Developing a Life Skills Competency Framework for Primary Students in Vietnam

Ngo Vu Thu Hang¹, Le Ngoc Diem¹ and Do Nhu Huong^1,

¹Faculty of Primary Education, Hanoi National University of Education, Hanoi, Vietnam

Cite this paper:
Ngo Vu Thu Hang, Le Ngoc Diem and Do Nhu Huong. Developing a Life Skills Competency Framework for Primary Students in Vietnam. Journal of Innovations in Teaching and Learning. 2026; 6(1):52-60. doi: 10.12691/jitl-6-1-8

Abstract

In the context of Vietnam’s educational reform shifting from content-based to competency-based approaches under the General Education Curriculum 2018, developing life skills for primary students has become a crucial objective. This study aims to develop a Life Skills Competency Framework tailored to the cognitive, emotional, and social characteristics of Vietnamese primary students. Guided by social constructivist theory and the competency-based education approach, the study employs a developmental research design combining document analysis, conceptual generalization, and curriculum content analysis. Domestic and international documents were systematically reviewed, including frameworks by WHO (1993), UNESCO - UNICEF (2003), CASEL (2013), P21 (2015), and OECD (2021). The findings propose an integrated Life Skills Competency Framework consisting of seven core competency domains: communication, collaboration, self-management, problem-solving, emotional intelligence, critical thinking, and financial literacy. These domains are structured along three foundational dimensions - cognitive, social, and emotional - reflecting the dialectical relationship between knowledge, attitude, and behavior. The proposed framework aligns with and extends the Vietnamese General Education Curriculum 2018, providing measurable indicators for assessing students’ life skills. It not only bridges theoretical gaps in life skills education at the primary level but also modernizes traditional Confucian values of self-control, empathy, and community responsibility within the context of global citizenship and digital transformation. The framework serves as a scientific and practical foundation for designing life skills education curricula in Vietnamese primary schools.

Keywords:
Life skills education Competency-based education Life Skills Competency Framework Primary education Vietnamese education reform Social constructivist theory Confucian Heritage Culture

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

References:

[1]	UNESCO. (2003). Life skills education: A resource package for curriculum planners, teachers, and educators (Module 1: Teacher guide – Why focus on life skills?). Paris: UNESCO. Retrieved from https://healtheducationresources.unesco.org.
[2]	Lakshmanan, S. (2017). Life skills education – recommended by WHO [Slides]. SlideShare. Retrieved from https:// www. slideshare.net.
[3]	Ministry of Education and Training. (2018). 2018 General Education Curriculum. Hanoi: Vietnam Education Publishing House. [Bộ Giáo dục và Đào tạo. (2018). Chương trình giáo dục phổ thông 2018. Hà Nội: Nhà xuất bản Giáo dục Việt Nam.]
[4]	Huynh, V., Giang, T., Nguyen, V., Nguyen, C., & Bui, H. (2023). The possibility of applying the social-emotional learning model in teaching of primary teachers: A Vietnamese case study. European Journal of Educational Research, 12(1), 387–395.
[5]	Khuong, P. D. (2024). Evaluation of the structure and impact of life skills education activities for students in ethnic minority semi-boarding primary schools in Vietnam. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 24(7), 45–58.
[6]	Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ. New York, NY: Bantam Books.
[7]	OECD. (2021). Beyond academic learning: Measuring social and emotional skills through PISA. Paris: OECD Publishing.
[8]	Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
[9]	CASEL. (2013). The CASEL guide: Effective social and emotional learning programs. Chicago, IL: Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning.
[10]	UNESCO & UNICEF. (2003). Life skills-based education for children and adolescents in schools. Paris: UNESCO.
[11]	Piaget, J. (1952). The origins of intelligence in children. New York, NY: International Universities Press.
[12]	Beck, C., & Kosnik, C. (2006). Innovations in teacher education: A social constructivist approach. New York, NY: State University of New York Press.
[13]	Hằng, N. V. T., Meijer, M., Bulte, A. M. W. & Pilot, A. (2015). The implementation of a social constructivist approach in primary science education in Confucian heritage culture: The case of Vietnam. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 10(3), 665-693.
[14]	Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
[15]	P21. (2015). Framework for 21st century learning. Washington, DC: Partnership for 21st Century Skills.
[16]	Battelle for Kids. (n.d.). P21 resources – 21st century learning resources. Retrieved from https:// www.battelleforkids.org/ insights/p21-resources/.