Implementation of 21st-Century Skills in General Mathematics and Its Impact on Student Performance: Bases for Developing a Self-Learning Module

<span lang="IN">Mathematics plays a crucial role in the 21<sup>st</sup> century because it emphasises logical and systematic problem-solving processes. This research evaluated the implementation of 21<sup>st</sup></span><span lang="EN-US">-</span><span lang="IN">century skills in general mathematics instruction and the mathematics performance of the Cebu Technological University San Francisco Campus students for the Academic Year 2022-2023. The study employed a descriptive-correlational research design, utilising researcher-modified questionnaires anchored from the P21 framework, which were pilot-tested, expert-reviewed, and validated. </span><span lang="EN-US">It</span><span lang="IN"> involved </span><span lang="EN-US">203</span><span lang="IN"> students and perceived a very satisfactory implementation of the 21<sup>st</sup></span><span lang="EN-US">-</span><span lang="IN">century skills</span><span lang="EN-US"> of </span><span lang="IN">critical thinking, communication, problem-solving, collaboration, and perseverance in general mathematics instruction. </span><span lang="EN-US">A</span><span lang="IN">lso</span><span lang="EN-US">, it</span><span lang="IN"> assessed the students' mathematics performance using a 30-item multiple choice test and found poor performance in all six topics. </span><span lang="EN-US">The study found a weak but statistically significant relationship</span><span lang="IN"> between the implementation of 21<sup>st</sup></span><span lang="EN-US">-</span><span lang="IN">century skills and mathematics performance. Among the skills, collaboration </span><span lang="EN-US">showed</span><span lang="IN"> the strongest positive relationship with mathematics performance,</span><span lang="EN-US"> followed by communication</span><span lang="IN">,</span><span lang="EN-US"> perseverance</span><span lang="IN">,</span><span lang="EN-US"> and critical thinking. Surprisingly,</span><span lang="IN"> problem-solving did not </span><span lang="EN-US">demonstrate</span><span lang="IN"> a significant relati</span><span lang="EN-US">o</span><span lang="IN">nship, suggesting that other factors may </span><span lang="EN-US">also influence performance. The findings emphasise the importance of these skills in improving mathematics performance and provide a foundation for the development of a contextualised self-learning module in general mathematics. Further research is recommended to validate these findings.</span>