Competence in basic lifeskills of secondary school pupils :|ban analysis of the role of the English class

Abstract

Although life skills are vitally important in life, many secondary school pupils, senior secondary school drop-outs and matriculated people display a lack of life skills. The aim of the study is to investigate whether the Interim Core English Syllabi make provision for the teaching of life skills and to find out if Grade 11 secondary school pupils possess adequate life skills in certain areas of reading and writing. A life skills test which was made up of six selected life skills was designed and two groups of Grade 11 pupils who followed general and commerce streams were tested. Results showed that the pupils did not have adequate life skills to carry out certain reading and writing tasks. Since the findings indicate that the Interim Core English Second Language Syllabi make provision for the teaching of life skills and that the teaching of life skills at secondary school level does not get the attention it deserves, guidelines for theme-based teaching of life skills and examples of lessons on life skills in an English Second Language course are given.