Students’ 21st Century Skills and Practices: An Input for Teaching-Learning Standard and Policy Enhancement

Abstract

Due to increasing globalization and continuous technological advancements, the need to transform Philippine education has never been greater and more urgent. Twenty-first-century knowledge and skills have become indispensable for students to cope with the demands of this age and to spell out future success in their academic and professional endeavors. These skills not only present a new framework for a successful academic and professional career but also are tremendously important for the nation’s well-being. The nation needs a workforce with these skills to ensure competitiveness in the global economic arena. Alongside, these skills lead students to realize the importance of being a good citizen of the country by demonstrating civic engagement, critical thinking, global connection, and effective communication. This research employed a quantitative-qualitative research approach. Purposive sampling was employed as the 265 college students from 3 higher institutions in Manila City were selected based on the subject they were taking-English, Social Science, and Mathematics and Sciences. A validated self-made questionnaire was utilized to gather the needed data. Students affirmed that they highly possessed collaboration skills, multi-cultural skills, communication skills, information skills, and critical and inventive skills, but regarded themselves low in civic skills and global connection skills. Further, students esteemed their teachers as 21st-century skills facilitators, traditionally effective and technologically-adept educators. They also identified challenges like academic angst, laziness, and teachers’ shortcomings and misgivings in dealing with technology in the classroom. Students understand the importance of being information literate, technologically savvy, critical thinkers, culturally aware, worthwhile communicators, and effective collaborators. Likewise, teachers have a deep commitment to making their students think critically, work more effectively as a team, and create new ideas and innovations through the help of technology. But then, students identified challenges coming from both external and internal factors-stress and pressure, academic materials, and teachers. Finally, technology, despite its tremendous positive contributions to learning, can also become a source of the problem, cause of delay if not waste of time, and a means of exposing teacher’s lack of contingency plan in times of technological snag.