Life skills education as a balancing act: Preparing students to handle life challenges in upper secondary English and social science classrooms

Adolescents confront mental health challenges in a post-Covid19 world with warfare and increased digitalisation, necessitating resilient young adults. Despite global recommendations, evidence of life skills education (LSE) in classrooms is scarce. This study involved classroom observations of naturally occurring instruction across 18 Norwegian upper secondary classrooms and identified how LSE was implemented in English and social science lessons to support students’ handling of personal, societal and future challenges. The study revealed more prominence of LSE in English than in social science and more often in general compared to vocational studies, offering insights for LSE implementation in pedagogy and policy. • The study examined how life skills education was infused into two school subjects. • We video-recorded naturally occurring secondary English and social science classes. • Life skills topics occurred more often in English lessons than in social science. • Teachers addressed life skills as personal expectations and societal demands. • Vocational and general studies related life skills to working life and the future.