Abstract:

In 2021, the Beyond Education (BE) organisation created a set of online programs with means to enhance 21st century competencies among young people. Each program was conceived considering the Four-Dimension Educational model (Fadel & Bialik, 2015) which proposes to develop the four-c’s skills, six character traits, and two meta-learning processes. Each program targets between three to five 21st century competencies from the model and was composed of an individual and a group track: In the individual track, students learnt at their own pace about the competencies proposed, through practical and reflective activities. In the collective track, the programs proposed young students to interact with other youth from different cultural backgrounds in order to solve a global challenge.

For this study, four programs were analysed: BE a Global Citizen, BE Confident, BE Organised, and BE an Entrepreneur. Seventy young students in total (M = 15.5; SD = 2.39), from different countries (​​UAE (36%), Colombia (31%), Slovakia (8%), Italy (5%), South Africa (4%), India (3%), Rwanda (3%)), finished one of the four proposed BE programs.

Outcomes of the programs were evaluated through the Competencies Compound Inventory for the 21st Century (CCI21; Celume & Maoulida, 2022) looking for evolutions in the competencies targeted by the programs. The CCI21 gives a general 21st century competencies’ score, as well as twelve dimension scores, namely: Creativity; Critical thinking; Communication; Collaboration; Mindfulness; Curiosity; Courage; Resilience; Ethics; Leadership; Metacognition; and Growth mindset.

After a year of data collection, results showed a significant improvement of general 21st century competencies in three out of the four programs evaluated ( t(22) = -3.313, p=.003; t(23)= -2.656, p =.014; t(6) = -2.827, p =.030). Moreover, when looking at the development of each competency as a dimension of the scale, all programs developed significantly at least three competencies, with Communication competency developed significantly in all four programs.

Results will be discussed in terms of the educational implications that this kind of program might have in empowering students (Reimer, 2017), as well as the impact of online learning in the development of 21st century competencies in youth, particularly regarding self-direction (Cunningham, 2010).

References:
[1] Cunningham, J. (2010). Self-Direction: A Critical Tool in Distance Learning. Common Ground Journal, 7(2), 89–100.
[2] Fadel, C., Bialik, M., & Trilling, B. (2015). Four-Dimensional Education. Center for Curriculum Redesign.
[3] Reimers, F. (2017). Empowering students to improve the world in sixty lessons. North Charleston, South Carolina: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.

Keywords:

21st century competencies, youth, online learning, communication skills.