The Investigation of the 2018 Life Studies Curriculum and Practices to Provide Students with 21 st Century Skills

Abstract

The present study examined the 2018 Life Studies curriculum (LSC) and its practices, which has been in implementation in Turkey, to provide the students with 21st century skills.For this purpose in mind, the 2018 LSC curriculum was scrutinized together with the Life Studiestextbooks recommended by the Ministry of National Education for the first, second, and third graders in the 2020-2021 academic year. The study adopted document analysis, one of the qualitative research methods, and employed descriptive analysis technique in data analysis.Partnership21 framework was used as the frame of reference in addressing research data.As a result, the 2018 LSClearning outcomes and the texts and activities in the Life Studies textbooks were found to aimat developing critical thinking and problem-solving to the most, and collaboration to the least among learning and innovation skills. In terms of the information, media, and technology skills, the LSC focused on improving information literacy to the most, and information, communications, and technology (ICT)literacy to the least. It was also determined that the curriculum and the textbooks ignored the learning outcomes and activities to improve students’ media literacy skills.Moreover, the LSC attempted to promote flexibility and adaptability to the most, and productivity and accountability to the least with regard to life and career skills. However, it was concluded that there was an overall harmony between the learning outcomes in the curriculum and the activities in the textbooks in developing 21st century skills.In other words, it was ascertained that both the learning outcomes and the activities and texts in the textbooks simultaneously intended to develop similar 21stcentury skills.