Promoting 21st Century Skills Research Articles

Scope of Yoga Education in Promoting 21st Century Skills of the Digital Natives: An Overview

Scope of Yoga Education in Promoting 21st Century Skills of the Digital Natives: An Overview

Exploring Pre-Service Teachers’ Perspectives on the Integration of Digital Game-Based Learning for Sustainable STEM Education

Digitalization of STEM in higher education is envisioned to foster digital societies through enhanced contextualised engaged learning, digital skills, and access to digital learning resources, specifically in developing countries, including those in Africa. The dearth of empirical evidence validating digitalization hinders implementation. This study aims to investigate pre-service teachers’ perspectives towards the use of digital game-based learning (DGBL) for sustainable development of STEM education and promoting 21st century skills. The study was based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as a framework. A quantitative survey design was adopted to collect necessary data from 255 pre-service teachers in a South African university. The fitness of the proposed model was acceptable to proceed with partial least squares structural equation modeling analysis. The model accounted for 59% explanatory strength of pre-service teachers’ perspectives towards using DGBL in teaching and learning. Pre-service teachers consistently express noteworthy perspectives on the DGBL approach, emphasizing the capacity to provide diverse learning opportunities, foster heightened engagement, and facilitate contextualised learning experiences. The findings contribute to the empirical validation and role of DGBL in STEM and the design of educational games promoting contextualised self-directed learning for sustainability teaching and learning in higher education.

Integrated STEM Education in Indonesia: What Do Science Teachers Know and Implement?

Integrated science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education has been a popular topic worldwide for the last few years. However, only a few studies have examined this topic in Indonesia. This literature review is to fill the gap by focusing on science teachers’ perspectives on the STEM education approach at the secondary school level, including what they know and what they implement in science classrooms. For this purpose, 48 research articles published in national and international journals and judged to be pertinent to the current study, were reviewed. The results emerging from most of the existing research indicated that Indonesian science teachers in general were familiar with the integrated STEM teaching approach. However, more than half of them never tried implementing it in their classes. In addition, the studies revealed that project-based learning was the most frequently used method in STEM-based science classes. Teachers in science classes mainly employed integrated STEM education approach to promote 21st century skills such as creative and critical thinking, problem-solving, and literacy.

Developing scientific literacy to promote 21st century skills

In today's rapidly advancing world, scientific literacy is becoming increasingly crucial. The ability to understand and critically evaluate scientific information is a key skill for navigating an increasingly complex and technology-driven society. Developing scientific literacy not only boosts individual knowledge but also promotes 21st-century skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication. Scientific literacy is more than just knowing scientific facts, it involves understanding the nature of science, how scientific knowledge is generated, and how it can be applied to real- world problems. It includes knowing how scientific research is conducted, such as forming hypotheses, testing them, gathering and analyzing data, and drawing conclusions. Inquiry-based learning engages students in exploring scientific phenomena, examining evidence, performing experiments, and drawing conclusions. This hands-on approach to learning fosters critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Scientific literacy has far-reaching implications for society. It can impact individuals, communities, and the world by promoting social justice. By empowering individuals to advocate for evidence-based policies, scientific literacy addresses inequities in healthcare, education, and environmental justice. Scientific knowledge helps identify and address systemic issues that perpetuate social disparities. By leveraging these resources and insights, educators, policymakers, and individuals can work together to foster scientific awareness and equip future generations with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in the 21st century.

Co-creation Methodology to Promote 21st Century Skills in the Classroom Context

Research studies on learning processes provide strong empirical evidence that active-learning methodologies promote students' engagement which has a positive impact on students' learning outcomes, skills, and performance. Against this background, active teaching-learning environments have seen increasing popularity over the past few decades. Several studies suggest that the implementation of new methodologies based on “ask more, instead of telling” approaches lead to an increase of students' performance. The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of an active learning unit based on innovation co-creation methodologies on students' perceptions of their learning outcomes and on the so-called 21st century skills, such as critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication, in the context of a Portuguese higher education institution - the Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra (IPC). Founded in 1979, the IPC is a public higher education institution, oriented towards the pursuit of the objectives of polytechnic education, with an intrinsic vocation for applied research and the transfer of knowledge to the society. The empirical study is carried out based on data derived from a questionnaire survey applied to a class of students. Preliminary results reveal that the implementation of innovation co-creation methodologies in the classroom context is perceived by students as having a positive effect not only on the development of soft skills but also on their learning outcomes. Additionally, results give evidence that students improve their performance and therefore their final grade is higher. Results also reveal that students would like to see this active-learning methodology applied to other courses.

Analyzing the Needs on Teaching Writing Materials in Promoting 21st Century Skills

Needs analysis plays an important role in developing writing materials and tools that help teachers design materials according to the target needs and learning needs of students. This case is a challenge for teachers to develop writing materials to achieve learning targets according to 21 century skills. Thus the learning system applied by teachers in the 21st century will affect student achievement and learning styles. The purpose of this research was to analyze the types of students’ target and learning needs for the development of writing materials in promoting 21st century skills. According to Hutchinson and Waters (1987, pp. 55-56) target needs include: necessities, lacks, and wants. While learning needs includes: input, procedure, setting, and learners’ role. This research took an English teacher and some eleventh grade students at MAN 3 Cirebon. This research was conducted by using qualitative studies through case study design. Data collection of this research was interviews and document analysis. The data were analyzed, interpreted, and represented by researchers’ view. This research described how the targets and learning needs of students in teaching and learning to write in the 21st century.

The influence of formative assessment practices in promoting 21st Century skills development among secondary school students in Tanzania

The influence of formative assessment practices in promoting 21st Century skills development among secondary school students in Tanzania

Promoting the 21st Century Skills Using Project-Based Learning

The requirement of the 21st century demands teachers to design a learning process that emphasizes student-centered learning. Project-based learning is seen as an effective model to solve this problem. Therefore, this study aimed at analyzing the use of project-based learning viewed from its characteristics, syntax, advantages, and disadvantages. This study was designed in a library study in which the data were obtained from reviewing some articles related to the topic. The results of the study showed that 1) the main characteristic of this model is the project itself which is guided by a real problem or question; 2) in general, the syntax of project-based learning can be categorized into three, that is, planning, implementing, and evaluating; 3) the advantages of this model meet the 21st century skills; 4) the disadvantages of this model mainly deal with time allotment, students’ characteristics, and school facilitation. In conclusion, project-based learning is an effective model to promote 21st century skills.

Content Analysis of LGCSE Religious Studies Syllabus: To What Extend Does It Address the 21st Century Skills?

Recently, there has been renewed interest of countries to reform their curriculum in order to promote 21st century skills among learners. It is expected too, that subject syllabi should align with the curriculum in promoting such skills. However, most studies in the field of religious studies in Lesotho have not focused on the extent to which this subject contributes to the promotion of 21st century skills and that prompted the present study. Qualitative Content Analysis was employed to determine the extent to which religious studies syllabus promotes 21st century skills. Document Analysis was used to analyze aims of the syllabus to establish different skills which are promoted by each aim. The findings indicated that religious studies syllabus aims differ in terms of the degree at which they promote 21st century skills. It also appeared that learning and innovation skills are predominantly promoted by the syllabus aims. However, the syllabus’ aims seem to shrink from promoting technological skills. As a result, the following suggestions were made; first, the curriculum developers should emphasize all skills equivalently. Additionally, curriculum developers should restructure the curriculum to promote technological skills.

Considering modes of delivery in blended PBL: a literature-based approach

The COVID-19 pandemic had accelerated Blended Learning in many institutions worldwide, catapulting it into a now permanent spot in the school curriculum in many higher learning institutions. However, given the infinite permutations in blended learning, it is not surprising that it has led to contradictory student outcomes and learning experiences. Research has suggested the combination of Problem-based learning and blended learning can lead to constructivist learning environments that promote 21st century skills such as innovative uses of technology, problem-solving and collaborative skills. However, there is little to guide educators in the design of blended PBL. One design consideration is the choice of delivery modes. In this presentation, the literature is explored for the essential instructional components in PBL, and the modes of delivery that best support them. This could be offered as a starting point to support lesson designers approaching blended PBL.

Promoting 21st Century Skills in English Language Teaching: A Pedagogical Transformation in Ivory Coast

This study intended to understand English teachers’ educators’ experiences through 21st century skills in English Language Teaching (ELT) for a pedagogical transformation. In the world, many teaching challenges that negatively affect the English Language Teaching (ELT) effectiveness could be teaching approach, class size, technology integration, multilingualism, teaching resources, opportunities of practices and the like. Thus, the integration of the 21st century skills encounter some contextual challenges. The study used qualitative approach and a case study design to investigate the experiences of English Language teachers in Ivory Coast, a West Africa francophone country. Through a constructivist perspective, this case study applies the semi directive interview to evaluate the integration of 21st pedagogical skills in ELT in the Ivorian context. Participants used in this study were teachers’ educators from public schools, private schools, vocational and independent educative institutions to understand the ELT experience in various context. Findings revealed that 21st Century pedagogy is promoting in Teachers practices and that results in positive learning engagement. Yet, many contextual challenges and issues affect the effectiveness of ELT. The study recommended that a pedagogical transformation requires a communicative approach and lifelong learning to provide opportunities to update teaching and learning strategies for an effective language skills acquisition by all the learners and education system stakeholders.

A second-order confirmatory factor analysis model of primary school administration promoting 21st century skills

The acquisition of skills amongst learners is integral for their survival. This is the reason why most of the pedagogies integrate them as part of the core learning objectives. However, the advent of technology has revolutionized teaching approaches as well as skills training. Many of the skills in 21st century education highlight ingenuity, critical analysis and IT literacy. Though it is understood that these prepare learners to be efficient in the future, there are significant underlying issues and challenges in how schools partake in the training process or how skills acquisition amongst learners are monitored and promoted in the schools’ advocacies. This research is aimed at evaluating primary school administration how 21st century skills should be reflected in the school system. Identified factors that help promote 21st century skills were analyzed using content analysis and focus group discussion of ten (10) experts and later on evaluated and confirmed statistically through Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Four hundred respondents: two hundred (200) school directors and two hundred (200) academic headteachers from 322 schools in southern Thailand were considered as samples. A 5-rating scale questionnaire was used for data collection. Through second-order confirmatory factor analysis, the results confirmed eight (8) factors that promote 21st century skills in primary school administration. Arranged in descending order by goodness of fit, these factors were: 1) teacher quality development (0.97), 2) educational evaluation (0.92), 3) teaching and learning management (0.90), 4) learning environment (0.88), 5) curriculum, learning media, and technology (0.87), 6) budget for education (0.84), 7) community cooperation (0.66), and 8) volunteer supervision (0.64). The measurement of all factors (R2) also indicated positive reliability ranging between 0.41-0.94.

CLASSROOM DEBATE STRATEGY TO ENHANCE STUDENTS’ CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS IN ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING

World’s massive agenda of promoting 21st century skills is a concrete truth that cannot be denied by everyone, including Indonesian students from all across range, In contrast, based on communal justification and researcher’s personal justification, the lack of Indonesian students’ critical thinking skills does exist. It is proven by Indonesia’s latest PISA score and researcher’s preliminary research at private university in Sidoarjo. In an attempt of overcoming the lack, this research aims to investigate the new paradigm that was rarely initiated to be conducted (i.e. enacting two mutually exclusive realms to be one unity), namely classroom debate to enhance students’ critical thinking skills in argumentative writing. This research employs descriptive qualitative research. The data were collected through observation and documentation from 19 undergraduate students who were currently mastering argumentative writing field of study at a private university in Sidoarjo. The obtained findings show that the assumption of the researcher in bringing up a new paradigm of classroom debate can enhance students’ critical thinking skills through argumentative writing is conceptually and practically correct. The result of three meetings of implementation and its seven main steps of implementation indicate that 19 research subjects’ critical thinking skills were progressively enhanced.

Why the Optimism Misses? An Analysis on the Gaps and Lags of Teachers’ Perceptions of 21st Century Skills

The present century demands transformative competencies in all spheres of human life and this necessitated the evolution of a new civil right in the modern era. Inevitably, this demands for new sets of skills and competencies in the learners to meet the challenges and competitions of the knowledge economy, labor market and information settings. To build the 21st century skills and competencies in the learners, teachers need to have awareness and knowledge about these skills and apply them in their daily classroom activities. In order to execute the strategies for promoting 21st century skills among learners, a clear perception on the same is highly essential. It is interesting to analyze the perception of the teachers and the missing gaps. This study was conducted to examine the gap between the actual and ideal perception of 21st century skills among secondary school teachers of Kerala. It also examined to what extent their age, teaching experience and subjects have been related to perception level. Data has been collected from secondary school teachers (N=350) through survey method. The result of the study showed that there was gap between actual and ideal perceptions of 21st century skills among the secondary school teachers and also positive correlation between age, teaching experience and the actual perception of 21st century skills.

Preparing Pre-service Teachers for 21st Century Skills Education

This study examines the efficiency of a model aimed at teaching 21st century skills to preservice teachers at Damascus university. Two fundamental aspects were explored, firstly, promoting the teaching of 21st century skills; and, secondly, incorporating 21st century skills in the educators’ pedagogical training. Quantitative data was collected from 106 student teachers, and 34 teacher educators through two survey questionnaires. Results from the teacher educator’s survey data showed that the model to promote all 21st century skills in student teachers was efficient. The student teachers felt that the pedagogical training of this model was efficient in terms of promoting cognitive skills, but only average when considering information literacy and problem-solving skills and performed poorly in fostering communication skills. Thus, even though the model is efficient in promoting 21st century skills for future teachers, it lacks a training framework that places equal emphasis on applying the skills during teacher training.

Taking 21st century skills from vision to classroom: What teachers highlight as supportive professional development in the light of new demands from educational reforms

The purpose of this paper is to accentuate teachers’ voice and examine what teachers consider as useful professional development for promoting 21st century skills as presented in educational reforms. The teachers participated in a professional development program designed to support teachers in bridging the gap between visionary reforms and classroom practice. Over a three-year period, 56 courses were conducted, reaching 1187 teachers. Results from this large-scale qualitative study show that teachers highlighted instructional strategies modelled during the course as supportive together with easy access to teaching resources and increased confidence. Implications for future professional development programs are discussed.

Promoting critical thinking skills of secondary school chemistry students’ through 7e-learning cycle model

The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of 7E-Learning Cycle Model (7ELCM) and Lecture Method (LEM) as well as gender influence in promoting secondary school students’ critical thinking skills in chemistry. Two research questions and one hypothesis guided the study. The study adopted a quasi-experimental research design with an overall sample of 146 (66 boys & 80 girls) Senior Secondary Two (SS2) chemistry students of public schools in Lagos State of Nigeria. Data were collected using Lesson Plan on 7ELCM and LEM (LP7L) and adapted Cornell Critical Thinking Test (CCTT). Validity of LP7L and CCTT were determined by two experts in chemistry education. KR 21 was used to determine the reliability of CCTT which gave a reliability coefficient of 0.87. Mean and ANCOVA were used in data analyses. The results showed that secondary school chemistry students exposed to 7E Learning Cycle Model (7ELCM) had higher mean score than students exposed to Lecture Method (LEM) in promoting critical thinking skills. Also, male students taught with 7ELCM and LEM had the highest mean scores than the females in promoting Critical Thinking Skills in chemistry. The study equally showed a significant interactive effect of 7ELCM and LEM on secondary school chemistry students but there was no significant interactive influence of male and female (gender) in promoting critical thinking skills among the secondary school chemistry students taught using 7ELCM and LEM respectively. The paper concludes that chemistry teachers should provide learning opportunities that would make students take ownership of their learning by compelling them to learn meaningfully, think critically, and criticize constructively as a team in solving problematic tasks through the application of 7ELCM irrespective of gender roles and recommends that Ministry of Education and school administrators should organize Train-the-Trainers workshop for all the secondary school chemistry teachers on how to incorporate 7ELCM pedagogy in promoting 21st century skills and improving chemistry students learning outcomes in Lagos State of Nigeria.

The Transformation from STEM to STREAM Education at Engineering and Technology Institutions of Higher Education

The scope of STEM based academic programs such as engineering and technology education should be widened to include Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STREAM) to enable future STEM graduates to be able to respond to the rapid changes of IR 4.0 and be ready for STEM based professions of the 21st century. A STREAM based curriculum for STEM focused programs will promote 21st century skills including collaboration, communication, creativity and critical thinking. STREAM has been gaining much popularity globally, given its ability to provide opportunities for learners to develop 21st century skills and the 4Cs necessary to strive in the future workplace. In this paper, we provide a succinct review of current debates surrounding this issue, drawing upon examples from across the globe, in Malaysia and Vietnam.

Teacher Readiness in Promoting 21st Century Skills in Teaching English as a Foreign Language at Primary Schools

Twenty-first-century skills have been long known and used to accelerate teachers' quality and education in Indonesia. The skills that include life and career skills, learning and innovation skills, media, technology, and information skills must be inserted into classroom practices to improve students' learning competencies and learning outcomes. Despite its importance and having been long introduced, there is still limited research conducted on the investigation of primary teachers' readiness to promote classroom skills. Therefore, this study aims to analyse the primary school teachers' readiness to promote 21st-century skills. The readiness was analysed in two dimensions: readiness in terms of 21st-century skills concepts as indicated by self-perception about 21st-century learning and indicated by their readiness in the actual implementation. Six primary school teachers from several schools in Bali were involved. The study used a mixed-method design, and the data were collected using questionnaires, interviews, and direct observation. The data were analysed using descriptive quantitative analysis and supported with qualitative description. The results show that the teachers perceived themselves as ready to implement the skills; however, direct observations show different findings. Some of the skills are not implemented. This finding implies that teachers need to improve their understanding and develop competencies in implementing 21st-century skills.

Cross-Boundary Collaboration and Problem-Solving to Promote 21st Century Skills—Students’ Experiences

This study is part of an ongoing design-based research initiative, during which a new course on forest bioeconomics was designed and implemented in higher education context. The pedagogy of the new course was informed by the framework of 21st century skills, ideas of collaborative problem-solving and knowledge building, cross-boundary teaming, and online and blended learning. During the implementation of the pilot course, in-depth group interview data were collected and WhatsApp discussion threads were used as supplementary data. Participants included students (n=18) from Finnish universities and universities of applied sciences who enrolled in and completed the course. The data were analyzed qualitatively with the aim of finding out how 21st century skills were manifested in students’ experiences of collaborative problem-solving in cross-boundary teams in blended or online learning settings. It was also considered, if there were differences in the experiences of students from blended and online course options. The results of the qualitative analysis provide multiple implications for course development in upcoming design-based research cycles. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.18.13.3