Examination of technological, pedagogical content knowledge and 21st century skills of preservice primary school teachers

This study aims to examine the technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK) and 21st-century skills of preservice primary school teachers and to investigate the relationship between them. This study, which was conducted in a quantitative design, used the survey method. A total of 163 preservice primary school teachers (119 female, 44 male) studying in the primary education department of a university in a small city in the Central Anatolia region of Türkiye participated in the study. Data were collected in the spring of 2024 with the Personal Information Form, TPCK Scale, and 21st-Century Skills Self-Efficacy Perception Scale. The collected data were analyzed in the SPSS software. In this study, an independent samples t-test was used to compare normally distributed paired groups, a one-way ANOVA test was used to compare more than two-phase groups, and the Pearson's correlation test was used in the correlation analysis. As a result, it was determined that there was a moderate and significant relationship between the TPACK levels of preservice primary school teachers and their 21st-century skills self-efficacy perceptions. It was found that the TPACK levels of preservice primary school teachers did not differ according to gender, grade level, and screen time, but the technological content knowledge levels of male preservice primary school teachers were higher than female preservice primary school teachers. It was found that the 21st-century skills of preservice primary school teachers did not differ according to gender, grade level and screen time, but they differed according to the technological tools and equipment they had. In addition, it was found that there was a highly significant relationship between the technological content knowledge factor and the total score of the 21st-century skills self-efficacy perceptions and the life and career skills factor.