The effects of the 21st century skills curriculum on the development of students’ creative thinking skills

Abstract

Changing conditions in the information age have led to changes in education. These changes are innovations. They have transformed schools and programs. They have led individuals to acquire 21st century skills which are critical thinking, problem solving, creative thinking and cooperative working skills. The acquisition of digital media and technology literacy skills are also essential. This study examines the effects of the 21st Century curriculum on the students' acquisition of creative thinking skills. The study uses the mixed method design which allowed the collection of quantitative and qualitative data. Activities that aimed to develop the students’ 21st century skills were given to the experimental group for 10 weeks. The Torrance Creative Thinking Test and teacher and student interview forms were used as data collection tools. The results showed that the activities significantly improved the students' creative thinking skills. The students' learning desire, innovation skills, and technological and digital literacy skills improved.