The Relationship Between Students' 21st-Century Skills and Academic Performance in Science and Mathematics - Research Article

Oct 15, 2026

A relational survey investigates the association between high school students’ 21st-century skills and academic performance in mathematics and science. The study includes 596 students and applies descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and simple partial regression. Results show students’ 21st-century skills are above the intermediate level, with no significant differences across high school types in most dimensions beyond critical thinking and problem-solving. Critical thinking and problem-solving differ by school type, and overall 21st-century skills significantly relate to academic achievement. Information and technology literacy, critical thinking and problem-solving, entrepreneurship and innovation, and overall scores can predict performance, while social responsibility and career awareness cannot.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages19

Reading Time48 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Keywords

Introduction

Background: 21st-century skills and global change

Classifications of 21st-century skills (P21 and others)

Need for education reform and links to economic development

The Relationship Between Students' 21st-Century Skills and Academic Performance in Science and Mathematics Mehmet AkifBİRCAN1 Sivas Cumhuriyet University Emrah AKMAN2 Ordu University Abstract This study aimed to reveal a relationship between high school students' 21st-century skills and academic performance in mathematics and science courses. The research was designed in a relational survey model. In the study group, there were 596 students. Descriptive statistics, the one-way analysis of variance, the Pearson correlation test, and simple partial regression analyzed the research data. As a result of the research, it was concluded that the 21st-century skills of high school students are above the intermediate level. It is also revealed that there is no significant difference between the dimensions other than critical thinking and problem-solving of 21st-century skills scores according to the type of high school. According to high school type, a difference was found in the dimension of critical thinking and problem-solving. It has been concluded that there is a significant relationship between the 21st-century skills scores of high school students and their academic performances in science and mathematics courses. Information and technology literacy, critical thinking and problem-solving, entrepreneurship and innovation skills, and 21st-century skills overall scores could be used to predict academic performances in science and mathematics courses. The other variables like social responsibility and career awareness cannot predict academic performances in science and mathematics courses concerning this study. Keywords: High school students, 21st-century skills, math, science, academic performance DOI: 10.29329/epasr.2023.525.13 Submitted:14 September 2022 Accepted: 25 February 2023 Published: 08 March 2023 1Assist. Prof., Faculty of Education, Sivas Cumhuriyet University, Sivas, Turkey, ORCID: 0000-0003-2442-0600 [Correspondence](Correspondence: mehmetakifbircan@cumhuriyet.edu.tr)[: mehmetakifbircan@cumhuriyet.edu.tr](Correspondence: mehmetakifbircan@cumhuriyet.edu.tr) 2 Assist. Prof., Faculty of Education, Ordu University, Ordu, Turkey, ORCID: 0000-0003-0637-919X, Email: [emrahakman@outlook.com.tr](emrahakman@outlook.com.tr) Introduction Today, there are changes and developments in science and technology globally at a dizzying speed. In this process of change and development, it is a matter of debate which skills individuals should have to adapt to professional and social life. For this reason, many studies are carried out, and reports are published on what these skills are in the international arena (Cansoy, 2018; Topçu &Çiftçi, 2018) . The skills that individuals need to adapt to the society and era we live in are 21st-century skills (Belet-Boyacı & Güner-Özer, 2019) . The mentioned skills are classified and defined by many different institutions and organizations (Hilliker & Loranc, 2022). For example, 21st-century skills are defined as ten different skills in four categories. These skills are categorized as (Scardamalia, Bransford, Kozma, & Quellmalz, 2012): 􀁸 Ways of thinking; creativity and innovation, critical thinking, problem-solving and decision making, leadership and metacognition for learning. 􀁸 Working tools; information and communication technology literacy, information literacy. 􀁸 Ways of working; communication and cooperation. 􀁸 Life skills; local and global citizenship, life and career, personal and social responsibility. Among these, the classification made by the Partnership for 21st-Century Skill (P21) is the most used and valid (Cansoy, 2018) . 21st-century skills are grouped as learning and innovation skills, information, media and technology skills, and life and career skills by P21 (Öğretir-Özçelik, 2018) . These skills were tabularized by Bal (2018), as in Table 1. Table 1. 21st-century skills | Main Skills | Sub-Skills | | --- | --- | | Learning and Regenerati

FAQs

What was the purpose of the study on 21st-century skills and achievement?

The study aimed to reveal the relationship between high school students’ 21st-century skills and their academic performance in mathematics and science courses.

What methods and sample size were used in the research?

A relational survey model was used with a study group of 596 high school students. The analysis applied descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and simple partial regression.

Which skill dimensions were found to predict academic performance in science and mathematics?

Information and technology literacy, critical thinking and problem-solving, entrepreneurship and innovation skills, and overall 21st-century skills scores could predict academic performance. Social responsibility and career awareness could not predict performance in this study.

Oct 15, 2026

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