Life skills education : teachers' perceptions in primary school classrooms in Finland and Singapore

This research paints a picture of how life skills education could look like as part of the curriculum in every day school life in primary schools in Finland in Singapore through the lens of teachers. Life skills education is discussed with reference to formal structures as set by the curriculum and also through informal approaches by teachers. Previous literature on life skills was considered in arriving at the main components of life skills to be used in this study. A total of six teachers participated in the study. Three were from Finland and the other three were from Singapore. The teachers have different personal and professional training background as well as number of years of experience. The interviews were subjected to a qualitative, content analysis methodology, after which the findings were presented with respect to the research questions. The results of the study reveal the importance of all stakeholders in life skills education. While the national curriculum provides structure and space for formal life skills education in schools, a large responsibility lies with the individual teachers in schools and parents at home. The study also reveals the different perspectives that teachers in Finland and Singapore hold with regard to life skills relative to academic skills, suggesting the influence of culture in both countries.