Examination of teachers’ opinions on lifelong learning

Abstract

The modern world is moving towards a multifaceted and increasingly complex structure. In this process, it is foreseen that there will be a transition from an information society to a skills society and focus on the skills of the future. These skills are essential for each individual's personal growth, career advancement, work and social integration, and active citizenship. In this process, it is also important to develop skills such as creativity, critical thinking, problem solving, entrepreneurship, managing emotions, and decision making. In order to be successful and develop the skills of the future, it is of great importance to sustain lifelong learning and personal development. The aim of study is to determine the perceptions about lifelong learning of teachers who continue their postgraduate studies and have completed their postgraduate studies. The study is set up as a descriptive survey, which is a form of quantitative research. The data was collected by the "Lifelong Learning Scale" and with the necessary permissions was used. This scale includes 28 items aimed at the teacher's perception on lifelong learning. The sample of the study consists of 374 teachers working in Van province in the 2020-2021 academic year and selected using criterion sampling from purposeful sampling methods. The data obtained were analysed by descriptive statistics such as frequency and percentage are used to evaluate the demographic characteristics of the teachers and non-parametric test applications are used in the analysis of the data. According to the study's findings, the educators who took part in it all had a favourable attitude regarding the long-term sustainability of lifelong learning and demonstrated that the social and individual consequences of lifetime learning can have a long-term impact on society. Some crucial efforts can be taken to ensure that people have the skills of the age in order to create awareness about lifelong learning in accordance with the needs of the twenty-first century. Therefore, it is essential that education systems and individuals understand the importance of lifelong learning and make it a philosophy of life.