The purpose of this study is to find out how EFL instructors see their own 21st century skills and how these skills fit into their instructional strategies. The study adopted a qualitative research strategy, which goes beyond binary replies or pre-selected alternatives seen in quantitative methodologies to offer deeper insights into the motivations, mechanisms, and contextual information that underpin their perceptions [1]. Sixteen EFL teachers that taught English in different public and private preparatory schools participated in the study. Semi-structured in-person, online, and on-site interviews with the participating teachers were used to gather qualitative data and the obtained data were analyzed using the inductive coding procedure. The results have revealed that a variety of diverse teaching strategies, such as project-based learning, technological integration, and teamwork, must be used. By taking care of these issues, EFL teachers may design engaging classrooms that provide students the practices they need to succeed in the twenty-first century.
Many individuals in the modern era, including educators, employers, and policymakers, emphasize the need of 21st century skills for the effective integration of society as well as the realization of sustainable development [2]. To meet the needs of a society that is always evolving, people in today’s world need to possess these talents. Thus, 21st-century talents have surfaced as a novel viewpoint for keeping current with this era. As a result, 21st-century skills, which include collaboration, communication, critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, and ICT literacy have several meanings and conceptualizations [3]. Numerous domestic and global organizations have created various frameworks to determine the competencies required to get their educational systems ready for the decades to come and to plan how to include them into their curriculum [4].
While certain skills have their roots in the ideals of historical figures like Socrates, some talents have gained significant traction in the modern day and are referred to as 21st century skills. These skills fall into four categories. The first set of life and professional skills includes initiative and self-direction, productivity and accountability, social and cross-cultural abilities, flexibility and adaptation, leadership, and responsibility. Information, media, and technology skills are defined as information, media, and ICT literacy skills [5]. Mastery of learning and innovation skills, including creativity and innovation; critical thinking and problem solving; communication and collaboration, are of utmost importance. Furthermore, ideas like global awareness, financial, economic, business, and entrepreneurial literacy, civic literacy, and health literacy are included in the themes of essential topics and 21st century skills. These abilities are categorized in accordance with the P21 Framework for the 21st Century Learning, and it is desirable for people to acquire them in order to thrive in the technologically advanced and globally interconnected world of today. The following 21st century skills were listed by Ravitz [6] in conjunction with Partnership for the 21st Century Skills, the Deeper Learning Framework from the William and Flora Hewlet Foundation (2010), and the international innovative teaching and learning study [7]. These are:
critical thinking skills;
collaboration skills;
communication skills,
creativity and innovation skills;
self-direction skills;
global connections;
local connections;
using technology as a tool.
Even though kids acquire the ability to read and write in today’s educational system, they are not able to understand what they read or express themselves well. Despite having a large amount of knowledge committed to memory, they are incapable of analyzing information or recognize connections between occurrences. They are unable to compute a statistic in their daily lives even using simple math. The primary issue is that pupils lack the skills to interpret graphs and tables they view on television and to critically evaluate the accuracy of material they may readily obtain online [8]. All of these abilities are what students should learn in 21st century skills. The goal of education in the twenty-first century is to leverage students’ diversity, provide them a platform to express their creativity, equip them with critical thinking abilities through a variety of activities, and enable them to assess their own abilities and their peers. This is where it becomes more vital for instructors, who are the ones who play the biggest role, to be competent in these abilities and ready to teach them.
Effective teachers are critical to provide students with the important 21st-century abilities that preparatory schools at universities play in this educational process. These educational institutions function as cornerstones, imparting to students not just academic information but also critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving, communication, and teamwork skills—acquired talents considered essential in the quickly changing global environment of today. Innovative teaching strategies and customized curriculum used by committed educators provide a learning environment that stimulates critical thinking and the application of information conceptually. Their advice goes beyond what is often taught in a classroom, focusing on developing the resilience and adaptability needed to succeed in a variety of professional settings. Therefore, with the help of qualified teachers, university preparatory schools play a crucial role in equipping students to successfully traverse the difficult challenges of the twenty-first century.
In addition to this study’s main objective, it is necessary to learn about EFL teachers’ self-perceptions, competences, and practices related to 21st century abilities, as well as how they judge these skills. Teachers in typical education settings primarily focus on teaching linguistic structure; they do not teach other skills like problem solving, teamwork, or cooperation. Thus, the extent to which EFL instructors are familiar with and apply 21st century abilities in their instruction should remain undisclosed. It should be clear by now that educators are accountable for their instruction and should include 21st century skills into the classroom. There is a gap between the theoretical knowledge of incorporating 21st century skills and the actual application inside EFL classrooms, thus it is important to investigate how EFL instructors see their own 21st century abilities and 21st century skills-oriented behaviors. While a lot of research in the literature focuses on whether or not 21st century skills belong in some pre-service instructor courses [9] and how much 21st century skills are covered in English teacher education curricula [10], this study stands out from the others because it examines the practices of EFL instructors and the role that 21st century skills play in their teaching processes.
Considering the previous studies in the field, the following research questions are put forward in order to contribute to the literature:
What are the 21st century skills implementations of the EFL instructors?
What are their teaching implementations?
How much teachers know about 21st century knowledge and skills, as well as how much and in what ways they teach these skills, stand out as an essential issue to be explored and constitute the basis of this research.
Succeeding in the digital world requires more than simply being able to turn on and use a computer or smartphone. Critical thinking, inventiveness, communication, digital citizenship, information fluency, and other essential 21st-century skills are required. While most students are able to operate programs on their mobile devices, they lack the innate skills necessary for the 21st century.
The skills that have been described are generally thought to be essential for educators and educational institutions in the modern world. Education must prioritize these skills if it wants to remain relevant in the modern workplace, educate students for the years to come, and ideally keep up with technological advancements and employment demands.
Several studies have shown how crucial 21st century skills are to EFL instruction. Collaboration, critical thinking, problem-solving, and digital literacy are among the skills that are becoming more and more important in the modern workplace in addition to being necessary for academic achievement. According to the research that follow, using these abilities in EFL training can greatly improve the learning outcomes of the students. Research has demonstrated that project-based learning, for instance, encourages communication and teamwork among students as they collaborate to investigate themes, discover solutions, and present their results. Integrating technology into language learning activities may foster creativity and critical thinking while also helping to improve digital literacy skills. The focus on 21st-century skills in EFL classes indicates a change in the direction of a more comprehensive method of teaching languages, one that gives students the tools they need to not only
The results of Aguila’s [11] study with 35 English Language and Literature students indicate that social and intercultural skills, which are sub-dimensions of life and career skills, were determined to be excellent, and the levels of possession of 21st century skills were determined to be very good in all three sub-dimensions. The study also sought to ascertain whether there is a significant correlation between the levels of possession of 21st century skills and the dimensions of 21st century skills. Furthermore, there was a strong connection identified between the three dimensions.
Asri [12] provided a number of novel strategies for promoting critical thinking in twenty-first-century EFL lessons. Creating digital works such as multimedia and videos, writing a variety of texts for a range of purposes, and formulating argumentation based on data collecting are a few examples. Other tactics linked to comprehending and using ICT literacy include the management of data flow from many resources and the use of technology for information inquiry, organization, storage, and communication. In terms of life skills, students may act as members of the local or global community by finding solutions to problems that affect the community as a whole or at the national and international levels.
Puangpunsi’s [13] study aimed to investigate, among other things, how project-based learning may support students in improving their English language and 21st-century skills. The findings demonstrated how project-based learning enhanced students’ capacity for cooperation and teamwork. It was also claimed that while working on the project, students improved their critical thinking abilities, digital literacy, problem-solving skills, flexibility and adaptability, informational understanding, and communication talents.
In a study conducted by Monib [14], the researcher examined how teachers and students felt about the integration of modern skills in language classrooms at three different colleges. In order to determine the scope of this inquiry, Monib [14] employed a questionnaire to ascertain the frequency with which 21st century skills are included into EFL classes. As the statistics suggested, the results demonstrated that all of the talents were included into the lessons, albeit at different rates—from a few times each semester to one or three times per month. As a result, it was shown that cooperation and teamwork were the most effective technology-integrated skills for improving communication and learning. On the other hand, both teachers and students said that critical thinking, self-direction, and global and local connections were the least integrated skills. Teachers reported incorporating creativity and innovation 1-3 times per month, whereas students stated a few times each term. Nonetheless, the participant groups’ judgments of these concepts differed.
This study uses a qualitative research approach in order to address the research issue. With the use of qualitative techniques like interviews, educators may share their own stories and viewpoints. This provides deeper insights into the reasons, processes, and contextual information that underlie their impressions, surpassing the binary responses or preset options found in quantitative approaches [1]. For the most part, the greatest way to find information about the viewpoints of instructors is through semi-structured interviews. It was chosen in this study because it allows you to delve deeper than a survey and provides you with more focus than a fully unstructured interview. The researcher attempted to better understand the perspectives of EFL instructors by tailoring follow-up questions to their unique experiences. Consequently, qualitative information was gathered through semi-structured interviews with EFL instructors.
The participants in this research study are Turkish preparatory school teachers who are now employed in English as a Foreign Language instructors. There were no exclusion criteria, and the study’s participation criteria consisted of English language instructors employed by both public and private colleges. Therefore, the teachers of English as a foreign language at different public and private colleges make up the research participants. To choose the study’s sample, convenience sampling is accepted. Convenience sampling is defined as gathering data from individuals who are acceptable and convenient for the researcher [15]. In the study’s qualitative stage, sixteen EFL instructors participated.
Of the 16 participants, 4 teachers (or 25% of the total) and 12 participants (or 75% of the total) were female. The majority of the teachers who participated in this study went on to complete graduate school, with 12.5% earning a BA, 75% an MA, and 12.5% a PdD. Additionally, it can be seen that, with a percentage of 93.75%, the group of undergraduate graduates who earned a degree from the English language teaching department has the greatest rate of graduation. Interviews were conducted with sixteen participants who teach English as a foreign language at Turkey’s public and private college preperatory institutions. The participants were teaching students at different levels, from A1 to C1, which produces a wide range of data.
As part of the study, the researcher conducted interviews with participants to gather qualitative data and particular information on their understanding, perspectives, and expertise about 21st century learning and innovation skills. Semi-structured oral interviews with sixteen volunteer English language instructors from public and private colleges were used to gather qualitative data. From those who consented to engage in the interview, participants were chosen. The participants were reminded about the research by email, and a semi-structured interview schedule was devised based on their replies. Both in-person and virtual interviews were performed using Zoom, an online meeting tool. Online and in-person interviews were both videotaped while they were taking place.
The interview began in this manner after the participants signed a voluntary participation form that was sent to them before the session. The study’s researcher developed the interview questions; to ensure the questions’ construct, reliability, and content validity, the consultant and jury members’ opinions were considered during the development process. Two additional experts in the field were consulted to create the final version of the interview form. Oral interviews that are semi-structured thus consist of 13 questions. The interviews were conducted in English and ranged from sixteen and twenty minutes. With the participants’ consent, each session was recorded. The interview began in this manner after the participants signed a voluntary participation form that was sent to them before the session. The researcher of this study created the interview questions, and during these semi-structured interviews, she made sure that the instructors were asked about their thoughts on 21st century abilities and how these talents fit into their evaluation procedures. Because this was a semi-structured interview, some of the questions and their quantity varied depending on whatever person you spoke with, even if the overall topic remained the same.
Other than the participants’ time commitment, there were no risks or costs associated with participating in this study. To help allay any anxieties or hesitation, the participants were informed of the importance of research in education in the interim and offered the opportunity to rearrange the interview time at the researchers’ request.
This research paper explores how to ensure trustworthiness in qualitative data, focusing on interview data from EFL instructors. In this study, a few procedures will be carried out in order to guarantee the validity and reliability of qualitative data—which Lincoln and Guba [16] identify as trustworthy—and to boost trustworthiness. Experts in the field of English as a Foreign Language were consulted during the question creation process to increase validity. Content validity is defined as exactly matching the subjects that instructors or programs have actually taught through this consultation process [17]. was reached. A second researcher then examined twenty percent of the data to verify inter-coder agreement [1]. The data analysis technique was deemed reliable once 80% of the codes agreed upon [18]. Subsequently, the participants were granted access to the transcriptions of the interviews and requested to provide commentary on specific segments of the transcriptions in order to enhance the study’s credibility through member verification. Last but not the least, by anonymizing participants, it is aimed to reduce bias in the analysis.
To address the research issue, a single qualitative data collection technique, which was semi-structured interview, was employed in this study. Semi-structured interviews were selected for this study for the following reasons: First off, semi-structured interviews are superior to other interviewing techniques when it comes to qualitative research since they allow researchers to obtain detailed information and evidence of participation from participants while maintaining the primary goals of the study. Second, it allows researchers flexibility and adaptation to keep on course when the direction of the interview is not fully explored, unlike an unstructured one. In-depth analyses of the literature on researchers’ methodological reflections in qualitative research are used in this work. As a result, while maintaining on course, semi-structured interviews may enable qualitative researchers to change their study subjects as they go. The researcher for this study created the interview questions, or interview form, which was used to gather quantitative data. The interview questions were then revised based on feedback from the thesis adviser and the thesis monitoring committee panel members. Furthermore, two distinct professors who are specialists in the topic were given the revised questions once more, and their opinions were sought out. The interview form was prepared and the interviews were conducted based on the opinions received.
A methodological strategy for investigating and comprehending intricate social processes, human behaviors, and experiences is qualitative research. As a result, the inductive coding process was chosen to be used in this study for the qualitative data analysis of the semi-structured interview. Data analysis is a fundamental process in qualitative inquiry, where investigators make sense of rich, unorganized data to derive meaning and produce insights. Because it enables researchers to extract patterns, themes, and categories straight from the data without enforcing preexisting frameworks or hypotheses, inductive coding is essential to qualitative research. When researching subjects about which little information exists or when researchers want to record a range of viewpoints and experiences, this method is especially helpful [19].
Although inductive coding has several advantages, there are a few drawbacks as well. Because interpretations may be impacted by researchers’ histories, views, or viewpoints, one difficulty is the possibility of subjectivity or bias on the part of the researchers. Researchers frequently employ methods like member verification and intercoder reliability checks to lessen this [20]. In this study, 20% of the data came from another English as a foreign language teaching instructor, and it was attempted to assure intercoder reliability using coding.
The labor- and time-intensive nature of inductive coding presents another difficulty, especially when dealing with huge datasets. This study likewise followed the process of carefully paying attention to details and conducting many rounds of coding and analysis while analyzing qualitative data. Furthermore, because the process is iterative, researchers have to be willing to modify their hypotheses and interpretations when new information becomes available [21].
A research question was created and attempted to be addressed using the qualitative research approach in order to look at the instructor perspectives of 21st century skills and the instructional implementations of these abilities. Based on the questions on 21st century skills perspectives of English as a foreign language instructor and their classroom, the four themes that developed throughout the qualitative analysis are provided, which are skills integration, technology use, project-based learning, and collaboration.
Under the heading of teaching methods, the research question which was aiming to find an answer to the question: What are the ways that EFL instructors implementing 21st century skills into their classrooms? Four themes were acquired during the analysis which were namely, skills integration, technology use, project-based learning, and collaboration.
For the integration of 21st century skills into teaching, Participant 1 noted that: With regard to 21st century skills, how can we develop their communication skills. I try to integrate technology into my speaking courses as well. for example, I integrate learner podcasts, I use podcasts in my courses not only to develop my students’ listening abilities but to develop their speaking abilities.
In line with the educational objectives of the twenty-first century, her method of instruction makes use of technology to improve communication skills. Learner podcasts allow students to practice speaking and active listening—two skills that are essential for language development.
According to Participant 7, giving students writing assignments on certain subjects is a good approach to foster creativity in them. This is especially true when integrating skills into the teaching process. According to him, ” For example I can ask them to write a piece of writing about a given topic so which in turn improves their let’s say ability to use their creativity in writing lets say.” His style of thinking pushes students to think creatively and express themselves in novel ways in addition to improving their writing abilities. Students who write creatively develop their ability to investigate other viewpoints and express themselves more clearly. This approach is in line with the more general objective of developing 21st century abilities since problem-solving requires creativity.
Participant 8 approaches the subject from a different angle, emphasizing the value of critical thinking as a means of fostering creativity. She states that: Being creative you know I don’t do something specifically. I just don’t tell them ok this is an exercise to improve your creativity but I like asking them critical questions all the time as my students are quite good in speaking in English so I really like initiating their critical thinking which leads them to be creative in the end.
She gets pupils thinking by posing challenging questions that compel them to think more deeply, which in turn inspires innovative solutions. By avoiding the overtly forceful and direct approach of specifically focusing on creativity, this strategy allows for a more natural and seamless integration of creative skill development into everyday classroom activities.
In a similar vein, Participant 9 highlights the value of critical thinking throughout their curriculum, especially in relation to reading comprehension. According to her: “There’s focus on critical thinking especially with reading skills. For instance we do critical thinking activities and I’m happy that they need to really read things and beyond comprehension they need to critically think and question what is being said. That’s what our course books do a lot.” She emphasizes how crucial it is to incorporate critical thinking into reading tasks. Students’ learning is enhanced and a deeper connection with the topic is fostered when they go beyond simple comprehension and begin to examine and challenge the text.
As a natural byproduct of aging, among the most discussed topics among participants, in addition to skill integration, was technology integration. Nearly every participant made a statement about this matter. According to participant 1, She makes use of technology to cultivate vital 21st century abilities. Students practice critical thinking and creativity while honing their academic writing skills when blogs are included in their writing assignments. She said that: ”So in order to develop something especially with regard to 21st century skills, I generally prefer to integrate technology, technology based instructional tools into my courses. And for writing I am trying to integrate blogs, they really like it.”
As an example of how to integrate technology into classes, Participant 3 also provided the following quotes: “I always use some technological resources in my lesson, designing my lessons I try to combine some website or some educational sources to attract their attention to motivate my learners. Maybe I can encourage them in this way.” Using technological resources in lessons is an effective strategy to engage and motivate students. Teachers may appeal to the interests of a generation that was raised in the digital age by using websites and educational tools into their lessons to make learning more engaging and interactive.
Additionally, Participant 6 makes use of technology to support both solitary practice and group learning. She said that
I have a Google classroom and whenever we are doing an activities, I copy it and then I put it on the Google classroom and they take your phones and they do the exercises alone at first and then we correct it together going over the questions for example I do that and I use Google YouTube in my classes I try to show the new things to them related to the subjects.
Through the use of technology, she establishes a blended learning environment that effectively transfers information by balancing individual and group projects and making use of multimedia materials. Students gain a sense of autonomy and responsibility while using Google Classroom for exercises. Additionally, collaboratively assessing the work assures understanding and offers prompt feedback.
Participant 7 incorporates technology into his classroom and discusses his methods in an effort to foster the ethical and deliberate usage of these resources for improved learning experiences. He said that: “ I encourage them to use for example the free kinds of different kinds of means of technological let’s say assets like for example Google docs sharing a file or different kinds of messengers to have a discussion form.” Promoting the usage of messaging apps and collaboration tools like Google Docs shows an active strategy to use students’ ICT abilities for educational goals.
In order to illustrate how she uses technology for active learning, Participant 10 says the following: They are already I think technology proficient but sometimes I use some applications or websites that may attract their attention. For example we write some sentences about the second conditionals ,and I use an online board where they can see each other’s responses. And they post their responses as answers to his board. So they can see each other’s responses which means something collaborative. If they use something technological then they like it, they enjoy it and I try to get help from some applications like kahoot for example for vocabulary practice or some other websites and applications.
She uses technology in addition to conventional teaching techniques to get pupils interested and encourage teamwork. Learning is made more engaging and productive by adding an interactive element through the use of online forums and tools
Although teachers love using technology in the classroom, Participant 11 utilizes it as a strategic tool to get students ready for the challenges of the current world. He says that: I mostly integrate a technological tool and a website an app but the reason is not to create a friendly environment. My aim is to use technology everywhere so if I’m capable of having them use a technological tool or website or whatever you call and if they are still learning why not I mean it’s not extra for me it’s a must in today’s education system but in my opinion.
His goal is to enhance the educational process and equip pupils for the digital age by stressing the usage of websites, apps, and technical tools. His position is in line with contemporary educational trends, which emphasize the use of technology in energizing pupils and promoting learning.
The third theme for the teaching implementations is project-based learning, which is seen to promote active learning, problem-solving, collaboration, and the practical application of knowledge, thereby making it a useful and efficient approach for equipping students for contemporary challenges. Examining the interview transcript, we see that Participant 1 discussed how she incorporates technology-based project work into her classes. She said as follows:
I think using tech based project work it is really effective and I generally integrate it into my courses how I generally divide my students into groups I give them a specific topic or sometimes students are required to decide on a specific topic and as a whole group they carry out a short small research on the relevant topic later ss are required to produce an end product this can be a kind of report or generally I want my students to make presentations as a whole group.
Students’ comprehension and communication abilities are strengthened via the process of conducting research and creating a final output, such a report or presentation. This strategy fits in nicely with the growth of 21st-century abilities including critical thinking, digital literacy, and teamwork.
It is evident that participant 2 implements project-based learning strategies in her classroom. She reported that:
Actually, I tried to give them some project-based tasks in this way they learn how to work collaboratively and while doing things they shared the duties and by doing this also so they should use technology to reach the info, separately I mean, that’s my answer actually ı try to use some project-based task.
She explains how project-based learning (PBL) is used to educate pupils how to work together. The method places a strong emphasis on knowledge application in the real world and active learning, two of PBL’s main advantages.
Participant 13 similarly emphasizes project-based learning, but from a different angle, stressing the value of implementing it in the classroom and the necessity of project work. She said In my opinion, project work is essential and must be assigned, but how should we implement it? It should not be done at home; project work should be completed in the classroom. Our students are different from American students. When given take-home exams, American students typically complete them independently at home. However, our students do not collaborate effectively on homework projects. Therefore, many project assignments should be given, but they must be done in the school environment so that they can be properly assessed.
She draws attention to the ways in which her pupils’ teamwork and autonomous work habits differ from those of other nations.
Beyond project-based learning, there has been an excessive amount of discussion throughout the interviews on collaboration as one of the 21st century’s fundamental talents. The application that Participant 3 possesses is a subject of her research study. She emphasized how they integrated collaborative writing into their teaching methodology and the topic of her research. She clarified by saying:
Actually, my masters was about collaborative writing in my studies so I designed a program on how to say a lesson plan related to them. I had 10 lessons and I arranged five of them as individual writing activities and the others as group work activities so I compared my students’ responses and their writing skills improvement. So I use that to check whether my students learn or understand the concept related to Collaborative Learning or not and its effect on their writing.
She tried to examine the impact of collaborative learning on students’ writing abilities by breaking the curriculum up into solo and group writing assignments. It’s a useful application of research results in the classroom that offers insightful knowledge about instructional strategies and how they affect students’ learning.
Participant 5 defines a teaching strategy that encourages cooperation through a variety of activities and highlights the significance of 21st-century skills in education. She made the following observation:
Of course most of the time the activities are not as I told before they’re not directly about these 21st century skills but we always want them to work together and we always give them projects or they design something or they design a presentation together. And they use technology and these kind of collaboration skills and also they use technology and all kinds of activities and tasks are related with these kinds of skills I guess.
She emphasizes the need of teaching students 21st-century skills and provides an approach to teaching that subtly develops these abilities through a variety of activities. Even if they aren’t formally called that, projects and presentations naturally encourage teamwork, critical thinking, and digital literacy.
“Other than that we have problem solving exercises or activities where they have to work together in groups so that is gonna be teamwork and collaboration.” says Participant 9, focusing on the use of problem-solving activities as a strategy to encourage teamwork and collaboration among students. Students are encouraged to collaborate, exchange ideas, and come up with answers through these kinds of projects. Through the incorporation of these activities into the curriculum, she offers pupils the chance to acquire crucial 21st-century competencies within an applicable framework. It exemplifies a successful teaching method that develops critical thinking and communication skills in addition to teamwork.
Participant 11 provides an example of how he uses writing assignments to encourage student collaboration. He serves as an example of it:
For example collaboration I asked them most of the time after reading listening sometimes speaking if I have extra time instead of covering extra grammar extra vocabulary extra reading, I ask them to write collaboratively. like I group them and then they write together thanks to that one they can also learn from each other. They can see each other’s mistakes and they can comment on each other and this is an example of my way of improving collaboration.
Students can discover faults, learn from their colleagues, and give constructive comments when they are assigned collaborative writing tasks. In addition to promoting teamwork, he also improves writing abilities and fosters peer education.
Participant 13 emphasizes teamwork and recognizes that it can be difficult for students to work together successfully, especially in a time when technology is widely used for solitary learning. She spoke as follows:
I can do something about being collaborative because they may not know how to share this how to work together maybe until because if you are studying alone via technology you are alone, no need to anyone to study with you or they are some applications for example it makes you creative ı can but they don’t know how to be collaborative so ı can help them to work together to work in group to think together so ı can do this with different activities.
She suggests using a variety of activities to assist children in developing the collaborative skills they need, acknowledging the significance of doing so. This demonstrates her proactive attitude to meeting the needs of her pupils and advocating for teamwork as a crucial component of education. Including cooperative learning activities can improve students’ communication, cooperation, and overall learning experience.
Participant 15 highlights how crucial it is to take into account the requirements of each student and include teamwork into a variety of in-class activities. He declared that: In terms of collaboration when there is an activity to do in class I always design the activities considering the needs of students and by asking them when we are conducting an activity it is not only say reading it is not only a reading activity I but I tried to collaborate reading activity with some other speaking activities as well.
The teacher fosters active involvement and conversation among students by introducing collaborative aspects into various work types, such as speaking activities in addition to reading. By doing this, she encourages a more welcoming and active learning atmosphere where kids may advance their linguistic and collaboration abilities at the same time.
This study looked at the various methods that EFL teachers use to include 21st century skills into their lessons. Four crucial themes were found by the analysis: Skills Integration, Technology, Project-based Learning, and Collaboration.
Integrating Skills into Teaching entails incorporating vital abilities like communication, creativity, and critical thinking right into language instruction. According to Eaton [21], rote learning, memory, and grammar should no longer be the main emphasis of an EFL classroom. Instead, it ought to be seen as a place where people can learn how to interact with people all over the world by using their language skills and cultural understanding. Eaton [21] contends that this makes a case for a field that has been reconceived to be more technologically advanced, learner-centered, and collaborative. In the process of rethinking the EFL classroom, educators have the option to utilize fresh and creative frameworks and methods. Teachers do this by using a variety of techniques, such as exercises in creative writing, corpus analysis for vocabulary development, and learner podcasts for speaking practice according to the results of this study. According to Davila [22], the 4Cs may transform an ordinary grammar lesson into a remarkable experience where teachers actively facilitate learning and students develop into motivated, self-directed learners who are nonetheless able to complete tasks within the parameters of the curriculum. These abilities, which are actually the ones that will determine our students’ future success, are projected to be their capacity to be self-reliant, inquisitive people.
According to Halversen [23], assignments that require students to conduct research, discuss or debate the issue with peers, as well as write about what they learn can readily engage all four language skills. These assignments also don’t call for a high degree of English ability. Even at lower intermediate levels, students are capable of conducting simple research and engaging in insightful conversations with peers about actual problems. They can work in groups to develop their communication, creative, critical thinking, and teamwork abilities by participating in discussions, short filmmaking, interviewing, comparing statistical data, acting in plays, preparing presentations, and trying to discover answers to specific problems. Lessons in EFL classrooms can be constructed using a cross-curricular framework and can take on different dimensions in order to improve 4C skills. That’s why, teacher has the role of preparing the learners by teaching students how to be critical thinkers and problem solvers; to collaborate with others and value teamwork; to be creative and innovative to find different ways to tackle problems and not be afraid of taking risks; to be successful communicators in real-world circumstances, both through speech and in writing [24].
For Technology Integration, in today’s EFL classrooms, technology is heavily utilized. Teachers use resources such as blogs, Google Classroom, and YouTube videos to raise student interest, encourage self-direction, and teach them important digital skills. Additionally, they promote the safe use of technology for assignments like group writing projects and pronunciation checks. Owing to the quick development of technology, a lot of educators think that using information and communication technology (ICT) may help and improve students’ learning [25].
Siregar et al. [26] put forward that the rapid growth of information and technology was the primary factor in 21st-century learning, which enabled them to give students more in-depth training. Furthermore, they thought that the phrase “21st-century pedagogical competence” largely focused on how educators incorporate technology into the classroom and encourage students’ creativity because there are so many easily accessible information sources that enhance students’ competency. In a similar vein, Barrot [27] suggested in his research that social media has the potential to be a valuable tool for language learning. It is also an effective tool for teaching and learning languages since it gives students a fun and relaxed setting in which to hone their language abilities.
The other finding of this research which is Project-Based Learning method gives students the chance to put their knowledge and abilities to use using projects. These cooperative projects, which frequently use technology, promote cooperation, critical thinking, and problem-solving according to the results of this study. In addition, The relationship between PBL and the development of 21st-century abilities has a solid foundation in the literature. According to the study’s findings, prior research [28] has demonstrated the potential to enhance students’ 21st-century skills. Similarly, Bell [29] highlights how PBL helps students develop the skills they’ll need to succeed in the twenty-first century. It emphasizes how PBL supports inquiry-based, group-based, and creative learning among students, which eventually results in the development of technology, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities. In addition, Talat and Chaudhry’s study [30] looks at how project-based learning (PBL) and 21st century skills affect students’ competitiveness and creativity in Lahore’s private schools. The findings demonstrate that students’ creativity and competitiveness are positively impacted by the 21st century abilities incorporated into the PBL framework. Personal growth has the least impact on creativity and competitiveness compared to social development.
According to Stauffacher et al. [31], the teacher becomes a process manager rather than a knowledge distributor, assisting students in the process of learning by starting reflection processes and providing them with substantive matter support when needed. Actually, in PBL, students engage in a series of activities to address a real-world issue and produce a final product. These activities include creating original inquiries, organizing their research, planning their learning, putting various learning strategies into practice, and assessing their projects. Accordingly, the teacher’s role here is very prominent. According to author, a teacher should not act as the wise man on stage but rather as a mentor at the students’ side, letting them make decisions and working with them to explore difficult subjects and real-world difficulties. Additionally, he or she should be able to include the students in worthwhile learning activities where they may produce something and discuss the issues with one another. That’s why, PBL offers a great chance to both 21st century learners and 21st century teachers. All in all, Studies indicate that PBL is an effective method for helping students acquire 21st century abilities. PBL promotes critical thinking, teamwork, problem-solving, communication, creativity, and innovation—all necessary skills for success in the twenty-first century—by offering a student-centered and dynamic learning environment.
A key component of education in the twenty-first century is collaborative learning. Through a variety of activities, such as group presentations, online debates, and shared document editing, instructors promote collaboration. Elola and Oskoz [32] claim that when cooperation is incorporated into learning activities, students are able to develop their own ideas more successfully than when they study alone. Students had the chance to discuss ideas and points of view with their peers in this setting, and by doing so, they were able to get inspiration for their work. Students working together also provide them the opportunity to assess how accurately they capitalized, spelled, used grammar, and punctuated the sentences they created.
Overall, a variety of approaches are being used by EFL teachers to include technology, project-based learning, and cooperative learning into their classes. By encouraging the development of critical 21st-century skills, these methods help students get ready for the challenges of the contemporary world. The role of the instructor is also changing, with an increasing focus on encouraging student learning and developing their skills.
This research article has been derived from the PhD dissertation of the first author, titled “EFL instructors’ self-perception of 21st century skills and the role of these skills in teaching and assessment procedures”, which was supervised by the second author.