A study on the presence of 21st century skills in middle school Turkish coursebooks

The main source of the education and training process is textbooks. The main source used in Turkish education is Turkish textbooks. Turkish textbooks contribute to the functioning of the education and training process through the texts they contain. The texts in textbooks are not just letters or letter groups that can be seen with the naked eye. These texts contain skills within themselves and try to transfer these skills to individuals through concepts. The aim of this study was to determine how and how often 21st century skills are addressed in secondary school Turkish textbooks. To achieve this aim, 32 texts from various text types in 4 Turkish textbooks belonging to 4 different publishing houses, which were approved by the Ministry of National Education and used in Turkish lessons in the 2023-2024 Academic Year, were examined based on the 21st Century Skills Model determined by the Board of Education and Training. Qualitative research method was used during the examination. Descriptive analysis was used in the study based on qualitative research. The data obtained from the document analysis were presented through tables and figures. In the findings section, frequency values were presented as numerical data using graphs. Under each graph, the expressions included in the 21st century skills in the texts examined are quoted and the relationship between the quoted expressions and the relevant skill is explained and interpreted. In the conclusion section, it was concluded that literacy skills were included the most in the relevant texts, while language and communication skills were included the least. After comparing the results with similar studies conducted before, suggestions were presented regarding the subject.