AN ASSESSMENT OF LIFE SKILLS AMONG MALE AND FEMALE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN MYSORE DISTRICT

High School Students come under the age group of adolescence. Adolescents in future are the one who become the productive force of the nation. Life skills are very essential for the High School Students. Life skills are the psychosocial competencies and contributes greatly to achieve psychological, social and mental well-being. The objective of the present study was to examine gender differences in various dimensions of Life skills among High School Students in Mysore District. The present study consists of 1000 samples (500 Male and 500 Female) High School Students. Descriptive Survey Research design was employed to collect the data. Life Skills Scale developed by Anjum Ahamad and Saba Parveen was used for the study. The scale consists of 40 items divided into 10 dimensions those are Self-awareness, Empathy, Critical thinking, Decision making, Problem solving, Effective communication, Creative thinking, Inter personal relationship, Coping with stress and Coping with emotion. The tool has reliability and validity established. Personal information schedule was also included to collect the demographic data. The results revealed that there is significant difference in Life Skills scores between male (M=151.58, SD=14.01) and female students (M=154.94, SD= 13.43) an independent sample t test is calculated and the obtained t (998) = -3.87, p >.001. The results indicate that female students demonstrated significantly higher life skills compared to their male counterparts. This study contributes to the understanding of presence of Life Skills among High School Students and helps to develop suitable intervention programmes by inculcating life skills among High School Students. Based on the findings, recommendations will be made for educational settings, policy makers and non-government organizations to design and implement life skills programmes that focus on enhancing life skills among High School Students. The study helps to create Life Skills intervention programme that promote psychological well-being among High School Students.