Abstract:

The present study aims to explore the views of students (with or without immigrant background) about the cultivation of 21st century skills. An urgent educational aim is to support students to develop life-long learning skills (i.e. communication and collaboration, problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, self-regulation learning and social awareness skills) useful both in educational and in personal or work contexts. Previous research has focused mainly on pre-service or in-service teachers’ views about students’ life-long learning skills or make pilot interventions to cultivate them. But studies with students’ point of view are scarce. The quantitative paradigm of research was followed. Data were collected via questionnaire and statistical analysis was applied. The participants were five hundred fifty-one (551) students of Year-6 and Year-9 with or without immigrant background. The outcomes showed that students value 21st century skills as significant for their life but they seem to have cultivated them at a moderate level. Statistically significant differences were observed between students with or without immigrant background in skill of communication and collaboration and in skills of self- regulated learning. Moreover, there is a strong correlation among these six skills and the cultivation of the one may improve the others. The beforementioned findings promote the discussion of 21st century skills in education and its crucial role in students' life overcoming inequalities. They are discussed further as a whole curriculum reform towards a more personal-centered students’ holistic development in a school context which offers equal opportunities to all in order to foster life-long learning.

Keywords:

21st century skills, students, life-long learning, cross-curricular skills.