The Inclusion of Life Skills in English Textbooks in Jordan

Abstract

This study aimed at analyzing Action Pack English textbooks' texts based on the availability of life skills for 5^th, 6^th and 7^th grades and to determine the frequencies and percentages of the life skills present in each text.

The sample of the study was English language textbooks for Action Pack series for the 5^th, 6^th, and 7^th grades. The life skills which were analyzed are the following: Decision making, Problem solving, Creative thinking, Critical thinking, Effective communication, Interpersonal relationship skills, Self awareness, and Coping with emotions.

The findings of the study indicated that life skills are distributed in randomly way among the three English Action Pack textbooks, there is no strategy for distribution life skills, and the highest percentage was 55.8% which was for effective communication life skill in the 6^th grade English book. Then problem solving life skill also got a percentage of 44 % in the 7^th grade. Then the effective communication life skill comes next with a percentage of 43.7% in the 5^th grade.

Rely on the results study recommended that, the need to develop appropriate criteria for the distribution of life skills in the classroom, which represents the study sample.

Key Words: Action Pack, Life Skills