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NARRATIVE LITERATURE REVIEW ON GLOBAL SKILLS AND
DIGITAL LITERACY PERCEPTIONS OF EFL STUDENTS
Melis Kızılay
B.A. S uden , Facul y o Educa ion, Fo eign Languages Depa men ,
Fı a Uni e si y, Elazığ, Tu key
Suheyla Demi kol O ak
Ass . P o . D . Facul y o Educa ion, Fo eign Languages Depa men ,
Fı a Uni e si y, Elazığ, Tu key
h ps://doi.o g/10.5281/zenodo.17735977
Abs ac : This na a i e li e a u e e iew examined he in e sec ion o 21s -cen u y skills and
digi al li e acy among p e-se ice English language eache s wi hin he e ol ing landscape o
echnology-in eg a ed educa ion unde he ame o he 2209-A S uden P ojec s suppo ed by
TUBİTAK. D awing on global and na ional schola ship, he e iew syn hesized empi ical and
heo e ical pe spec i es o iden i y how English language eache educa ion p og ams os e ed
compe ence in c ea i i y, collabo a ion, communica ion, c i ical hinking, and digi al li e acy. The
analysis showed ha 21s -cen u y skills we e concep ualized as a mul idimensional cons uc
encompassing cogni i e, social, and echnological dimensions. Resea ch conduc ed be ween 2018
and 2024 consis en ly e ealed ha p e-se ice eache s demons a ed mode a e- o-high pe cep ions
o hei 21s -cen u y skills bu exhibi ed une en de elopmen ac oss digi al li e acy sub-dimensions
such as in o ma ion e alua ion, online collabo a ion, and digi al con en c ea ion. S udies om
Tü kiye sugges ed ha while eache candida es had posi i e a i udes owa d educa ional echnology,
gaps pe sis ed in pedagogical in eg a ion and e lec i e digi al p ac ice. The li e a u e u he
indica ed ha gende , academic yea , and p io echnological expe ience occasionally in luenced
pe cep ions o digi al compe ence. O e all, he e iew concluded ha digi al li e acy unc ioned as
bo h a co e componen and an enable o 21s -cen u y skill de elopmen . S eng hening digi al
li e acy wi hin eache educa ion was he e o e essen ial o cul i a e globally compe en , adap i e,
and inno a i e educa o s. The syn hesis highligh ed he need o con inuous p o essional
de elopmen , cu iculum edesign, and c oss-ins i u ional collabo a ion o ensu e ha u u e English
eache s could e ec i ely na iga e he demands o digi al pedagogy in he pos -pandemic e a.
Keywo ds: 21s -cen u y skills, digi al li e acy, p e-se ice eache s, ELT, eache educa ion
Expanded Summa y o he S udy
This s udy examines p e-se ice English language eache s’ pe cep ions o hei 21s -cen u y
skills and digi al li e acy. In oday’s apidly e ol ing educa ional landscape, English eache s a e
expec ed no only o mas e linguis ic and pedagogical knowledge bu also o demons a e
compe encies such as c ea i i y, c i ical hinking, collabo a ion, communica ion, in o ma ion li e acy,
digi al p oblem-sol ing, and inno a i e echnology use. As educa ion sys ems inc easingly in eg a e
digi al ools, online lea ning en i onmen s, and mul imodal esou ces, eache s’ eadiness in hese
a eas becomes c ucial. The s udy he e o e seeks o unde s and how Tu kish p e-se ice English
eache s e alua e hei p epa edness o con empo a y eaching demands and whe he hei
pe cep ions di e depending on gende , age, and yea o s udy.
The esea ch also explo es whe he 21s -cen u y skills and digi al li e acy a e ela ed, based on
heo e ical assump ions ha echnological compe ence s eng hens b oade lea ning compe encies.
Since English language educa ion o en in ol es digi al lea ning pla o ms, online communica ion,
and global in o ma ion ne wo ks, unde s anding his ela ionship is pa icula ly impo an in ELT
con ex s.
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The s udy employs a quan i a i e app oach, using alida ed scales o measu e he wo
cons uc s, and analyzes da a om 212 pa icipan s en olled in an English Language Teaching (ELT)
p og am. Findings e eal high le els o pe cei ed 21s -cen u y skills, mode a e- o-high digi al
li e acy, and a signi ican posi i e co ela ion be ween he wo cons uc s. Addi ionally, demog aphic
ac o s show limi ed impac , apa om no able di e ences in digi al li e acy based on gende and
age. The ollowing summa y syn hesizes he heo e ical backg ound, me hodology, esul s, and
implica ions o he s udy.
Backg ound and Ra ionale
Educa ional e o ms wo ldwide place inc easing emphasis on p epa ing eache s o ope a e in
complex, digi alized en i onmen s. O ganiza ions such as UNESCO, OECD, and P21 highligh he
impo ance o equipping s uden s—and he e o e hei eache s—wi h compe encies ha anscend
adi ional academic skills. Among hese compe encies a e c i ical hinking, c ea i i y, collabo a ion,
and communica ion, widely known as he “4Cs” o 21s -cen u y lea ning. Resea che s a gue ha
hese skills enable s uden s o ac i ely engage in knowledge cons uc ion, p oblem-sol ing, and
inno a ion. Fo eache s, hese compe encies a e equally impo an , as hey shape hei abili y o
design lea ne -cen e ed, inqui y-based, and cul u ally esponsi e language ins uc ion.
Digi al li e acy is ano he essen ial dimension o eache compe ence. I in ol es mo e han
basic echnical skills; i encompasses digi al communica ion, in o ma ion e alua ion, con en
c ea ion, digi al ci izenship, and he pedagogical in eg a ion o digi al ools. In ELT se ings, digi al
li e acy becomes cen al because language lea ning inc easingly elies on online ideos, mul imodal
ex s, in e ac i e so wa e, digi al assessmen s, and global communica ion ools. Teache candida es
mus he e o e lea n o design echnology-enhanced lessons, e alua e online in o ma ion c i ically,
na iga e digi al sa e y issues, and os e s uden engagemen h ough in e ac i e and mul imodal
esou ces.
P io esea ch in Tü kiye shows a ying le els o digi al li e acy and 21s -cen u y skill
compe ency among eache candida es. S udies by Anagün (2018), Bay akcı & Na manlıoğlu (2021),
and Çakanel (2024) indica e ha while s uden s o en eel con iden in communica ion and
collabo a ion skills, c i ical hinking and ICT-based eaching emain unde de eloped. The g owing
emphasis on digi al ans o ma ion, especially a e he COVID-19 pandemic, inc eases he u gency
o s eng hening eache p epa a ion p og ams and unde s anding how u u e eache s pe cei e hei
own eadiness.
This s udy con ibu es o exis ing li e a u e by examining bo h compe encies simul aneously,
analyzing hei in e ela ionship, and iden i ying demog aphic ac o s ha may in luence pe cep ions.
I p o ides cu en , da a-d i en insigh s in o he s a e o p e-se ice eache eadiness in he Tu kish
ELT con ex .
Me hodological Summa y
The s udy employs a quan i a i e desc ip i e su ey design o explo e pa icipan s’ pe cep ions.
Da a a e collec ed om 212 p e-se ice English eache candida es s udying in he 3 d o 4 h yea
o an ELT p og am. A con enience sampling me hod is used due o accessibili y and olun a y
pa icipa ion.
Ins umen s
Two alida ed scales a e used:
1. 21s Cen u y Skills Compe ence Scale
o Measu es communica ion, collabo a ion, c ea i i y, c i ical hinking, p oblem sol ing,
leade ship, and inno a ion.
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o Uses a 1–5 Like scale (1 = s ongly disag ee; 5 = s ongly ag ee).
2. Digi al Li e acy Scale
o Measu es digi al communica ion, con en c ea ion, in o ma ion li e acy, digi al
p oblem sol ing, and esponsible digi al beha io .
o Also sco ed on a 5-poin Like scale.
Be o e adminis e ing hese ins umen s, he esea che conduc s a pilo s udy, con i ming
excellen eliabili y:
• C onbach’s α = .959 o he 21s -cen u y skills scale
• C onbach’s α = .949 o he digi al li e acy scale
These coe icien s indica e ou s anding in e nal consis ency (Geo ge & Malle y, 2019),
es ablishing bo h ins umen s as eliable o he main s udy.
Da a Collec ion and E hics
E hical app o al is ob ained om he uni e si y’s social sciences e hics commi ee and he
Minis y o Na ional Educa ion. Pa icipan s a e in o med abou he olun a y na u e o he s udy,
con iden iali y, and hei igh o wi hd aw a any ime. An online ques ionnai e is dis ibu ed o
ensu e accessibili y and anonymi y.
Da a Analysis
Da a a e analyzed using SPSS h ough:
Desc ip i e s a is ics
Reliabili y es s
Pea son co ela ion
Independen samples - es s
One-way ANOVA
These s a is ical me hods allow he esea che o in es iga e o e all pe cep ions, ela ionships
be ween a iables, and g oup di e ences ac oss gende , age, and yea o s udy.
Findings Summa y
Pe cep ions o 21s -Cen u y Skill Compe encies
Pa icipan s epo high pe cep ions o 21s -cen u y skills (M = 4.00, SD = 0.53). They pe cei e
hemsel es as pa icula ly s ong in communica ion, collabo a ion, c ea i i y, and c i ical hinking.
This sugges s ha he ELT p og am os e s hese undamen al compe encies e ec i ely.
Pe cep ions o Digi al Li e acy
Pa icipan s display mode a e- o-high digi al li e acy (M = 3.79, SD = 0.68). They a e con iden
in gene al echnology use bu less con iden in ad anced digi al con en c ea ion and pedagogical
echnology in eg a ion. This indica es a need o mo e s uc u ed digi al-pedagogy aining.
Rela ionship Be ween he Two Compe encies
A s a is ically signi ican posi i e co ela ion exis s be ween 21s -cen u y skills and digi al
li e acy: (210) = .27, p < .001
This inding suppo s he heo e ical iew ha digi al li e acy is a co e componen o 21s -
cen u y lea ning. Teache candida es who eel mo e digi ally compe en also end o epo s onge
collabo a ion, c ea i i y, and p oblem-sol ing skills.
Demog aphic Di e ences
• Gende :
o No signi ican di e ence in 21s -cen u y skills
o Males epo highe digi al li e acy (p = .009)
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• Yea o s udy:
o No signi ican di e ence o ei he compe ency
• Age:
o Digi al li e acy di e s signi ican ly by age (p = .009)
o Olde pa icipan s epo highe digi al li e acy
These esul s sugges ha demog aphic ac o s in luence digi al compe ence mo e s ongly han
he b oade skill se .
Discussion and Implica ions
The indings e eal ha p e-se ice English eache s in Tü kiye gene ally eel well-p epa ed in
21s -cen u y compe encies such as communica ion, collabo a ion, and c i ical hinking. This aligns
wi h global li e a u e emphasizing he g owing impo ance o hese skills in eache p epa a ion
p og ams. Howe e , he mode a e digi al li e acy sco es unde sco e ongoing challenges in digi al
pedagogy aining.
The signi ican ela ionship be ween 21s -cen u y skills and digi al li e acy ein o ces
heo e ical amewo ks ha place digi al compe ence a he cen e o mode n educa ion. As eache s
inc easingly ope a e in digi al lea ning en i onmen s, he abili y o e alua e in o ma ion,
communica e online, and c ea e digi al con en becomes essen ial o os e ing c ea i i y,
collabo a ion, and p oblem-sol ing in lea ne s.
Demog aphic pa e ns highligh a eas o in e en ion. The gende gap in digi al li e acy
sugges s ha a ge ed suppo o emale eache candida es may help educe con idence dispa i ies.
Simila ly, he highe digi al li e acy among olde pa icipan s implies ha exposu e o p o essional
o academic echnological expe iences enhances eadiness.
Teache educa ion p og ams should he e o e:
• In eg a e s uc u ed digi al pedagogy cou ses
• P o ide hands-on ICT wo kshops and digi al con en c ea ion aining
• Encou age e lec i e echnology in eg a ion du ing eaching p ac icum
• Suppo digi al equi y h ough access and aining oppo uni ies
Conclusion
This s udy p o ides an up- o-da e pic u e o p e-se ice English eache s’ eadiness o 21s -
cen u y eaching demands. While he esul s show s ong pe cei ed compe ence in ounda ional
skills, digi al li e acy eme ges as an a ea equi ing u he a en ion. The posi i e co ela ion be ween
he wo cons uc s emphasizes ha s eng hening digi al compe ence can con ibu e o b oade
p o essional eadiness. The indings call o cu iculum en ichmen , a ge ed p o essional
de elopmen , and long- e m in eg a ion o digi al pedagogy wi hin ELT p og ams in Tü kiye.
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