The Implementation of 21st-Century Skills- Barriers and Instructor Views

The implementation of 21st-century skills in EFL settings is essential, considering their transferability into real-life settings. However, research indicates that there are barriers to implementing these skills within educational systems, including the inadequacy of teacher training and digital tools, as well as the challenge of transitioning to student-centered pedagogies. Therefore, this study aims to identify the obstacles to implementing 21st-century skills in tertiary-level EFL settings in Türkiye. An online pilot survey, adapted from the UNESCO Bangkok Office's (2016) work on transversal competencies, was conducted at a foundation university's school of foreign languages in Istanbul, Türkiye. The participants (n = 18) were selected using convenience sampling for this quantitative study. According to the findings, implementing these skills in classroom practices may be challenging due to the emphasis on academic achievement, the lack of clarity in defining 21st-century skills, the absence of practical guidance, and insufficient community awareness. Most of the participants (n = 13) stated that schools should be the primary source for students to acquire these skills and that they have sufficient training to help their students do so, although the modality of the training could be modified. While the participants claim to possess the necessary knowledge about technology use, they lack awareness of ICT literacy as a 21st-century skill. In light of the findings, the content they need to cover may be reduced, allowing them to allocate more time and effort to implementing 21st-century skills into classroom practices. In addition, the curriculum designers should increase the intensity of instructor-guided group and individual projects to ensure the implementation and acquisition of 21st-century skills.