Gencie Houy's course, Adulting 101: Real Skills for Real Life, gives students skills including communication, consumer, cultural awareness, employability, health and wellness, and household management
Family and Consumer Sciences Education (FCSE) faculty member, Gencie Houy, Ph.D., conducted research to address the questions that can help many students gain skills to help them during their time in college. Some of the questions addressed are; ‘Do students' self-confidence in life skills increase from participation in the Adulting 101: Real Skills for Real Life course?, How do students describe their self-confidence before and after taking the life skills course?, and What results emerge from comparing the qualitative data about students' self-confidence with outcome quantitative data measured on the life-skills questionnaire?'.
The qualitative data explored self-confidence in students by using their wording on the questionnaire and were combined with the qualitative results to further explain the phenomenon.
“Quantitative data was evaluated first through t-test findings that showed students significantly increased self-confidence after completing the Adulting 101: Real Skills for Real Life course,” Houy said. “The qualitative data were categorized into two major themes: a real sense of self-confidence in adult skills and a false sense of self-confidence in adult skills; however, both themes portrayed an increase in student self-confidence after the Adulting 101 course, further explaining the phenomenon shown in the quantitative data, deepening the understanding of student self-confidence regarding essential life skills.”
The data shows that students need a course on life skills within post-secondary education. Adulting 101: Real Skills for Real Life meets the data significance shown in the skill categories of communication, consumer, cultural awareness, employability, health and wellness, and household management.
“Most students are excited to learn about essential skills such as nutrition, laundry, cooking, and finances, which are included in the course, but also in the class, they realize there is so much more to learn about life that can help them maintain balance,” Houy said. “Communication, problem-solving, conflict resolution, stress management, and grit are skills that they realize they need as well. In the class, I lay out step by step how to solve any problem ranging from ‘I can't find my keys' to ‘Where should I begin my career'.”
Adulting 101 equips all students at Texas Tech with the skills to empower them to face life's challenges, cope with stresses in positive ways, and make impactful decisions that contribute to their future success. The course empowers students to learn through their lives and adapt positively to family changes, job changes, and individual changes.