An examination of the relationship between teachers' instruction of 21st century skills, professional self-efficacy, and motivation

This study aims to examine the relationships between the instruction of 21st-century skills, self-efficacy, and professional motivation among teachers working in schools affiliated with the Ministry of National Education. This research aimed to assess teachers' competencies across three key domains and explore the relationships among them. A correlational survey model, one of the quantitative research methods, was employed in this study. The data were collected during the 2023-2024 academic year from a total of 261 teachers, comprising 158 females and 103 males, working in schools under the Ministry of National Education. The validity and reliability of the scales employed in the study were examined through SPSS software. For the evaluation of the scale data, the skewness-kurtosis values and the results of the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test were examined to assess the normality of the results. Spearman correlation analysis was applied to determine the relationships among the scales used. The data collection instruments included the "21st Century Skills Teaching Scale" developed by Özyurt (2020), the "Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale" developed by Schmitz and Schwarzer (2000) and adapted into Turkish by Yılmaz, Köseoğlu, Gerçek, and Soran (2004), and the "Teacher Professional Motivation Scale" developed by Karabağ Köse, Karataş, Küçükçene, and Taş (2020). The findings indicate significant relationships between teachers' 21st-century skills, professional self-efficacy, and motivation. The analysis results demonstrate that teachers possess a high level of awareness regarding 21st-century skills and exhibit competence in imparting these skills to students. Moreover, it has been established that teachers' perceptions of self-efficacy have a substantial influence on their professional motivation. Teachers with higher levels of professional self-efficacy also display greater motivation, which, in turn, contributes positively to educational outcomes. In light of these findings, it is recommended that professional development programs be reinforced to further enhance teachers' 21st-century skills and that strategies aimed at strengthening their self-efficacy perceptions be systematically implemented.