Teacher Trainees Perceptions Of The 21st Century Life Skills Developed As They Pursue Undergraduate Teacher Education Programs In Uganda A Case Study Of Makerere University.

Very little information is known about teacher trainees perceptions of the life skills they develop while they are pursuing their undergraduate studies in the two teacher education programs of Makerere University. 112 teacher trainees from the 20152016 intake of Bachelor of Arts with Education and Bachelor of Science with Education participated in this study. The objectives were to find out the teacher trainees perceptions of the life skills they acquire and develop as they pursue studies in their respective teacher education programs. Secondly to find out teacher trainees perceptions of the life skills they do not develop as they pursue studies in their respective teacher education programs. Open and close ended Questionnaires were used to collect data. Results show that teacher trainees perceive studies in teacher education programs help them acquire communication skills leadership skills time management research skills analytical skills decision making skills problem-solving skills among others in various ways. However data revealed that teacher trainees at the end of the three years of their programs still perceived they were having underdeveloped life skills such as skills in operating different digital technologies in todays classroom critical thinking writing professional curriculum vitae entrepreneurship as well as interpersonal skills. Researchers recommend that teacher educators need to embrace the use of modern digital technologies in their lectures as well as employ teaching methods and assessment that promote the various life skills like digital literacy critical thinking and interpersonal skills that were reported to be still underdeveloped.