Assessment of 21st Century Competencies Science Education Lecturers Possess in Universities in Enugu State, Nigeria

This study investigated 21st-century competencies possessed by science education lecturers at the University of Nigeria Nsukka and Godfrey Okoye University Enugu. One research question and three null hypotheses guided the study, adopting a descriptive survey research design. The sample for the study comprised 67 Faculty of Science Education lecturers at the University of Nigeria Nsukka and Godfrey Okoye University Enugu. A simple random sampling technique was used to select the sample. Data was collected using a 20-item 21st-century competency questionnaire developed by the researchers. The instrument was validated by three validators in educational measurement and evaluation at the Faculty of Education, University of Nigeria Nsukka. A 0.79 coefficient of internal consistency index was for the instrument using Cronbach Alpha. The collected data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, t-test, and ANOVA statistics. Findings revealed that communication and collaboration skills are possessed by Science Education lecturers to a high extent, whereas learning and innovation skills, information literacy skills, digital literacy skills, and life career skills are possessed to a low extent. Also, there was a significant difference in the 21st-century competencies of science education lecturers based on gender, experience, and qualification. The study concluded that 21st-century competencies are vital for lecturers to thrive in modern society and recommends that tertiary institutions organize in-service hands-on workshops to teach lecturers 21st-century competencies; and lecturers should see private avenues to improve their 21st-century skills