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Quality Assurance in Education

ISSN : 0968-4883

Article publication date: 22 August 2022

Issue publication date: 28 February 2023

The study aims to review the existing theories and literature related to life skills education for adolescents to construct a model portraying the inter-relatedness between these variables. This study discerns the inferences from the studies conducted earlier to propose various aspects to be considered for future research and interventions targeting the effectiveness of life skills education for adolescents.

Design/methodology/approach

Prolific examination of numerous theoretical and empirical studies addressing these variables was carried out to formulate assertions and postulations. Deducing from the studies in varied streams of education, public health, psychology, economics and international development, this paper is an endeavor toward clarifying some pertinent issues related to life skills education.

Although there is abundant evidence to encourage and assist the development of life skills as a tool to achieve other outcomes of interest, it is also important to see life skills as providing both instrumental and ultimate value to adolescents. Quality life skills education needs to be intertwined with the curriculum through the primary and secondary education, in the same way as literacy and numeracy skills.

Originality/value

The present study has important implications for educators and policymakers for designing effective life skills education programs. Additionally, this paper provides a three-step model based on Lewin’s three step prototype for change, to impart life skills trainings to adolescents through drafting pertinent systems. This will help in imparting quality life skills education to adolescents and raising them to be psychologically mature adults.

• Life skills
• Adolescents
• Lewin’s three step model for change
• Life skills education
• Socio economic status
• Lewin’s force field theory

Bansal, M. and Kapur, S. (2023), "Facets of life skills education – a systematic review", Quality Assurance in Education , Vol. 31 No. 2, pp. 281-295. https://doi.org/10.1108/QAE-04-2022-0095

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6 Common Leadership Styles — and How to Decide Which to Use When

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Being a great leader means recognizing that different circumstances call for different approaches.

Research suggests that the most effective leaders adapt their style to different circumstances — be it a change in setting, a shift in organizational dynamics, or a turn in the business cycle. But what if you feel like you’re not equipped to take on a new and different leadership style — let alone more than one? In this article, the author outlines the six leadership styles Daniel Goleman first introduced in his 2000 HBR article, “Leadership That Gets Results,” and explains when to use each one. The good news is that personality is not destiny. Even if you’re naturally introverted or you tend to be driven by data and analysis rather than emotion, you can still learn how to adapt different leadership styles to organize, motivate, and direct your team.

Much has been written about common leadership styles and how to identify the right style for you, whether it’s transactional or transformational, bureaucratic or laissez-faire. But according to Daniel Goleman, a psychologist best known for his work on emotional intelligence, “Being a great leader means recognizing that different circumstances may call for different approaches.”

• RK Rebecca Knight is a journalist who writes about all things related to the changing nature of careers and the workplace. Her essays and reported stories have been featured in The Boston Globe, Business Insider, The New York Times, BBC, and The Christian Science Monitor. She was shortlisted as a Reuters Institute Fellow at Oxford University in 2023. Earlier in her career, she spent a decade as an editor and reporter at the Financial Times in New York, London, and Boston.

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Empowering adolescents with life skills education in schools – School mental health program: Does it work?

Bharath srikala.

Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, Karnataka, India

Kumar K. V. Kishore

Mental Health Promotion among adolescents in schools using life skills education (LSE) and teachers as life skill educators is a novel idea. Implementation and impact of the NIMHANS model of life skills education program studied.

Materials and Methods:

The impact of the program is evaluated at the end of 1 year in 605 adolescents from two secondary schools in comparison to 423 age, sex, socioeconomic status-matched adolescents from nearby schools not in the program.

The adolescents in the program had significantly better self-esteem ( P =0.002), perceived adequate coping ( P =0.000), better adjustment generally ( P =0.000), specifically with teachers ( P =0.000), in school ( P =0.001), and prosocial behavior ( P =0.001). There was no difference between the two groups in psychopathology ( P - and adjustment at home and with peers ( P =0.088 and 0.921). Randomly selected 100 life skill educator-teachers also perceived positive changes in the students in the program in class room behavior and interaction. LSE integrated into the school mental health program using available resources of schools and teachers is seen as an effective way of empowering adolescents.

INTRODUCTION

The school mental health program (SMHP) is a very important and integral part of the educational system worldwide. In India, the SMHP is yet to be recognized and initiated as a part of the health component in schools.[ 1 ] In practice it is restricted to individual work by child mental health professionals especially in big metropolitan cities focusing on sensitization of teachers on child developmental and mental health issues. Counseling services for students with persistent emotional issues and a referral system is set up in a few urban clinics.

The educational philosophy in ancient India was one of guru-chela/shisya parampara and stressed on the teacher being responsible both for literacy/knowledge and personality development in the ward. However, education, which is currently prevalent in our country, is achievement oriented than child oriented. It does not address the needs of all the children who in spite of various levels of scholastic competence are capable of learning and need to develop those skills, and become empowered to live effectively in this world. This empowerment is very essential in today’s context in India as there is rapid globalization and urbanization with a breaking up of joint families and the traditional support systems.[ 2 ] Academic stress, violence including bullying, sexual permissiveness, easy drug availability and abuse, crowding, poor infrastructure, social divide are some of major issues which a youth has to contend with in this rapidly changing social scene of India. An empowered child has the competence to cope with the challenges of life using the available resources even amidst such adversities.

Methods to improve the psychosocial competence and resilience of the adolescent as health promotional activities and development oriented approach need to be included in the school syllabus and provided as much relevance as the Three Rs (reading, writing, arithmetic).

LSE is one such program.[ 3 ] The current study is on the impact of a LSE model as a program in secondary schools.

To assess the impact of the life skills education program (LSE program -NIMHANS model) by assessing the difference between adolescents who were in the program and not in the program.

More specifically to assess the difference between the adolescents who were in the LSE program (NIMHANS model) for a year and the ones who were not in the program in the following areas.

• Self-esteem
• Adjustment in various areas
• Psychopathology

NIMHANS model

The present model of health promotion using life skills approach for adolescents in secondary schools was initiated by the authors in late 1996 but crystallized in late 2002.[ 4 – 6 ] It is a model which is comprehensive focusing on all developmental issues of adolescents; it uses experiential learning with peers using participatory methods thus enabling the adolescent with psychosocial skills. The model also uses the available infrastructure of the school and the teachers for implementation of the program in a continuous manner over the academic years as a co-curricular activity for maximum effect. The Model is discussed in detail elsewhere.[ 7 ]

Life skills

Life skills (LS) are abilities for adaptive and positive behavior that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands, challenges, and stress of everyday life. Childhood and adolescence are the developmental periods during which one acquires these skills through various methods and people.[ 8 ]

The generic LS, which need to be taught at the schools level especially to adolescents, are as follows.

• Critical thinking and creative thinking
• Decision making and problem solving
• Communication skills and interpersonal relations
• Coping with emotions and stress
• Self-awareness and empathy

Implementation of the program as a project

Department of Public Instruction (DPI), Karnataka, in collaboration with NIMHANS planned to implement the NIMHANS model of the health promotion using LSE in four diverse districts (Bangalore rural, Bangalore urban, Udupi, Haveri) covering selected 261 secondary schools and 55,000 adolescents. Following steps were adopted in three phases for the implementation.

• Translation of the resource materials into the local language, i.e. Kannada.[ 9 – 11 ]
• Discussion with the Adolescent Education Division of the Department of State Education, Research and Training (DSERT), Karnataka, identification of master trainers in each of the identified district from District Institute of Education and Training (DIET).
• Training of the identified 31 master trainers over 5 days in two batches on the concepts of adolescent development, challenges and opportunities in adolescence, life skills, values, LS education, facilitation, using the activities to impart LSE in classes, use of the resource materials, and training of teachers as LS educators.
• LSE awareness workshops for the block education officers (BEOs) and the head masters of the identified schools.
• Planning/preparatory workshops with BEOs of the identified four districts.
• Capacity building by training of the teachers in the identified secondary schools as LS educators by the trained master trainers over 3 days. More than 1000 teachers were thus trained from 261 schools over 3 months. Evaluation of the training.
• Implementation of the LS program in the identified secondary schools once a week for an hour over 12 to 20 sessions during the academic year.
• Impact of the program on a sample of adolescents at the end of 1 year.

Impact of the program at every level was assessed and evaluated. The resource materials were evaluated and field tested. Feedback for the training sessions by both master trainers and teachers were done. Impact of the training was also assessed both in the master trainers and teachers by a pre- and post-assessment evaluation.

The aim of this paper is to discuss only the impact of the program in an objective manner in a sample of adolescents who participated in the program for a year.

Study group

The sample and control were selected from two schools in the Bangalore rural district (Chennapatna) and two schools from Udupi District. The control adolescents were selected from secondary schools in the same district as the sample group. Selection of the schools was random.

Since all the students who were in the program for the previous 1 year in the two selected schools needed to be included, a total of 605 students were taken as the sample group.

Adolescents of both sexes 14 to 16 years studying in 8th, 9th or 10th standard in the two schools (Bangalore rural and Udupi) implementing the NIMHANS model of the LSE program the previous 1 year were selected. Informed Consent was taken from the parents as the adolescents were minors. These adolescents had undergone on an average 10 sessions of LSE classes during the previous year (minimum 5 and maximum 16 sessions)

A total of 423 students were assessed as controls. They were adolescents of both sexes, 14 to 16 years studying in 8th, 9th or 10th standard, in secondary schools not covered by the NIMHANS model of LSE (or other adolescent education program). Informed consent was taken from their parents also.

Out of the 1000 odd teachers who were trained as LS educators, 100 were selected randomly and their feedback on the perceived changes in their students who were in the LSE program, NIMHANS model, was compiled. The student indicators were prepared by the authors as a part of the resource material and available in the activity manuals[ 4 – 6 ] were used to assess the changes in the students.

• Rosenberg Scale of Self-Esteem [ 12 ] (RSES, Rosenberg 1965). Designed to measure adolescents’ global feelings of self-worth. It has 10 first person statements and the responses are on 4 point scale of “strongly agree,” “agree,” “disagree” and “strongly disagree.” Scores range from 10 to 40, with higher scores indicating better self-esteem.
• Preadolescent Adjustment Scale [ 13 ] (PAAS, Pareek et al . 1975). Though called preadolescent scale has been used in Indian studies with adolescents (Rao, et al . 1975). It assesses adjustment in five areas of home, school, teachers, peers, and general behavior. The total adjustment ranges from −46 to +34.
• Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale [ 14 ] (GSES Jerusalem and Schwarzer 1995). 10 item measure perceived self-efficacy as an operative construct. Responses are made on a 4--point scale. Sum up the responses to all 10 items to yield the final composite score with a range from 10 to 40.
• Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire – Self-Report Version [ 15 ] (SDQ SRV Goodman et al . 1998). It is a brief behavioral screening questionnaire. Has 25 items divided over five psychological areas. The self report version is used for 11-16 adolescents.
• Class Room Indicators .[ 4 – 6 , 9 – 11 ] A simple checklist was designed for the teachers who did the LSE classes eliciting observable changes in the class room behavior of the students before and in LSE classes.

Initially BEOs of the four districts were contacted and the objective assessment was discussed with them along with the DSERT AEP coordinator. Subsequently, from the list of 261 secondary schools, the two sample schools were selected. BEOs provided help to select the control schools not in the program from the same districts. Parents were contacted before-hand for consent. Assessment of the students was done by a research assistant who was not involved in the training and was blind whether a particular school was included in the program or not. After an introduction to the assessments and tools they are self-administered and completed by the students themselves. The research assistant clarified doubts pertaining to the tools if they were any.

As far as the teachers were concerned, feedback was being collected by post on a regular basis. At the end of 1 year the feedback of 100 teachers selected randomly was compiled.

SPSS version 10 was used for data entry and analysis. The chi-square test was used for categorical measures and Student ‘ t ’ test for continuous measures.

The study groups both the sample and the control group did not differ in age and sex or socioeconomic status ( P =0.001) as they were pre-selected from specific classes in government secondary schools. Their age ranged from 155 to 200 months (mean 175±13.8 months). 35 to 40% of the study groups were girls. There were more girls in Udupi school but was not significantly different from the other schools. 52% of the students in the sample group had participated in 10 LSE classes in the previous year; 23% in less than 10 sessions; and the remaining >10 sessions. The trained teachers were the LS educators and followed the NIMHANS model of LS program. The classes were interactive and participative.

The students in the control group had regular civic/moral/value education classes one to two sessions in a week according to government regulation. Often these classes were used for extra classes of other subjects.

Feedback of teachers as LS educators

The 100 teachers whose feedback was compiled observed positive changes in the classroom behavior and interaction among students in their program [ Figure 1 ].

Feedback of teachers on students in the program

They were not able comment on certain other indicators like decrease in the drop put rate, better performance in the academics, etc.

Comparative assessment of students

According to their self-report, the students in the program in comparison to those not in the program were significantly better adjusted to the school and teachers; opined that they were capable of coping with issues with better self-esteem [ Table 1 , Figure 2 ].

Comparison of students in the LS program with controls

SDQ - Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire; GSES - General Self Efficacy Scale; RSES - Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale

Impact of the LSE program comparision of students in the program with controls

There was no difference between the groups in adjustment with parents and peers. There was no difference between the two groups on psychopathology assessed by Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ).

LSE is a novel promotional program that teaches generic LS through participatory learning methods of games, debates, role-plays, and group discussion. Conceptual understanding and practicing of the skills occur through experiential learning in a non-threatening setting. Such initiatives provide the adolescent with a wide range of alternative and creative ways of solving problems. Repeated practicing of these skills leads to a certain mastery and application of such skills to real life situation and gain control over the situation. It is a promotional program, which improves the positive mental health and self-esteem.[ 8 ] Our country places a premium on values. LS program empowers the youth to choose the appropriate values and behavior which are ingredients of positive health. LS are the processes that will make the target of values possible. The NIMHANS model of LSE was planned to be experiential, participatory and activity based for the students. “Didactic methodology” or “advice” was not part of the model at any level. Cultural sensitivity was maintained.

Life skills education and schools

In India, education has become institutionalized. Schools need to be recognized as the single most important and recognized forum to reach out to the young population. Any program to reach the adolescents/youth has to be incorporated into the educational system to be feasible, effective, and cost-effective. In a country like ours, where resources and trained professionals are sparse and few, it is more be practical to involve and work with the teachers. The teachers are the personnel who interact with the adolescents closely. They could be trained to transfer these skills to the adolescents.[ 8 ] The methodology advised by WHO has been designed into a model by us and used in the above project. It follows a more resource-effective cascade model of training using the education set up of the country and implements the program. This methodology ensures reproducibility of the program within the existing infrastructure year after year at no extra cost. Experience also has shown that teachers need support in the form of syllabus, resource materials, and training to be able to promote LS among the adolescents. The present program has successfully incorporated the needs of the teachers and students as end users at every level/step.

Most of the programs done earlier have evaluation of implementation-money planned spent, measurement of capacity building, extent of training, and conduct of program. Impact of an effective preventive/promotional program is of paramount importance and has been discussed at length.[ 15 ] The significant strength of the present health promotion using the LS approach (NIMHANS model) has been the evaluation at every level.

Original resource materials in English and later even the translated resource materials were evaluated and modified both by expert professionals and the end users (teachers).

Trainings both at the level of the master trainers (MTs) and the teachers were evaluated both qualitatively and quantitatively-the effectiveness of training was established.

Impact of the LS program on the target population (students) is the most powerful step of the program which was planned as an integral part of the project and presented here. A total of 55,000 students in 261 secondary schools in 21 taluks of 4 districts being the target population, impact evaluation was not possible of every student before and after the LSE program. Hence impact evaluation was carried out in a sample (±500) of the target population in a comparative manner.

Since no specific assessment tools have been found to be superior to elicit LS of the adolescents, hence a set of instruments assessing assessment, presence of problems, coping and self-esteem were used. The tools were chosen such that they were self-administered, simple, earlier used in the local vernacular, and chosen diverse areas of competence-coping GSES,[ 14 ] self-esteem RSES,[ 12 ] adjustment in various areas PAAS,[ 13 ] and absence of psychopathology SDQ.[ 15 ]

Using the above tools the present comparative study indicated that even at the end of 1 year, there was a significant change in the way the adolescent perceived himself/herself in the school, with the teachers, and the confidence level of his/ability to deal with developmental challenges. One year is a very short period in development; however the model which is experiential and focused on specific issues of development seems to increase the ability of the adolescents to adjust well in the school with teachers and improve coping and self-esteem. This was also perceived by the LS educator teachers who reported better classroom behavior and interaction among the students in the program. The students in the program did not perceive better adjustment with peers than those not in the program ( P =0. 921 and 0.670) though the LS Educator teachers reported better interaction with peers in students in the program [ Figure 1 ]. The program probably by its facilitative and interactive nature made the adolescents more aware of their behavioral changes with the teacher and the school rather than their friends with whom they probably felt that they had always interacted well. This is evident in their reporting a difference in the prosocial behavior generally but not specifically with peers. The positive effect of LSE program in student--teacher interaction, academic performance, and peer interaction has been established by others in the West.[ 16 – 19 ] Parents were involved in the initial focus group discussions and later were aware of the implementation of the program. However they were not active partners in the implementation of the program. This was probably the reason for the absence of difference ( P =0. 088) in the home adjustment between the two groups.

Perceived self-efficacy ( P =0.000), better self-esteem ( P =0.001), and better general adjustment ( P =0.000) were important aspects which were significantly different between the two groups, indicating that the program prepares the adolescent to be a ‘competent’ and ‘empowered’ person in a changing, competitive, globalized world.[ 16 ]

Review indicates that most preventive program with adolescents have been specific addressing specific issues of substance abuse, teen pregnancy, violence, bullying, etc.[ 3 , 8 , 18 ] However generic programs with multiple outcomes have also been present and found to be effective too.[ 19 ] The current study confirms that absence of pre- and post-evaluation of the same students apart from a comparative group, feedback of the teachers who specifically handled the sample children, assessment of a longer nature are some of the limitations of the study.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study of the NIMHANS model of LS program is a suitable and an effective school mental health program. The highlights of the model/program are as follows.

• Comprehensive health including mental health through psychosocial competence in adolescents is the goal to empower the adolescent.
• Using life skills as the medium/process.
• Providing a structure to the program by activities.
• Teachers as life skills educators/facilitators.

Evaluation of the Impact of the model shows that it improves adjustment of the adolescents with teachers, school, increases prosocial behavior, coping, and self–esteem, as there was a significant difference between the groups in the program and not in the program.

Implications

Inclusion and institutionalization of SMHP using LS approach in the national mental health program (11th Five-Year Plan) and the educational policy of our country to promote psychosocial competence and reduce problem behaviors in adolescents.

Acknowledgments

Support of Mr. Vijayabhaskar IAS, Commissioner, Department of Public Instruction, Karnataka, both for the funding and the active involvement of the secondary school system in the project is acknowledged.

Source of Support: Project Funded by the Department of State Education, Research and Training, Bangalore, under the Department of Public Instruction, Karnataka. The secondary schools from the four selected districts participated in the project with orders from the department

Conflict of Interest: None declared

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Majority of workers who quit a job in 2021 cite low pay, no opportunities for advancement, feeling disrespected

The COVID-19 pandemic set off nearly unprecedented churn in the U.S. labor market. Widespread job losses in the early months of the pandemic gave way to tight labor markets in 2021, driven in part by what’s come to be known as the Great Resignation . The nation’s “quit rate” reached a 20-year high last November.

A new Pew Research Center survey finds that low pay, a lack of opportunities for advancement and feeling disrespected at work are the top reasons why Americans quit their jobs last year. The survey also finds that those who quit and are now employed elsewhere are more likely than not to say their current job has better pay, more opportunities for advancement and more work-life balance and flexibility.

Majorities of workers who quit a job in 2021 say low pay (63%), no opportunities for advancement (63%) and feeling disrespected at work (57%) were reasons why they quit, according to the Feb. 7-13 survey. At least a third say each of these were major reasons why they left.  

Roughly half say child care issues were a reason they quit a job (48% among those with a child younger than 18 in the household). A similar share point to a lack of flexibility to choose when they put in their hours (45%) or not having good benefits such as health insurance and paid time off (43%). Roughly a quarter say each of these was a major reason.

Pew Research Center conducted this analysis to better understand the experiences of Americans who quit a job in 2021. This analysis is based on 6,627 non-retired U.S. adults, including 965 who say they left a job by choice last year. The data was collected as a part of a larger survey conducted Feb. 7-13, 2022. Everyone who took part is a member of the Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel that is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. This way, nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories. Read more about the ATP’s methodology .

Here are the questions used for this analysis, along with responses, and its methodology.

About four-in-ten adults who quit a job last year (39%) say a reason was that they were working too many hours, while three-in-ten cite working too few hours. About a third (35%) cite wanting to relocate to a different area, while relatively few (18%) cite their employer requiring a COVID-19 vaccine as a reason.

When asked separately whether their reasons for quitting a job were related to the coronavirus outbreak, 31% say they were. Those without a four-year college degree (34%) are more likely than those with a bachelor’s degree or more education (21%) to say the pandemic played a role in their decision.

For the most part, men and women offer similar reasons for having quit a job in the past year. But there are significant differences by educational attainment.

Among adults who quit a job in 2021, those without a four-year college degree are more likely than those with at least a bachelor’s degree to point to several reasons. These include not having enough flexibility to decide when they put in their hours (49% of non-college graduates vs. 34% of college graduates), having to work too few hours (35% vs. 17%) and their employer requiring a COVID-19 vaccine (21% vs. 8%).

There are also notable differences by race and ethnicity. Non-White adults who quit a job last year are more likely than their White counterparts to say the reasons include not having enough flexibility (52% vs. 38%), wanting to relocate to a different area (41% vs. 30%), working too few hours (37% vs. 24%) or their employer requiring that they have a COVID-19 vaccine (27% vs. 10%). The non-White category includes those who identify as Black, Asian, Hispanic, some other race or multiple races. These groups could not be analyzed separately due to sample size limitations.

Many of those who switched jobs see improvements

A majority of those who quit a job in 2021 and are not retired say they are now employed, either full-time (55%) or part-time (23%). Of those, 61% say it was at least somewhat easy for them to find their current job, with 33% saying it was very easy. One-in-five say it was very or somewhat difficult, and 19% say it was neither easy nor difficult.

For the most part, workers who quit a job last year and are now employed somewhere else see their current work situation as an improvement over their most recent job. At least half of these workers say that compared with their last job, they are now earning more money (56%), have more opportunities for advancement (53%), have an easier time balancing work and family responsibilities (53%) and have more flexibility to choose when they put in their work hours (50%).

Still, sizable shares say things are either worse or unchanged in these areas compared with their last job. Fewer than half of workers who quit a job last year (42%) say they now have better benefits, such as health insurance and paid time off, while a similar share (36%) says it’s about the same. About one-in-five (22%) now say their current benefits are worse than at their last job.

College graduates are more likely than those with less education to say that compared with their last job, they are now earning more (66% vs. 51%) and have more opportunities for advancement (63% vs. 49%). In turn, those with less education are more likely than college graduates to say they are earning less in their current job (27% vs. 16%) and that they have fewer opportunities for advancement (18% vs. 9%).

Employed men and women who quit a job in 2021 offer similar assessments of how their current job compares with their last one. One notable exception is when it comes to balancing work and family responsibilities: Six-in-ten men say their current job makes it easier for them to balance work and family – higher than the share of women who say the same (48%).

Some 53% of employed adults who quit a job in 2021 say they have changed their field of work or occupation at some point in the past year. Workers younger than age 30 and those without a postgraduate degree are especially likely to say they have made this type of change.

Younger adults and those with lower incomes were more likely to quit a job in 2021

Overall, about one-in-five non-retired U.S. adults (19%) – including similar shares of men (18%) and women (20%) – say they quit a job at some point in 2021, meaning they left by choice and not because they were fired, laid off or because a temporary job had ended.

Adults younger than 30 are far more likely than older adults to have voluntarily left their job last year: 37% of young adults say they did this, compared with 17% of those ages 30 to 49, 9% of those ages 50 to 64 and 5% of those ages 65 and older.

Experiences also vary by income, education, race and ethnicity. About a quarter of adults with lower incomes (24%) say they quit a job in 2021, compared with 18% of middle-income adults and 11% of those with upper incomes.

Across educational attainment, those with a postgraduate degree are the least likely to say they quit a job at some point in 2021: 13% say this, compared with 17% of those with a bachelor’s degree, 20% of those with some college and 22% of those with a high school diploma or less education.  

About a quarter of non-retired Hispanic and Asian adults (24% each) report quitting a job last year; 18% of Black adults and 17% of White adults say the same.

Note: Here are the questions used for this analysis, along with responses, and its methodology.

• Business & Workplace
• Coronavirus (COVID-19)
• COVID-19 & the Economy
• Income & Wages

A look at small businesses in the U.S.

Majorities of adults see decline of union membership as bad for the u.s. and working people, a look at black-owned businesses in the u.s., from businesses and banks to colleges and churches: americans’ views of u.s. institutions, 2023 saw some of the biggest, hardest-fought labor disputes in recent decades, most popular.

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Yahoo Finance

New aicpa & cima research shows deep divide among finance professionals about the future of finance.

Value creation and sustainability roles set to grow to offset non-business partnering finance roles lost to automation

NEW YORK and LONDON , April 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- AICPA & CIMA released today their Re-defining finance for a sustainable world white paper, the latest iteration of their Future of Finance research programme. Originally launched in 2019 with the Re-inventing finance for a digital world  white paper, this extensive global research programme explores the future of the accounting and finance profession in the age of disruption and its broader ecosystem, defining essential skills, competencies, and knowledge needed to succeed in an ever-changing business world.

A clear divide has opened up between accounting and finance professionals who work as business partners and those who don't. 60% of accounting and finance professionals surveyed say they identify as finance business partners, and 84% of those are extremely optimistic about the future of the profession. Of the 40% who say they don't identify as finance business partners, only 15% say they are optimistic about the future of the profession. There is also a split in attitudes to automation with 92% of accounting and finance professionals in non-business partnering roles fearing being automated out of existence compared to 67% of those in business partnering roles.

The Re-defining finance for a sustainable world white paper highlights that the accounting and finance is unequivocally changing, moving away from traditional rules-based approaches and towards a more inclusive, expansive, and value-creation mindset better suited for the challenges of today and tomorrow. Other key findings from the report include:

Three out of five (61%) accounting and finance professionals say that ESG is becoming increasingly important to their organization's business model.

Since 2018, perceptions of the value finance professionals add to business have risen; including cost efficiency (up 19%), analysis and insights (up 11%), reporting accuracy (up 9%), controllership and risk (up 7%), capital optimization (up 7%), and partnering and decision support (up 6%).

Through their global Future of Finance program, which first began before the pandemic, AICPA & CIMA also identified four key shifts redefining the future of the accounting and finance profession:

A clear evolution of the scope of finance roles within finance teams to embrace ESG and sustainability.

An acceleration in the adoption of technology to drive a shift from transactional processing by finance teams through automation.

A growing focus on value-adding creation to transform business models for long-term success.

A greater need for business partnering skills and the ability to use data and analytics combined with business acumen to improve strategic decision-making and drive business performance.

Andrew Harding , FCMA, CGMA, Chief Executive – Management Accounting at AICPA & CIMA, together as the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, said:

"Our 'Re-defining finance for a sustainable world' white paper reveals that the strategic value of accounting and finance teams in business is getting stronger – and this is good news for our profession. Advances in AI, lessons from the COVID pandemic, and dealing with economic uncertainty mean that learning to understand operations, finance strategy and being able to business partner are now must-haves in the repertoire of skills for modern accounting and finance teams. As the demand for data-driven decision-making and sustainable business models accelerate, the demand for strategic value creating finance teams is set to grow."

Tom Hood , CPA, CGMA, EVP of Business Growth & Engagement at AICPA & CIMA, together as the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, said:

"The impact of technology developments and sustainability considerations upon business mean that our profession is evolving in new directions at pace. As trusted advisors, accounting and finance professionals at all levels will need to adapt to these changes, adopt multi-capital perspectives of value, and be prepared to partner beyond organizational boundaries. These are defining times for the profession, and our research will prove an invaluable resource for illuminating the way forward."

The broadening of the accounting and finance's team scope of responsibilities is increasingly driven by ESG, both through new regulations being implemented in this space and growing demand for sustainable business models. While 61% of accounting and finance professionals believe that ESG is becoming more important to business models, the alignment between intent and practice remains elusive. AICPA & CIMA's Re-defining finance for a sustainable world white paper found that only 48% of accounting and finance professionals are currently measuring the impact of sustainable initiatives and only 45% say that they are currently measuring the performance of these initiatives.

This continued expansion of their role is pushing accounting and finance teams to grow their business partnering skills, moving away from their traditional reporting and control roles to using both financial and nonfinancial data to influence resilient, longer-term decision-making. In fact, 62% of accounting and finance professionals highlighted that this remains an area which needs addressing, including enhancing their business acumen and leadership skills.

Notes to editor

The Re-defining finance for a sustainable world findings come from three phases of research that engaged with more than 2,900 finance professionals from more than 2,000 organizations in 68 countries, representing the public sector, not-for-profits, and 21 private sector industries. The research was conducted between February 2022 and July 2023

The objectives in undertaking this relevant, rigorous, and timely research have been:

To understand the future needs of businesses and employers globally for a sustainable world.

To gain insight into the finance function for a sustainable world.

To understand how new skills and mindset are emerging in a sustainable world.

To signpost the competency implications for finance professionals and the management accounting profession.

About AICPA & CIMA, together as the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants

AICPA ® & CIMA ® , together as the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (the Association), advance the global accounting and finance profession through our work on behalf of 698,000 AICPA and CIMA members, candidates and engaged professionals in 188 countries and territories. Together, we are the worldwide leader on public and management accounting issues through advocacy, support for the CPA license, the CGMA designation and specialized credentials, professional development and thought leadership. We build trust by empowering our members and engaged professionals with the knowledge and opportunities to be leaders in broadening prosperity for a more inclusive, sustainable and resilient future.

The American Institute of CPAs ® (AICPA ® ), the world's largest member association representing the CPA profession, sets ethical standards for its members and U.S. auditing standards for private companies, not-for-profit organizations and federal, state and local governments. It also develops and grades the Uniform CPA Examination and builds the pipeline of future talent for the public accounting profession.

The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants ® (CIMA ® ) is the world's leading and largest professional body of management accountants. CIMA works closely with employers and sponsors leading-edge research, constantly updating its professional qualification and professional experience requirements to ensure it remains the employer's choice when recruiting financially trained business leaders.

View original content: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-aicpa--cima-research-shows-deep-divide-among-finance-professionals-about-the-future-of-finance-302123627.html

SOURCE AICPA & CIMA