Abstract:

In the 21st Century, the usage and development of technology brings many challenges and opportunities, especially for university students who have been improving their technological fluency, digital literacy, and innovative problem-solving skills. This study aims to examine the effects of the effective usage and the development of the technology as 21st Century skills on the university students’ self-confidence. Additionally, this research study provides a deep understanding of how higher education also helps students in gaining 21st Century skills in this highly challenging and competitive world.
In this study, both quantitative and qualitative methodologies were used to gather and analyze the data. By giving a survey to university students from various disciplines at the Faculty of Education, the quantitative data were collected. Then, semi-structured interviews were conducted and participatory observations were done. In that way, the effects of the effective usage and the development of the technology as 21st Century skills on the university students’ self-confidence were studied under these sub-subjects: (1) the level of the digital literacy among the university students as the skills to use digital tools and platforms effectively, (2) the level of technological fluency as the skills to code, program, AI and machine learning, (3) the level of innovation and creativity as the skills to utilize technology and to solve real-world problems, (4) the level of technology usage as the skills to have critical thinking and problem-solving, and (5) the level of self-confidence as the skills to communicate effectively and to participate in digital teamwork and collaborations.
The findings showed that the majority of students (97%) declared that they were not really proficient in basic digital literacy, and they had serious concerns about advanced technologies and skills like coding or AI understanding. Moreover, despite high engagement with technology, many students failed to use their full potential for problem-solving and innovation. Furthermore, while most of the students (66%) generally showed good online communication, the effective use of technology for academic collaboration was significantly low. According to the collected and analyzed data, the level of the digital literacy among the university students as the skills to use digital tools and platforms effectively was around 32%. Moreover, the level of technological fluency such as the skills to code, program, AI and machine learning was much lower than expected (12%). The level of innovation and creativity such as the skills to utilize technology and to solve real-world problems, on the other hand, was high (45%) compared to other levels. Furthermore, the level of technology usage such as the skills to critically think and problem-solve was also low (41%). Finally, the level of self-confidence such as the skills to communicate effectively and to participate in digital teamwork and collaborations was lower than expected (43%).
This study illuminated significant insights into the current educational landscape's successes and shortcomings in fostering 21st Century as the effective usage and the development of the technology among the university students’ self-confidence. Additionally, this study showed the urgent need for educational reforms aimed at enhancing technological fluency and innovative problem-solving to improve the self-confidence of the university students.

Keywords:

Effective Usage of Technology, Development of Technology, 21st Century Skills, Self-Confidence, Higher Education, University Students