TEACHERS PERCEIVED PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICES REGARDING 21ST-CENTURY LEARNING AND INNOVATION SKILLS AT THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL: A DIAGNOSTIC STUDY

Abstract

The research examined the perceived pedagogical practices in terms of 21st century learning and innovation skills on creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration among elementary teachers. The study design was qualitative descriptive survey and the sample size was 400 teachers, stratified random sampling method was also used in selecting the teachers who were picked randomly across the public and private schools of District Gujrat. A self-developed questionnaire (structured after completion) was used to collect data and the statistical analysis was done using descriptive statistics and gap analysis. The results indicated that communication was the area that had been worked on by the teachers most compared to all the other domains. Critical thinking was the least well-developed area. There was a moderate level of creativity and collaboration, with integration only partially taking place into classroom practices. Gap analysis also revealed high levels of differences between actual and ideal pedagogical practices, especially with regard to elements of critical thinking, collaboration and creativity. The variations between schools of different types and genders were not too important, meaning that special interventions are necessary across the board. On the basis of these findings, the study suggests professional development opportunities targeting the development of critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration as the effective ways of adopting 21st-century skills in early classrooms. The research can be useful to educators, policymakers, and school administrators and help them to enhance the teaching process in order to align it with the current needs of education.