EFFECT OF LIFE SKILLS TRAINING ON SOCIAL SKILLS AND SELF-ESTEEM OF HEARING IMPAIRED STUDENTS

Life skills are essentially those abilities that help promote mental well-being and
competence in young people as they face the realities of life. UNICEF and WHO agree that
life skills are generally applied in various aspects of life. Such as in the context of health
and social events. The major objective of the present research was to investigate the effect
of life skills training on social skills and self-esteem of special students in a special school
setting. The study was conducted on a sample of 50 hearing impaired students aged 12-14
years studying within a special school setting. The study followed quasi-experimental
design. The research was conducted through experimental method using pre-test post-test
research design using a control group. The experimental and control group comprised of 25
students each and both the groups were matched on age and IQ. The pre-testing was done
by Social skills scale and Self-esteem Inventory. The activity based life skills training
module was prepared by the investigator herself for hearing impaired students. The
experimental group of hearing impaired students was given life skills training for 30
sessions on routine basis. All the sessions were activity-based and required active
participation of the students. However, the control group was given general awareness
regarding health and hygiene. The treatment was followed by post-testing on social skills
and self-esteem. The data were analyzed. The results of the study showed that life skills
training significantly enhances social skills and self-esteem of hearing impaired students.
Implications of the results are discussed.