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Twenty-First Century Skills for All: Adults and Problem Solving in Technology Rich Environments

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Abstract

The current Information Society requires new skills for personal, labor and social inclusion. Among the so-called Twenty-First Century Skills (Care et al. (eds) in Assessment and teaching of 21st century skills, Springer, New York, 2018) is Problem Solving in Technology Rich Environments (PS-TRE) competence evaluated in PISA and PIAAC tests (OECD in Survey of adult skills (PIAAC). Retrieved from https://goo.gl/cpb3fQ (2016)). This skill, although currently receiving considerable attention in compulsory education, has not received the same level of thought in the case of adult education. In this article, the presence of the PS-TRE skill among adults of working age (25–65 years) in Europe is analysed in relation to the factors that potentially affect a higher score in this skill. This analysis is carried out using structural equations modelling, taking into account socio-personal and educational factors, as well as the use of different skills in work and daily life. The results indicate that educational level and the use of different skills (reading, numerical, related to ICT) at home and at work, as well as participation in non-formal education activities, decisively relate to a higher level of PS-TRE. This result is positively mediated through risk factors such as being older or being a woman. This study concludes that it is necessary to reinforce these skills, not only in children, but also in the adult population, in order to avoid social and labour exclusion.

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Fig. 1

Source: OECD (2009, p. 11)

Fig. 2

Source: Own elaboration from Scandurra and Calero (2017)

Fig. 3

Source: Own processing

Fig. 4

Source: OECD (2016). Own processing

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Notes

  1. To avoid an excessively long and complex paper, the different models tested from the initial model by Scadurra and Calero have not been included. The criteria for defining the final model have been based only on significant relations among the variables (p < 0.001), with the aim to get a stronger and more optimal model.

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  1. University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain

    Tatiana Iñiguez-Berrozpe

  2. University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

    Ellen Boeren

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Correspondence to Tatiana Iñiguez-Berrozpe.

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Table 5 PIAAC sample features.
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Iñiguez-Berrozpe, T., Boeren, E. Twenty-First Century Skills for All: Adults and Problem Solving in Technology Rich Environments. Tech Know Learn 25, 929–951 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-019-09403-y

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