Evaluation the 21st century skills of secondary school students according to different variables

In the age of innovations, from smartphones to computers and other technological tools used, almost every day, people need to update their interests and skills almost as often. The technological age, which is advancing at a dizzying pace, expects people to improve themselves in many areas from education to life order. Secondary education is the educational age in which gaining skills, turning to interests and being open to innovations are most actively experienced. The aim of this research is to determine the level of 21st century skills of secondary school students and to evaluate the skills they have in terms of gender, school type, grade level, field/branch, parent education status and profession, number of siblings, and technological devices they have. The research is a descriptive study in scanning model. The research group of the study was determined from the students who continue their education in high schools in Altındağ district of Ankara province. Purposive sampling was used primarily as a sample selection method. Altındağ district, which is one of the districts with the lowest socio-economic level in Ankara, has been determined. Appropriate sampling method was used to determine the 299 students who would voluntarily participate in the study. In the study, the "Multidimensional 21st Century Skills Scale" developed by Çevik & Şentürk was used to evaluate the 21st century skills of secondary school students. Data analysis was done with SPSS program. In the study, the scale scores were calculated and the kurtosis and skewness coefficients were examined to determine the conformity of the scores to the normal distribution. Parametric test techniques were used in the study due to the normal distribution of scores. ANOVA test was used to analyze the variation of the scale score according to demographic characteristics. In addition, the Pearson correlation test was used in the relationship between the scores. In line with the results, it was determined that the average score of critical thinking and problem solving skills among the groups with different school types was the highest in Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School students, while it was the lowest in Science High School students. When the results in terms of differences in mother's education level were examined, it was determined that the average score of critical thinking and problem-solving skills was the highest in those whose mothers were primary school graduates, and the average score of those who graduated from high school was the lowest.