Creative thinking and 21st century teaching skills as predictors of teachers' curriculum literacy competencies

Curriculum literacy is related to the basic skills and competencies that should be present in all persons who assume a role within the general circle of education. Curriculum literacy is the ability to understand, perceive, internalize and apply the basic elements that make up the program. In today's world, one of the main factors that form the development and development of societies is education. It is possible for education to fulfill this role by raising creative-thinking individuals. In the 21st century, teachers who want to support their students' learning and lead them to success need to have many skills. Successful students of the future can be provided with qualified teachers who are equipped for the 21st century. According to the results of some studies, there are several independent variables that affect teachers' educational curriculum literacy theoretically and statistically, and which are understood to be related. These variables range from higher-order thinking skills to creative thinking skills, and 21st-century teaching skills. However, no concrete studies have been reached that presents both the level to which these variables affect each other and their disclosure rates, as well as the level of their influence on educational curriculum literacy and explanation ratio data (concrete, statistical) and within the relational model as a whole in the context of its theoretical basis. The general purpose of this research is to examine the procedural level of variables creative thinking and 21st century teaching skills on educational curriculum literacy with a structural equation model and evaluate these variables descriptively. In the realization of this research, the "general survey model" was used. The study group of the research consists of 700 teachers working at secondary school level affiliated to Kepez District Directorate of National Education in Antalya in the second term of the 2022-2023 academic year. The data of the researches were obtained from the Education Curriculum literacy Perception Scale, the Creative Thinking Scale and the 21st Century Teaching Skills Scale. The data obtained between 02.04.2023 and 03.05.2023 were analyzed by using SPSS 27 and AMOS 24 package programs. By the data related to the sub-objectives of the research were analyzed by frequency, percentage, arithmetic mean, standard deviation techniques; the hypotheses of the research were analyzed by AFA, DFA and structural equation model. Regarding the sub-objectives of the research, the following results were reached: The creative thinking skill levels of the teachers related to the first sub-objective of the study were above the average. About the second sub-objective, the level of 21st century teaching skills of the teachers was found to be at a sufficient level above the average. The curriculum literacy of the teachers related to the third sub-objective was found to be at an adequate level above the average. Regarding the hypotheses of the research, teachers who have the ability to think creatively, possess 21st century teaching skills and therefore curriculum literacy skills; the creative thinking and 21st century teaching skills that teachers have, is revealed to influence significantly and express on their curriculum literacy. In other words, the ability to think creatively, teachers 21st century teaching skills have been identified as important predictors of curriculum literacy skills. Various suggestions have been developed in line with the results of the research. According to the results obtained from the research, it is important for teachers to be highly literate in the curriculum related to their field. For this reason, the concept of program development should be emphasized more in program development courses in education faculties. At the same time, studies to improve teachers' program development through in-service training and seminars should be carried out by the Ministry of Education.