Assessing life skills education in online learning environments through a case study in China

This study presents the first application and psychometric validation of a Capability Approach-based life skills scale in a Chinese open-university context, revealing distinct challenges in the implementation of these skills in practice. An attempted census invited all eligible instructors across disciplines at an open university in China, and 187 completed an online survey. Analyses comprised Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), association rule learning (Apriori), and Friedman tests with Nemenyi post hoc comparisons. CFA supported a 13-dimension structure. Ranking analyses indicated stronger implementation for practical reason, body integrity, affiliation, emotions, and digital accessibility/usability, and weaker implementation for soft skills integration, environmental awareness, body health, and creativity. Association rules revealed robust links between digital skill integration, health, and perceived control with cybersecurity, and between affiliation, environmental awareness, perceived control, and positive emotions. The findings extend validity beyond European settings, identify capability areas requiring targeted improvement, and offer actionable guidance for program design in comparable open university contexts.