The Development of Adolescents’ Life Skills through Animation and Television Series, With Consideration of the Role of School Principals in Effective Utilization

In the contemporary world, adolescents are exposed to various media more than ever, and this exposure can played an important role in shaping their personality, emotional, and social dimensions. Therefore, purposeful use of media in informal life skills education has play a key role. The present study aimed to examine the extent and manner of representation of ten life skills in media content specifically designed for adolescents, and to propose strategies for school principals to utilize these media in educational programs. This research was conducted using a qualitative approach and qualitative content analysis method. To this end, the content of the Korean series “Bitch X Rich” and the animation “Inside Out 2” was analyzed and compared in terms of the representation of life skills, including self-awareness, empathy, effective communication, interpersonal relationships, decision-making, problem-solving, creative thinking, critical thinking, and coping with emotions and stress, across adolescents. The findings indicated that both media, despite differences in narrative style and target audience, have high potential in conveying social and emotional skills and can serve as effective complements to formal school education. Consequently, the conscious selection of media content and the design of educational programs based on it can help create a supportive learning environment and enhance students’ life skills.