High School Students’ Use of Information, Media, and Technology Skills and Multidimensional 21st-Century Skills: An Investigation within the Context of Students, Teachers, and Curricula

Abstract

The aim of this study is to determine high school students’ information, media, and technology skills and their level of use of multidimensional 21st-century skills. A mixed quantitative and qualitative method was preferred in the study conducted in Northern Cyprus. Quantitative data were obtained from 612 senior high school students, and qualitative data were obtained from teachers and three different curricula. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 10 teachers in order to determine the in-class activities that teachers carried out to provide information, media, and technology skills. The degree to which the Turkish language and literature, English, and mathematics curricula, which are among the basic courses offered in the senior year of high school, have outcomes for gaining information, media, and technology skills was determined through document analysis. The results obtained from the study revealed that the students’ use of information, media, and technology skills was generally moderate. The students’ use of programming skills, which are among the sub-dimensions of information, media, and technology skills as well as their problem-solving skills, were found to be very inadequate. Students’ use of information and data literacy, communication, and collaboration skills, which are among the sub-dimensions of information, media, and technology skills, were found to be adequate. Similarly, it was concluded that the students’ use of multidimensional 21st-century skills was also adequate. The results revealed that the classroom activities implemented by the teachers were insufficient in developing students’ problem-solving skills in particular. Moreover, the results obtained with respect to curricula revealed that the mathematics curriculum had the highest number of outcomes related to information, media, and technology skills. The Turkish language and literature curriculum had the least number of outcomes related to information, media, and technology skills. The results of the research also revealed that the learning outcomes in the curricula were mostly related to communication and collaboration skills. The skill with the lowest number of related outcomes was found to be problem-solving.