Australian Journal of Adult Learning - Volume 62 - Number 2 - July 2022 - The role of Learning Neighborhood Programme in achieving the necessary life skills for adult learners in Saudi Arabia to confront the COVID-19 crisis

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Aran

The study examines how the Learning Neighborhood Programme supports adult learners in Saudi Arabia in acquiring the life skills required to respond to the COVID-19 crisis. It evaluates whether perceived life-skill benefits vary by gender and by the number of courses taken, using a self-administered questionnaire. Findings show that participants enrolled in the programme perceived benefits from practicing life skills during the pandemic, with differences particularly among learners who completed five or more courses.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time53 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

COVID-19 context and Saudi precautions

Learning Neighborhood Programme and life skills

Learning Neighborhood Programme

Programme purpose, courses, and facilitation

Volunteer and adult education support

Australian Journal of Adult Learning Volume 62, Number 2, July 2022 The role of Learning Neighborhood Programme in achieving the necessary life skills for adult learners in Saudi Arabia to confront the COVID-19 crisis Obaidalah H. Aljohani Sarah M. Alajlan In today’s world of accelerated progress and change, the skills to solve problems, think critically, communicate effectively, and manage lives are essential for people to flourish in the 21st century. The purpose of the study is to explore the role of Learning Neighborhood Programme for achieving the necessary life skills that adult learners need to help them during the present pandemic. The research also investigates if there is a difference, by gender and number of courses, to confront the COVID-19 crisis and the benefits that participants received during the pandemic. A self-administered questionnaire was utilized. The results illustrated that the adult learners who enrolled in the Learning Neighborhood Programme perceived the benefit of life skills by practicing these skills during the crisis. Additionally, the results revealed differences for both life skills based on the number of courses that learners had taken during the present pandemic for people who took five or more courses. Keywords: Learning Neighborhood Programme, life skills, Saudi Arabia, COVID-19 258 Obaidalah H.Alijohani & Sarah M.Alajlan Introduction Today’s events have been unusual.In the past, there were other epidemics; however, the way people reacted to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is unique (Matias, Dominski, & Marks, 2020).The COVID-19 disease was discovered in December 2019 in Wuhan, central China.By March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified the disease as a global pandemic (WHO, 2020) . On March 2, 2020, the first corona-virus case was reported in Saudi Arabia (Ministry of Health, 2020).Before that date, Saudi Arabia took several audacious and early precautions in order to prevent the virus’spread.The country suspended all sporting activities; lounges; and commercial complexes, except for essential jobs and health regulations, to maintain social distancing.The Saudi Arabian government also suspended education at all schools and universities, relying on online platforms for every education level.Informal education transformed the classes to online courses that were offered by the Learning Neighbourhood Programme (Ministry of Education, 2020). Saudi Arabia’s Learning Neighbourhood Programme provides many courses, such as vocational skills, literacy, and life skills, for adult learners.In this research, life skills are the focus; according to the WHO (1993), to prepare people very well, learners should have the knowledge and skills which enable them to stay healthy, have positive attitudes about themselves, and actively participate in societies while effectively dealing with the challenges of everyday life.These skills help adult learners to achieve sustainable development for life in order to apply what they have learned in their lives, in general, and to enable individuals to deal effectively in times of crisis.In addition, the Learning Neighbourhood Programme provides learners with a life skill that contributes to pushing them towards productive work in an attractive manner, raising awareness of problems, contributing to the culture of societies, and interacting with life requirements. The role of Learning Neighborhood Programme in achieving the necessary life skills for adult 259 learners in Saudi Arabia to confront the COVID-19 crisis Therefore, the research’s purpose was to explore the role of the Learning Neighbourhood programme for achieving the necessary life skills that Saudi Arabia’s adult learners need during the COVID-19 crisis.The research also investigated if there is a difference, by gender and the number of courses, regarding the Learning Neighbourhood Programme’s role when acquiring the necessary life skills that could enable adult lear

FAQs

What is the purpose of the study?

To explore the role of the Learning Neighborhood Programme in achieving necessary life skills for adult learners in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to examine differences by gender and number of courses.

What method was used to collect data?

A self-administered questionnaire was used to gather participants’ responses.

What did the results indicate about life-skill benefits?

Adult learners enrolled in the programme perceived life-skill benefits by practicing these skills during the crisis, with differences observed based on the number of courses taken (especially for those taking five or more).

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Aran