How pre-service teachers perceive their 21st-century skills and dispositions: A longitudinal perspective

Research-based discussions about 21st-century skills are currently needed; 21st-century skills refer to skills that
today’s students are expected to possess for successful future careers. The ways students perceive these skills or
what kind of dispositions they have in this regard are significant. This paper provides an overview of the
development of pre-service teachers’ perceived 21st-century skills and dispositions. The quantitative data was
collected in three phases during 2014, 2015, and 2016 at three Finnish universities. The number of respondents
at each measurement point varied from 209 to 267. Data were analysed using latent growth curve modeling. The
study focuses on students’ perceptions of three areas related to 21st-century skills: learning skills, collaboration
dispositions, and skills to use ICT. The results show that the three areas evolved in different ways. Learning skills
and collaboration dispositions show up as yearly assessments that remain at the same level, with small differences
among respondents, unlike skills to use ICT with bigger yearly changes. The measured areas also appear as
separate entities throughout the bachelor’s studies, with small or non-significant correlations. These results
reveal important new perspectives on how pre-service teachers perceive 21st-century skills and how perceptions
evolve during teacher education.