CHALLENGES IN INTEGRATING LIFE SKILLS FOR POSITIVE YOUTHDEVELOPMENT: TRENDS AND AGENDA FOR FUTURE RESEARCH IN CYCLING PROGRAM

Abstract

During the pandemic, worldwide, physical activities have become less and limited due to the Covid- 19 restrictions. Maintaining physical health among children through physical activities is important. Researchers in health and sport sectors begun to consider sports such as cycling as an option to increase physical activities in children. Besides health benefits, this study argues that by integrating life skills in sports programs such as cycling, youth development can be better shaped into a more positive behavior and better prepared to become aresponsible adult. However, the integration of life skills in cycling programs to promote positive youth development (PYD) seems to be overlooked; let alone the challenges. To understand how life skills and PYD can be integrated in cycling programs, it is important to explore the challenges that has been discussed in the literature. This study aims to explore and understand the trends of research in the current literature about life skills and positive youth development in relation to sport education/programs, especially the challenges and inthe context of cycling program. This study used systematic literature review approach and collected the data from Web of Science database which were published between 2013-2022. Inclusion and exclusion criteria suchas publication year, document type, and research areas are used in this study. The data were analyzed using descriptive analysis and thematic analysis. The findings show the current trends in the life skills and PYD literature in terms of publication year, publication titles, country of study, methodology, and research areas. Only ten articles intentionally discussed the challenges in integrating life skills and PYD in sports program. Moreover, this study provides the foundation of knowledge and the agenda for future research to conduct a morediverse and comprehensive study in the area of life skills, PYD, and sports programs, especially in relation to cycling programs.