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Access Type
WSU Access
Date of Award
January 2024
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Department
Instructional Technology
First Advisor
Ingrid Guerra-Lopez
Abstract
With the rapid changes in technology at the beginning of the 21st century came a call from Education and Business leaders to strengthen learning opportunities for students in what were called 21st Century or Workplace Transferrable Skills. These leaders collaborated globally to define and prioritize these skills in a variety of frameworks. Frequently included skills in these frameworks are Communication, Collaboration, Problem-solving, Social-intelligence, and Self-direction. These skills have also been identified as broadly sought after by employers. While not necessarily new skills academically, technology and today’s global market necessitate a redefinition of the skills to reflect current workplaces. Nearly a quarter of the way through the 21st century, however, there is very little literature regarding whether secondary teachers perceive that they are, in fact, providing opportunities for growth in these areas. This study examined the extent to which teachers perceive they provide these opportunities and the factors that influence their decision making about including them in their classroom. Using survey-based research a two-part questionnaire was designed for secondary teachers in two different states to self-report how often they incorporated 21st century skills in their classroom. Part one specifically asked about the teaching and assessing of Communication, Collaboration, Problem-solving, Social-intelligence and Self-direction. Part two utilized Gilbert’s Behavior Engineering Model to examine what workplace and individual factors influence teacher decision-making regarding these skills. The results show that teachers, regardless of education, experience, gender or age generally perceive that they provide students opportunities to develop these skills on average more than once a week. Based on the responses to part two of the questionnaire, teachers were clear that they offer these opportunities because they personally believe the skills to be important to students rather than because of workplace requirements or incentives. This study concludes that despite USA schools being focused on standardized knowledge-based testing, teachers report that they consistently offer students opportunities to develop 21st century workplace transferable skills.
Recommended Citation
Mattingly, Susan Stull, "Teacher Perspectives On The Instruction Of Workplace Transferrable 21st Century Skills In The High School Setting" (2024). Wayne State University Dissertations. 4101.
https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/oa_dissertations/4101