Investigation of the 21st Century Skills of High School Students Under State Protection and Care

The aim of this study is to research the 21st century skills of high school students who are under state protection and care. To collect data, “Demographic Information Form” and “Multi-Dimensional 21st Century Skills Scale” were used In the study utilizing the survey model. The population of this study is comprised of the high school students staying in 23 different CHSs located in 12 different cities in the Marmara and Central Anatolian Regions. The data were collected from 455 students. In the analysis of the quantitative data, from among the non-parametric tests, Mann Whitney U-test, Kruskal Wallis H-test and Spearman Rho correlation analysis were used with SPSS 23.0 program package. As a result of the study, the scores taken by the students from the whole scale and its subscales were found to be high. The students’ 21st century skills were found to be varying significantly in favour the female students, the students who are never or rarely absent from school, the students participating in- and out-of-school social activities, the students who take advantage of information-communication technologies to reinforce their formal learning at school and the students who regularly meet a relative from his/her family. This study enabled us to see the deficiencies in 21st century skills of children in need of protection and showed us that children should be supported in the development of these skills.