Measuring Soft Skills & Life Skills in International Youth Development Programs - A Review and Inventory of Tools

Sep 15, 2026

Uploaded by Aurelia

A review and inventory of measurement tools used to assess soft skills and life skills in international youth development programs. The report examines the evidence landscape for cross-sectoral youth development, summarizes research methods and analytical approaches, and categorizes tools by the skills measured and their scoring characteristics. It synthesizes findings into practical conclusions and recommendations to support selecting reliable, easy-to-use instruments across key cross-cutting skills and relevant age groups.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages77

Reading Time3 h 14 min

AccessFree to download

Executive Summary

Purpose

Acknowledgements

Introduction and Purpose

Research Landscape

Methodology

Analysis of Findings

Conclusion and Recommendations

References

Appendices

MEASURING SOFT SKILLS & LIFE SKILLS IN INTERNATIONAL YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS A REVIEW AND INVENTORY OF TOOLS MAY 2017 This report is made possible by the support of the American People through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under YouthPower Action, Contract number AID-OAA-TO-15-00003/AIDOAA-I-15-00009. The contents of this report are the sole responsibility of FHI 360 do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government. This page is intentionally left blank YOUTHPOWER ACTION Measuring Soft Skills & Life Skills in International Youth Development Programs: A Review and Inventory of Tools May 2017 Disclaimer: The author’s views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government. This report is made possible by the support of the American People through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under task order contract number AID-OAA-TO- 15-00003, YouthPower Action under IDIQ contract number AID-OAA-I-15-00009 , YouthPower: Implementation. Recommended format for citation: Galloway, T, Lippman, L. , Burke, H. , Diener, O. , and Gates, S. (2017) . Measuring Soft Skills & Life Skills in International Youth Development Programs: A Review and Inventory of Tools. Washington, DC: USAID’s YouthPower Implementation IDIQ-Task Order 1, YouthPower Action. Photo Credit (bottom right, cover page): FHI 360/USAID El Salvador, Education for Children and Youth Program TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Executive Summary .......................................................................................................... 1 2. Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................... 9 3. Introduction and Purpose ................................................................................................ 10 4. Research Landscape ...................................................................................................... 13 5. Methodology....................................................................................................................20 6. Analysis of Findings ........................................................................................................ 30 7. Conclusion and Recommendations ................................................................................52 8. References ...................................................................................................................... 57 9. Appendices ..................................................................................................................... 60 FIGURES Figure 1. Cross-Sectoral Youth Development: Top Supported Skills Across Fields................... 11 Figure 2: Steps in Identification of Measurement Tools ..............................................................20 Figure 3: Number of Tools Measuring Top 9 Cross-Cutting Skills, by Score Position ................31 Figure 4: Types of Tools for Each Key Skill ................................................................................32 Figure 5: Percent of Tools Categorized by Number of Skills Measured .....................................34 Figure 7: Percent of Tools by Evidence of Reliability..................................................................36 Figure 8: Number of All Tools that Predict Relevant Outcomes .................................................37 Figure 9: Number of Tools by Ease of Use Based on Criteria ....................................................38 Figure 10: Percent of Tools by Age Ranges Assessed ..............................................................40 TABLES Table 1. Most Supported Skills in the Literature within the Domains of Workforce Success, Violence

FAQs

What is the purpose of the report?

The report reviews and inventories measurement tools for soft skills and life skills used in international youth development programs, clarifying how such skills are defined and assessed.

How does the report approach identifying measurement tools?

It applies a structured methodology to map the research landscape and identify tools, then analyzes findings based on tool characteristics and scoring criteria.

What kinds of outcomes does the report focus on when analyzing tools?

The analysis considers tools that measure key cross-cutting skills and examines evidence of reliability, relevance for predicting outcomes, and usability factors such as ease of use and assessed age ranges.

Sep 15, 2026

Uploaded by Aurelia