Future literacy skills and its relation with social studies curricula

Being able to predict future events, preparing for both positive and negative developments, and planning accordingly are closely intertwined with an individual's futures literacy skills. Futures literacy is defined as a distinct skill that enhances individuals' capacity to comprehend, envision, and apply future scenarios. To ensure that individuals cultivate futures literacy skills from a young age, they must receive education that emphasizes the cultivation of future-oriented thinking within the educational framework. As the educational process aims to equip students for the future, it not only provides a valuable opportunity to augment their existing knowledge and skills, but also to foster learning, critical thinking, and adaptability skills. In this regard, it is of utmost importance to incorporate activities that enhance futures literacy skills into the social studies curriculum, which is designed to establish connections between the past, present, and future. Conducted as a qualitative research endeavor, this study employed a grounded theory design. Within the research scope, the objective was to ascertain how the concept of the future is addressed in academic studies by categorizing findings from both domestic and international future-related research, delineate the nature of prior studies on the future, and identify misconceptions in future-oriented thinking. Aligned with this primary goal, an effort was made to construct a framework that facilitates the identification of dimensions, sub-concepts, principles, and values associated with futures literacy skills, and to correlate this framework with the Social Studies Curriculum. The data sources for this study comprised research on the concept of the future, depictions of the future, and works of science fiction. Bibliometric analysis, systematic review, and content analysis methods were employed in analyzing the research data. Based on the data gleaned from the study, a framework was formulated encompassing dimensions, sub-concepts, and skills pertaining to futures literacy skills. The research also revealed that explorations of future concepts, depictions of the future, and science fiction works contribute to the development of these facets of futures literacy skills.