A Comparative Study of the Life Skills of Students Studying at the Undergraduate Level in Aided and Self-Financed Colleges

Abstract

In the present era, the purpose of education is not limited to providing students with subject-related knowledge; rather, it also aims to enable them to effectively face various situations and challenges of daily life. Life skills help individuals develop abilities such as decision-making, problem-solving, effective communication, self-awareness, empathy, interpersonal relationships, stress management, creative thinking, and critical thinking. The undergraduate stage is particularly important in students’ lives, as they have to make several decisions related to higher education, employment, future careers, social relationships, and personal life. At present, technological development, social media, competition, changing employment conditions, and concerns about the future present numerous challenges before students. In such circumstances, life skills can help students behave in a balanced and effective manner. In the present study, 500 students from aided and self-financed colleges were selected through the stratified random sampling technique and classified on the basis of gender and locality. For measuring the life skills of the students, the “Life Skills Scale” developed by Dr. Anjum Ahmad and Mrs. Sabba Parveen was used. The study included 248 students from aided colleges and 252 students from self-financed colleges. Therefore, the difference found between the life skills of the two groups was not statistically significant, and the null hypothesis was accepted. This means that there is no significant difference in the life skills of students studying in aided and self-financed colleges. This finding indicates that the development of students’ life skills does not depend solely on the financial nature of the college. Students’ personal efforts, self-motivation, family environment, social conditions, teacher guidance, interaction with peers, co-curricular activities, and personal experiences may also play important roles in the development of life skills. In both types of colleges, students receive opportunities to participate in various educational, social, cultural, and co-curricular activities, which may contribute to a relatively similar level of life skills among them. The findings of the study clearly suggest that, for the holistic development of students, colleges should promote life-skills-based activities, counselling, guidance, leadership opportunities, group work, problem-solving activities, and programmes related to communication skills. Thus, the present study highlights the importance of life skills among students in higher education and concludes that, for the development of life skills, the experiences, opportunities, guidance, and active participation available to students may be more important than the financial status or type of the institution....