Examination of 21st century skills of secondary school students according to various variables

The study aims to analyze the extent to which middle school students have 21st century skills and the level to which these skills differ according to certain variables. A mixed method was used to collect data; quantitative and qualitative data were evaluated separately. The quantitative study group of the study consists of 3522 students studying in public and private middle schools in the province of Sakarya in the 2023-2024 academic year. In the qualitative dimension, a case study design was adopted, easily accessible case sampling was used in the data collection process. In this direction, interviews were conducted with 15 students from different middle schools, representing different grade levels and school types. According to the findings based on the quantitative data of the research, it was seen that the students generally exhibited moderate proficiency in 21st century skills. It was observed that there were statistically significant differences among the students depending on the variables of gender, receiving pre-school education, grade level, and participation in social activities. According to the qualitative findings of the research, the students had positive personal perceptions regarding problem solving, communication, cooperation, harmony and adaptation, use of technology, information literacy and learning skills; It was observed that they had a negative personal perception for creative thinking skills.