Bioethics Enhancement Sessions at the Bedford Sixth Form

PurposeParticipating in community sports programs can contribute to positive developmental outcomes, such as the development and transfer of life skills. However, studies specifically focusing on which life skills are developed and whether these skills are indeed transferred to other life domains among socially vulnerable adults, are still lacking. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate life skills development and transfer among socially vulnerable adults as a result of pariticpating in in community sports programs.MethodsThis study builds on a life-course approach. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with a total of 13 program participants and three social sports coaches. Additionally, four focus group discussions were organized in which a total of four program coordinators, five social sports coaches and six social workers participated. By employing multiple methods and data sources, data triangulation was achieved. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis.ResultsWe found that program participants developed cognitive, emotional, and social life skills. Examples of cognitive life skills were planning and time management, taking initiative, critical thinking, self-awareness, and self-direction. Examples of emotional life skills were coping skills, empathy, and staying mentally positive. Examples of social skills were expressing feelings, assertiveness, leadership, respect, and teamwork. Although the views of the program participants, their coaches and the results from the focus group discussions showed overlap, differences in which life skills were developed and/or transferred by program participants were also found. For example, the development and transfer of planning and time management was mentioned by several social sports coaches and during the focus group discussions, however, this was not always mentioned by the program participants.ConclusionsAdults in a socially vulnerable position (can) develop cognitive, emotional and social life skills by participating in community sports programs. Moreover, the transfer of these life skills to other life domains like home and work was demonstrated. These findings are an important step towards better understanding the societal impact of community sports programs serving socially vulnerable adults.

Critical reflection potentially allows social work and human service (SWHS) students to understand how past experiences can shape their future practice. This study of 20 Australian undergraduate SWHS students with a history of childhood adversity found reflective writing for this purpose was not a useful pedagogical practice. Rather than developing skills in critical reflection students found the task performative, linked to academic requirements, where they needed to display emotional containment. Consequently, SWHS academics need to examine reflective writing about childhood adversity for assessment as this process may not enable students to build skills in critical reflection that drive professional development.

The purpose of this research was to describe the life skills of students in learning chemistry and reveals the connections between life skills. The methods used in this research is descriptive research. The subject of research as much as 144 students of class XI in one of senior high school in the city of Padang. The selection of samples was conducted with stratified random sampling technique that divides students into 3 groups based on the level of their intelligence (IQ). Research data taken with observation, interview guidelines and tests of the student’s life skills. The results showed that the personal skills for students classified as well. The social skills of students is very good, students are able to manage their emotions very well, able to communicate well, has good interpersonal relationships, and understanding the other person very well. Student's academic prowess is quite good the ability of critical thinking, creative thinking, problem solving, and decision making students are on a category is good enough. The connection between life skills showed that a) there is a weak relationship between personal proficiency students with social skills among students with the values of the coefficients of correlation 0.33, b) there is a very weak relationship between students personal skills with the academic skills of students with the value of the correlation coefficient 0,004, and c) there is a very weak relationship between social skills among students with the academic skills of students with the value of the correlation coefficient 0,062.

Educational technology has a great revolution in all the fields of education. In the field of distance education, educational technology plays a vital role by providing new and cost-effective platforms to make the teaching-learning process efficient, reaching and developing life skills among learners. UNESCO categorized life skills into main three areas cognitive, interpersonal, and intrapersonal skills. In the present study interpersonal skills were focused which aimed to examine UNESCO’s life skills’ development through educational technology interventions, particularly in the context of interpersonal life skills of distance learners of Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU). The population of the study was B. Ed 4 Years students of which 70 students were randomly selected. Research design was quantitative followed by a survey method. Self-developed research tool was administered, and data was analysed in terms of descriptive statistics. The findings suggest that distance learners using educational technology show strong interpersonal life skills in all the sub-constructs including communication skills, cooperation, conflict resolution, teamwork, respect for others, emotional understanding, problem-solving, and active listening. Comparisons indicated no gender difference indicating that educational technology effectively fosters interpersonal life skills among all distance learners. There was no significant difference in interpersonal life skills based on respondents’ computer literacy levels, job status, and income levels. It is concluded that educational technology intervention develops interpersonal life skills among distance learners. The study recommends that educational technology interventions may be used in all forms of education to enhance the interpersonal life skills of the learners.

The current exploratory study investigated the perspectives of 13 students about the use of online discussion forums in a virtual English Language course at Sultan Qaboos University, Oman. A mixed methods approach utilizing self-report questionnaires, focus group interviews, and researcher observation was used to collect data. The study results showed that the majority of the participants viewed asynchronous discussion forums positively. Most importantly, the study revealed that participation in these forums enhanced various aspects of students’ learning including critical reading, critical thinking and critical reflection skills, behavioral, emotional and cognitive engagement, as well as their social skills. On the other hand, the study results showed that online discussion forums were associated with several challenges. These findings have pedagogical implications on the design and implementation of these forums in the EFL field. The article calls for further research on online discussion forums in relation to students’ level of study, academic achievement, and exam pass rates in various EFL courses.

Life Skills Education is a value addition programme for children and youth to understand self and enable them to analyze their capacity to enhance the function in most productive way so they empower efficiently in challenging situations. Life Skills include psychosocial competencies and interpersonal skills that help people make informed decisions, solve problems, think critically and creatively, communicate effectively, build healthy relationships, empathize with others, and manage their lives in a healthy and productive manner. Life Skills are needed at all stages and phases of life, but it becomes important for children and adolescents because this is crucial stage on which future of individual depends. The Life Skills programme is a very important and integral part of the educational system worldwide. It is a school based programme where Life Skills are imparted in a supportive learning environment. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), India has introduced Life Skills Education as an integral part of its curriculum and provides guidelines for transaction of the ten core Life Skills. Though Life skills are often learned indirectly through experience and practice but it would be enhanced directly by implementing through a dedicated Life skills curriculum by using proper and suitable transaction methods. In school based programme to teach Life Skills in supportive leaning environment teacher’s role is very crucial. Teachers should be act as positive role models for students as Life Skills are better caught then taught. So it is significant to know what strategies teachers build to inculcate the Life Skills among students. The present paper focuses on the ten core Life Skills necessary for students and the strategies used by CBSE teachers at upper primary level of Varanasi City to transact and internalize these Life Skills among students. Survey method was used for the study. Sample consisted of 225 teachers teaching at upper primary level from 31 CBSE schools selected purposively. Content analysis was used to analyse data obtained from questionnaire prepared by reseacher, frequency and percentage were calculated. The findings provide information regarding strategies practiced by CBSE teachers would be helpful for designing Life Skills Training Module.

This study examines the alignment of the Grade 11 Statistics and Probability Curriculum Guide with the domains of 21st-century skills using a qualitative content analysis approach. Guided by Tyler’s Model of Curriculum Development and in reference to the Partnership for 21st Century Learning (P21) framework, the analysis focused on examining how skills like critical thinking, teamwork, digital literacy, and life skills are reflected in the curriculum. A coding matrix was employed to classify each learning competency according to its level of alignment— whether clearly (explicit), indirectly (implicit), or not at all—with three core skill domains: Learning and Innovation Skills; Information, Media, and Technology Skills; and Life and Career Skills. Using a qualitative content analysis approach, this study examined the publicly available Curriculum Guide for Grade 11 Statistics and Probability issued by the Philippine Department of Education. The results show that all learning competencies (100%) demonstrated alignment with at least one domain of 21st-century skills, with critical thinking and data literacy being the most emphasized. Specifically, 67.3% of competencies were explicitly aligned, and 32.7% were implicitly aligned. Learning and Innovation Skills appeared in 100% of competencies, while Information, Media, and Technology Skills were present in only 14.5%. Life and Career Skills were not explicitly reflected in any of the competencies. However, there is limited focus on technology-related competencies, and Life and Career Skills are not clearly addressed, revealing an uneven distribution of skill domains within the curriculum. While the document reflects strong support for cognitive development, it falls short in preparing learners for digitally driven environments and real-world career contexts. In light of these findings, the study recommends enhancing the curriculum by explicitly integrating underrepresented 21st-century skills, providing targeted teacher training, and institutionalizing regular curriculum reviews to better equip senior high school students for academic, professional, and societal demands.

Research on digital behaviour has largely centred on aggregated screen-time metrics, which offer limited insight into how distinct patterns of engagement within social media environments relate to psychosocial competencies. Life skills—encompassing cognitive, social and emotional domains—are fundamental to adaptive functioning in young adults, yet the behavioural features of online interaction that align with these capacities remain insufficiently characterised. A cross-sectional study was carried out with 1,140 university students aged 18–25. Participants completed a questionnaire assessing instrumental, passive and reactive social media behaviours, alongside a validated measure of life skills. Analytical procedures included descriptive statistics, Spearman correlations, exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modelling. Reliability coefficients were estimated from the present sample, and model fit indices were examined to assess structural coherence. Instrumental engagement displayed small positive associations with cognitive and social life skills. Passive browsing and reactive interaction showed small negative associations with emotional and social skills. Although modest in magnitude, these associations displayed a stable configuration across the analytical models, suggesting that behavioural differentiation within social media use aligns with distinct life-skill profiles. The study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of digital engagement by shifting the analytical focus from global usage frequency to behaviour-specific patterns. Instrumental, goal-directed use aligned with more adaptive skill configurations, whereas passive and reactive tendencies were associated with less favourable profiles. The cross-sectional design and the demographic composition of the sample constrain generalisability, underscoring the need for longitudinal and diverse population studies. The findings reinforce the relevance of intentional and reflective digital practices within university settings, where online interaction is embedded in daily life.

Critical thinking and social reasoning are fundamental skills in complex, social situations, and several domains (e.g., healthcare and military) have realized that personnel are lacking the cognitive skills necessary to optimally perform within their complicated, dynamic environment. Thus, there is a need to train critical social thinking skills in order to improve cognitive and social reasoning, enhance performance, and ultimately result in better outcomes. Therefore the purpose of this paper is to provide researchers and practitioners with a review of the literature pertinent to developing critical social thinking skills. This review is presented in the form of best practices for designing and implementing critical thinking training interventions.

Northern Ireland has invested heavily in the use of technology enhanced learning at all levels of education. Alongside this, radical changes to the school curriculum and the planned move away from academic selection towards a more inclusive system are challenging those involved in Initial Teacher Education to find ways to improve teaching and learning for more inclusive classrooms. This study reviews a pilot programme that integrated problem‐based and blended e‐learning pedagogy to support student teachers learning in the area of special needs and inclusion education. Findings indicate that using a carefully constructed blended programme can effectively support key teaching and learning aspects of pre‐service training and help develop skills in critical reflection. It also offers initial teacher educators in Northern Ireland insight into some of the most pressing problems experienced by student teachers during training, and provides a rationale for continued programme development.

Education for citizenship has the teaching of controversial issues, the exploration of social values and the fostering of active participation at its core. This article focuses on a case study of 11-year-old pupils in a Scottish primary school, who were exposed to a new programme underpinned by values-based participation. The pupils initiated their own research into social issues of particular concern to them and used this as the basis for promoting enterprising ideas for social change. Non-participant observation of the work of the class combined with follow-up questionnaires and discussion groups enabled the researcher to establish pupils' views about social issues in a deeper sense, as well as establishing the way in which pupils' attitudes towards `enterprise' evolved. The findings illustrate that the pupils gained some useful skills in critical reflection, became more aware of their own potential for social activism and gained a wider perspective on communitarian principles.

Background: Learning and socio-emotional development is promoted through the creation and nurturing of an optimal school climate. This study aims to analyze the relationship between life skills and academic performance in a large sample of adolescents from the autonomous community of Aragón (Spain). Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on the life skills and academic performance of a sample of 7th and 8th grade middle school students during the academic year 2018–2019. A sample of 43 middle schools were randomly selected; the final sample comprised 1745 students. The following data were collected through an anonymized, previously validated questionnaire: sociodemographic variables, social skills, self-efficacy, affective balance, and academic performance. Results: We found a statistically significant association between life skills and academic performance (p < 0.001) in our sample. We also observed significant gender differences in life skills, with boys obtaining higher scores in cognitive skills and affective balance, and with girls achieving higher scores in social skills. Conclusion: We argue that life skills should be integrated into educational policies in order to improve the academic performance and health outcomes of students.

Traditional learning allows students to study and memorize ineffectively in order to pass the tests. On the other hand, learning, in its real and new context, encourages students to apply information and improve their critical and imaginative thinking, mental creativity, and other different life skills. This study investigates the advantages and the effect of using competitions in EFL context. The participants of this study are 60 sophomores and juniors who were divided into four competing groups. The competition includes three tasks. In order to collect the data, the researchers have observed the students’ performances and attitudes during and after the time of the given task. Furthermore, an open-ended questionnaire was used to investigate students’ thoughts and opinion of the participation in the competition. The results showed that students' participation in the competition enhanced their motivation and awareness of their language use, critical thinking and creative abilities. In conclusion, although this was a small-scale study, the students' participation in the competition shows that the new teaching ideas can be implemented successfully despite of the limited resources and the time pressure as the competition was set at the end of the academic year. Article visualizations:

Background: Adolescence is known as a stressful period in the process of growth which they experience a lot of emotional, physical and cognitive changes at the same time. It is important to develop life skills in this age group. The goal of the study was whether life skills training affect the social and coping skills and aggression in high school students. Materials and Methods: A total of 100 high school students entered the study using a pretest-posttest assessment. All received life skills training (including coping skills, social skills and aggression control) during four sessions that each lasted 120 minutes. To compare the results before and after life skills training, four questionnaires including the individual characteristics of the study samples, the aggression test, the social skills test, and the coping skills checklist were used. Results: Life skills training had a positive and significant effect on social and coping skills. The results also showed there was a significant decrease in aggression among students. Conclusion: It is necessary to implement life skills training programs for a better and comprehensive development in students. Moreover, considering the formation of personality at an early age and the current situation of society, learning these skills at an early age seems more desirable.

Objective: This article To analyze the relevance of the INTAKA Workshop in strengthening cultural identity and preparing students for the challenges of the 21st century. Theoretical Framework: The Ecuadorian Curriculum of 2016 seeks to integrate interculturality, innovation, and ancestral knowledge into education. However, traditional approaches still predominate. Method: An instrumental case study was applied to the 44 participants of the workshop. A qualitative questionnaire with open-ended questions was applied, and a content analysis was carried out. Results and Discussion: The results showed that the INTAKA Workshop promotes interdisciplinary and intercultural learning through practical activities with the Taptana Cañari, an ancestral mathematical tool. It fosters critical thinking and social responsibility. Participants positively evaluated the experience and highlighted its impact on learning and cultural identity. In the discussion, the results supported the relevance of the INTAKA Workshop as an innovative alternative to overcome the challenges of current education. Implications of the Research: It’s interdisciplinary, intercultural, and value-oriented approach has the potential to strengthen cultural identity, promote meaningful learning, and prepare students for the 21st century. Originality/Value: This study contributes to the educational literature by presenting the INTAKA Workshop as an unprecedented pedagogical initiative that integrates Cañari cultural richness with interdisciplinary learning. This study presents an innovative proposal to strengthen cultural identity and prepare 21st-century students, using the Taptana Cañari as a teaching tool and promoting vlues such as solidarity.