Development of a twenty-first century skills curriculum through the flipped learning approach

Abstract This study aimed to develop a 21st Century Skills Curriculum for undergraduate programs at education faculties, foster awareness of teacher candidates towards 21st century skills within the scope of the curriculum, and ensure that they attach importance to these skills in every part of their lives. The study employed a concurrent mixed-methods design as both quantitative and qualitative methods were used together. In this context, a curriculum development study was carried out for education faculties to be implemented in the spring semester of the 2021–2022 academic year. Following a detailed needs analysis process, the philosophy, structure, and objectives of the curriculum were determined based on learning in the 21st century and the flipped learning approach. Then, the aims, content, teaching-learning processes, and evaluation processes of the curriculum were created. Afterwards, it was implemented with the teacher candidates in an elective course within a faculty of education and evaluated. Data were collected using multiple tools: document analysis (for contextual and needs analysis), the 21st Century Competencies Inventory (used as both pre- and post-test), and three interview forms and diaries developed by the researchers. The findings revealed that the teacher candidates demonstrated an increased awareness and acquisition of 21st-century skills following the curriculum implementation. Furthermore, the results supported the effectiveness of the flipped learning approach in facilitating the development of these competencies. The study concluded by recommending broader integration of the curriculum in teacher education and further research into instructional methods for teaching 21st-century skills.