циљева, управљања временом и промоције социјалних норми, показала је да су они, поред селективније и адекватније перцепције предузетничких намера и иницијатива, и сами постали активнији и значајно су боље демонстрирали персонално и социјално одговорна понашања која су тражена од њих, него студенти у контролној групи који нису прошли наведени курс (Jacobs, Wrigh, Richards, 2022). Дакле, треба бити свестан доприноса редовних активности учења и поучавања које су се и до сада примењивале (учење решавања проблема, саморегулација, промоција норми) у развоју предузетничке оријентације и подржавајућих животних стилова.…”