Reflections on the 21st Century Skills into the Curriculum of Social Studies Course

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the reflections of the 21st century skills into the curriculum of social studies course in Turkey. The classification made by the institutions classifying the 21st century skills in line with this objective has been examined and the classification made by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21) has been considered as it has been generally accepted. The study investigated the reflections of the 21st century skills on social studies curriculum being subject to detailed content analysis. Accordingly, the basic approach of the curriculum was examined as to whether these skills were included in terms of the values in learning outcomes. Among qualitative research methods, the document analysis technique was used in the study. The results have shown that the 21st century skills are largely included in the social studies curriculum. However, the 21st century skills are not included in the curriculum as a concept. The main components of the 21st century skills are not equally included in the curriculum. Those included most information, media and technology skills (6 sub-skills) and learning and innovation skills (5 sub-skills). The life and professional skills were included least (2 sub-skills). It has been found out that creativity and innovation, information and communication technologies literacy, social and multicultural skills, which are within the 21st century skills, are included in the Social Studies curriculum as innovative thinking, digital literacy and social participation skills. However, there was no explanation regarding how those skills intended to be acquired. The flexibility and adaptability, productivity and responsibility, leadership and responsibility skills were not directly included in the curriculum. The concept of information literacy that came into prominence in the 21st century was mainly reflected in the social studies course curriculum with the skill dimension. Accordingly, the media literacy, financial literacy, digital literacy, political literacy, map literacy and environmental literacy have been included widely. Considering the 21st century skills, the social studies curriculum can be updated. Distribution of these skills on class levels can be done in a more balanced manner. The 21st century perspective can be evoked in the basic approach and philosophy of the curriculum.

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

“…In other words, there is that friendship and spirit of unionism and solidarity developed through collaboration. These results appear to support Erol's (2021) opinion that due to teamwork, productivity increases.…”

“…It is of course important for every country to embrace such skills in order to produce global citizens. At present, there is a growing body of literature supporting the view that there is radical transformation of the education system in order to address the demands of the perpetually changing world (Erol, 2021;UNESCO, 2015;Welker & Mohr, 2017). As it had been discussed in the preceding chapter, Lesotho is not an exception to this global initiative to promote 21 st century skills.…”

“…Collie et al (2016) is on the same wavelength with Central Board of Secondary Education in India (2020) that flexibility and adaptability are crucial in a sense that they instill adjustment capabilities which assists students to thrive in different situations hence being able to tackle challenges encountered in different occasions presented to them. In connection with leadership and responsibility as skills needed in the 21 st century, Erol (2021) suggests that these skills grant students an opportunity to lead a team effectively and empower students to nurture others for growth. Additionally, this assists students in realizing social and national issues that may affect their lives.…”

Strengthening 21st-Century Education Themes in ELT Material for ESP Students

“…The developers of teaching materials are encouraged to internalize themes and topics in factual and contextual teaching materials to support the intended meaningful learning paradigm. Global awareness, financial literacy, economics, business, entrepreneurship, digital literacy, citizenship, health, and environmental literacy are just a few of the themes covered in 21 st -century education that are factual, contextual, and relevant to current learning demands (Alismail & McGuire, 2015;Erol, 2021).…”

Twenty-first-century Skills Practices among Faculty Members at Oman College of Health Science: Covid-19 Pandemic Perspective from the Omani Students

“…With the outbreak of the global Covid-19 pandemic (Hossain et al, 2020), which imposed unparalleled challenges on traditional or direct education, many educators in educational institutions called for the adoption of an educational system that includes the life skills and knowledge necessary to deal with all these developments and challenges (Islam & Habib, 2021;Kar, 2011;Yildiz & Zingin, 2021).World Health Organization has identified essential life skills that enable individuals to successfully deal with the demands and difficulties of daily life which known as 21st century skills (Ananiadou & Claro, 2009;Prajapati et.al, 2017). In fact, 21st-century skills have been defined and classified differently based on the different perspectives of various institutions and organizations (Erol, 2021;Saleh et al, 2022;Yildiz & Zengin, 2021); that identified the required qualification and competencies needed for the staff under the name of 21st-century skills (Arslan-Cansever et. al., 2021;Binkley et al, 2012).…”