Investigation of the relationship between 21st century skills and social and emotional loneliness in university students

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between university students' 21st Century skills and their Social and Emotional Loneliness. Method: The research design chosen for this study, which examines the relationship between 21st century skills and social and emotional loneliness in students, is a quantitative research design. Within the scope of the research, incorrect/missing data and extreme values were removed from the scales filled out by the participants, and 507 data were included in the analysis. Participants were reached through easy accessibility method. In this study, a demographic information form was prepared to collect students' demographic information such as gender, marital status and grade level. The Multidimensional 21st Century Skills Scale was used to measure students' 21st century skills. The Social and Emotional Loneliness (SELSA-S) Scale was used to measure the students' level of social and emotional loneliness. Permission from the relevant institution was obtained before the study, participants were informed about the research and a consent form was presented. The data obtained within the scope of the research were obtained from the participants online or face to face. The data obtained from the data collection tools were analyzed with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) program. Collected data were analyzed using independent two-sample t tests, ANOVA, correlation and regression tests. Results: The results obtained showed that information and technology literacy skills (r = -.130), critical thinking and problem solving skills (r = -.120); Entrepreneurship and innovation skills (r = -.156), social responsibility and leadership skills (r = -.161) and career awareness skills (r = -.193) have a low negative and significant relationship with the feeling of social and emotional loneliness in students. showed that it is. This means that as 21st century skills increase in students, the amount of social emotional loneliness decreases. Conclusion and Suggestions: According to the results obtained, today's students are expected to have various skills. While some of these expectations are related to academic life, some are related to daily life skills. In this sense, 21st century skills are important as a factor that facilitates students' lives, and accordingly, research can be conducted on the acquisition and use of these skills and their long-term effects in different fields.