The relationship between 21st century skills and teaching-learning perspectives of teacher candidates who will teach science courses

In today's world, education systems aim not only to equip individuals with academic knowledge but also to enable them to acquire 21st-century skills. This study seeks to examine teacher candidates' perceptions of their competencies in 21st-century skills and the relationship between these skills and their teaching-learning perspectives. The study group consists of valid data from 319 out of 320 teacher candidates (270 female, 49 male) studying in the elementary education and science education departments at a university in the Western Black Sea region during the 2023-2024 academic year. The data collection instruments include the Teaching-Learning Perspectives Scale, adapted to Turkish culture, and the 21st-Century Skills Competency Perception Scale, developed in Turkey. The findings indicate that teacher candidates perceive themselves as competent in 21st-century skills. The study analyzes teacher candidates' perceptions of 21st-century skills and their teaching-learning perspectives based on gender, grade level, and department. The results show that teacher candidates tend to adopt a constructivist approach, scoring higher on it compared to the traditional approach. This can be interpreted as a reflection of the emphasis on the constructivist approach in modern education systems. Significant differences were identified in subdimensions of 21st-century skills—such as learning and innovation, life and career skills, and information, media, and technology skills—between elementary and science teacher candidates. Additionally, in terms of grade level, second- and fourth-year teacher candidates demonstrated higher competency perceptions overall.