Life Skills Latent in the Content of English for Palestine – Grade Six Textbook

Abstract

This descriptive analytic study aims at identifying the existed and required life skills latent in the content of English for Palestine- grade six textbook, which was applied in the scholastic year 2005-2006 for grade six students in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The purpose for the study is to investigate the existence of the list of life skills in the content of the targeted textbook as they are very important for engaging learners into life and to be active members into their societies. Based on the previous studies, literature review and the international models, the researcher modified a model for classifying life skills which suits Palestinian students and matches international models. He came out with five main domains. They are communication, personal/social, leadership, problem solving/ decision making and critical thinking life skills. The researcher designed the content analysis card that sought to collect data relevant to process the study. These data involved making a survey for the textbook so as to analyze the activities that matches the five main domains set by the study. Validity was achieved through refereeing the card by a panel of experts. Reliability was examined through time and people by reanalyzing the textbook after 30 days and analyzing it by a six grade teacher. The findings showed variation in the frequencies of the five main domains and in each domain as well. Communication life skills domain got the highest score of 36.39%, 1398 frequencies. The next score was personal/social life skills domain, that got a score of 23.27%, 894 frequencies. Leadership life skills domain was in the third position with 16.61%, 638 frequencies. The fourth was decision-making / problem solving life skills domain that got 13.2%, 507 frequencies. The lowest score was critical thinking with only 10.54%, 405 frequencies. The researcher recognized the distribution of the domains and their items among the content of the textbook. He indicated that there should be a balance in distributing the domains and the items among the activities and units. Balance doesn’t mean equality, but distributing them according to criteria of a balanced scale that matches the international standards. The findings also showed variety of topics distributed among the content of the units of the textbook. Variety indicated positive points in the content of the textbook. Recommendations were drawn to make balance in distributing the five domains of life skills in the content of the textbook. The researcher also recommended reviewing the existed material associated with the international models for classifying life skills. Workshops should be held in order to discuss strengths and weakness of the textbook to support strong points and develop weakness.