A course design and its implementation for teacher candidates aiming at teaching 21st century skills

This study aims at developing and implementing a course design focusing on teaching of 21st century skills for teacher candidates studying at Primary School Education programs in education faculties in Turkey. Conducted through exploratory sequential mixed method design, which is one of the mixed methods in which qualitative and quantitative data are used together, the data have been analyzed by descriptive analyses in the study. While the qualitative data of the research are composed of document review and semi-structured interviews, the quantitative dimension is composed of scale development and application study. Within the scope of data collection process, MOE, Teaching Profession General Competencies, Classroom Teacher Special Field Competencies and Council of Higher Education Turkey Higher Education Competencies Framework Educational Science Basic Field Competencies were examined. In addition, by investigating whether there were direct or indirect courses aiming at teaching of 21st century skills in Primary Education programs, contents of the courses were examined. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 faculty member participants from 5 different universities. Moreover, 21st Century Skills Perceptions Scale was developed. Within the scope of the study, the course design aiming at teaching 21st century skills to prospective teachers of Primary Teacher Education Program has been developed and implemented considering the principles of modular curriculum design approach mainly based on micro-teaching activities within the framework of the philosophy of progressivism and the principles of constructivist approach.