Journals / Online Journal of Music Sciences / 2026 / Cilt: 11 Sayı: 2

An investigation of art education students’ perceptions of 21st-century skills competence and critical thinking tendencies

Sanat eğitimi öğrencilerinin 21. yüzyıl becerileri yetkinliklerine ve eleştirel düşünme eğilimlerine ilişkin algılarının incelenmesi

Şenol Afacan(Kırşehir Ahi Evran University, Neşet Ertaş Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Music, Kırşehir, Türkiye)0000-0001-7564-1695
Pages
466–491
Publication Date
2026-05-04
🏛️Bibliographic metadata and full text access for this article are provided via DergiPark.
DergiPark Record ↗
✨

AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

The findings indicate that students generally “mostly agree” with the items of both the 21st-century skills Competence Perception Scale and the Critical Thinking Tendencies Scale, suggesting high levels of perceived competence and positive critical thinking tendencies.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:The purpose of this study is to examine art education students’ perceptions of 21st-century skills competence and their critical thinking tendencies, to reveal the relationship between these two variables, and to analyze this relationship in terms of department, gender, and grade level.
📊
Key Findings & Data:The study was conducted using a quantitative survey model with a total of 165 students, including 77 students from the music department of the Neşet Ertaş Faculty of Fine Arts at Kırşehir Ahi Evran University and 88 students from the Department of Art Education at the Faculty of Education at Ege University in İzmir during the spring semester of the 2024–2025 academic year.
💡
Conclusion & Impact:The findings indicate that students generally “mostly agree” with the items of both the 21st-century skills Competence Perception Scale and the Critical Thinking Tendencies Scale, suggesting high levels of perceived competence and positive critical thinking tendencies.
🔬Design:Survey & Empirical Study
📍Scope:2024–2025 Verileri
⚙️Variables:sanat eğitimi · 21. yy becerileri · eleştirel düşünme

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine art education students’ perceptions of 21st-century skills competence and their critical thinking tendencies, to reveal the relationship between these two variables, and to analyze this relationship in terms of department, gender, and grade level. The study was conducted using a quantitative survey model with a total of 165 students, including 77 students from the music department of the Neşet Ertaş Faculty of Fine Arts at Kırşehir Ahi Evran University and 88 students from the Department of Art Education at the Faculty of Education at Ege University in İzmir during the spring semester of the 2024–2025 academic year. The findings indicate that students generally “mostly agree” with the items of both the 21st-century skills Competence Perception Scale and the Critical Thinking Tendencies Scale, suggesting high levels of perceived competence and positive critical thinking tendencies. Students’ perceptions of 21st-century skills competence showed statistically significant differences according to department and grade level, whereas no significant difference was found based on gender. Similarly, no statistically significant difference was found in the overall critical thinking tendencies according to the department variable. A key finding of the study is the strong and positive relationship between 21st-century skills competence perceptions and critical thinking tendencies (r = .707, p < .01). This result indicates that higher levels of perceived 21st-century skills competence are associated with stronger critical thinking tendencies. Based on these findings, it is recommended that art education programs incorporate instructional practices that simultaneously support the development of 21st-century skills and critical thinking. In particular, student-centered learning environments, interdisciplinary approaches, and activities that promote creativity and problem-solving may enhance both competencies effectively.

Özet

Bu çalışmanın amacı, sanat eğitimi alan öğrencilerin 21. yüzyıl becerileri yetkinliklerine yönelik algıları ile eleştirel düşünme eğilimlerini incelemek, bu iki değişken arasındaki ilişkiyi ortaya koymak ve söz konusu ilişkiyi bölüm, cinsiyet ve sınıf düzeyi değişkenleri açısından analiz etmektir. Araştırma, 2024–2025 eğitim-öğretim yılı bahar döneminde Kırşehir Ahi Evran Üniversitesi Neşet Ertaş Güzel Sanatlar Fakültesi Müzik Bölümü’nde öğrenim gören 77 öğrenci ile İzmir Ege Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Resim Eğitimi Bölümü’nde öğrenim gören 88 öğrenci olmak üzere toplam 165 öğrenci üzerinde nicel araştırma yöntemlerinden tarama modeli kullanılarak gerçekleştirilmiştir. Araştırma bulguları, öğrencilerin hem 21. Yüzyıl Becerileri Yetkinlik Algı Ölçeği hem de Eleştirel Düşünme Eğilimleri Ölçeği maddelerine genel olarak “çoğunlukla katıldıklarını” ve bu durumun yüksek düzeyde yetkinlik algısı ile olumlu eleştirel düşünme eğilimlerine işaret ettiğini göstermektedir. Öğrencilerin 21. yüzyıl becerileri yetkinlik algılarının bölüm ve sınıf düzeyine göre istatistiksel olarak anlamlı farklılık gösterdiği, ancak cinsiyet değişkenine göre anlamlı bir farklılık göstermediği belirlenmiştir. Benzer şekilde, eleştirel düşünme eğilimlerinin genelinde bölüm değişkenine göre istatistiksel olarak anlamlı bir farklılık tespit edilmemiştir. Araştırmanın en önemli bulgularından biri, 21. yüzyıl becerileri yetkinlik algıları ile eleştirel düşünme eğilimleri arasında güçlü ve pozitif yönlü bir ilişkinin bulunmasıdır (r = .707, p < .01). Bu bulgu, öğrencilerin 21. yüzyıl becerilerine yönelik algıları arttıkça eleştirel düşünme eğilimlerinin de arttığını göstermektedir. Bu bulgular doğrultusunda, sanat eğitimi programlarında 21. yüzyıl becerileri ile eleştirel düşünme becerilerini eş zamanlı olarak geliştirmeye yönelik öğretim uygulamalarına yer verilmesi önerilmektedir. Özellikle öğrenci merkezli öğrenme ortamlarının oluşturulması, disiplinlerarası yaklaşımların benimsenmesi ve yaratıcılığı ile problem çözme becerilerini destekleyen etkinliklerin uygulanması, her iki becerinin daha etkili ve sürdürülebilir biçimde geliştirilmesine katkı sağlayabilir.

🔖

Cite This Article

Afacan, Ş. (2026). An investigation of art education students’ perceptions of 21st-century skills competence and critical thinking tendencies. Online Journal of Music Sciences, Cilt: 11 Sayı: 2, 466–491. https://doi.org/10.31811/ojomus.1827379

📄 Full Text PDF Viewer

📄

PDF görüntüleyici hazırlanıyor...

References (77)

  1. Akbıyık, C., & Seferoğlu, S. S. (2002). Eleştirel düşünme eğilimleri ve akademik başarı. Çukurova Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 3(32), 90-99.
  2. Akyüzlüer, F. (2014). The effects of the music teacher training program on the critical thinking skills of music teacher candidates. NWSA-Fine Arts, 9(3), 111-119. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/186472
  3. Al-Husban, N. A., Mashaleh, M., & Damrah, L. (2022). Exploring first and fourth year university students’ level of critical thinking skills at Arab Open University-Jordan. Curriculum and Teaching, 37(2), 55-72. https://doi.org/10.7459/ct/37.2.05
  4. Al-Mahrooqi, R., & Denman, C. J. (2020). Assessing students’ critical thinking skills in the humanities and sciences colleges of a Middle Eastern University. International Journal of Instruction, 13(1), 783-796. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2020.13150a
  5. Anagün, Ş. S., Atalay, N., Kılıç, Z., & Yaşar, S. (2016). Development of a scale measuring pre-service teachers’ perceptions of 21st century skills: A validity and reliability study. Pamukkale University Journal of Education, 40, 160-175. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/399416
  6. Arseven, A. D. (1993). Alan araştırma yöntemi. Gül Yayınevi.
  7. Ayaz, N. (2015). The effect of the problem-based learning approach on the academic achievements and attitudes of the students in science lesson: A study of meta-analysis (Thesis No. 383512) [Master’s thesis, Fırat University]. Council of Higher Education National Thesis Center.
  8. Ayvaz, M. (2018). Comparison of empathy and critical thinking levels among teacher candidates studying physical education and sports, music, and art (Thesis No. 517566) [Master’s thesis, Karadeniz Technical University]. Council of Higher Education National Thesis Center.
  9. Bağcı, K., & Eraslan Taşpınar, Ş. (2024). The relationship between critical thinking skills and achievement in visual arts courses. International Journal of Educational Sciences, 11(40), 102-119. https://doi.org/10.29228/INESJOURNAL.77824
  10. Başak, R., & Yücel, E. (2024). Critical thinking dispositions of undergraduate art education and history students. International Journal of Education & Literacy Studies, 12(2), 191-199. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijels.v.12n.2p.191
  11. Bilgiç Doğan, H. G., Doğan, D., & Seferoğlu, S. S. (2011). Characteristics of digital natives. Academic Computing Conference.
  12. Branch, J. B. (2000). The relationship among critical thinking, clinical decision-making and clinical practice: A comparative study [Doctoral dissertation, University of Idaho].
  13. Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Harvard University Press.
  14. Budsankom, P., Sawangboon, T., Damrongpanit, S., & Chuensirimongkol, J. (2015). Factors affecting higher order thinking skills of students: A meta-analytic structural equation modeling study. Educational Research and Reviews, 10(19), 2639-2652. https://doi.org/10.5897/ERR2015.2371
  15. Büyüköztürk, Ş. (2018). Manual of data analysis for social sciences. Pegem Academy.
  16. Büyüköztürk, Ş. (2022). Sosyal bilimler için veri analizi el kitabı: İstatistik, araştırma deseni, SPSS uygulamaları ve yorum. Pegem Akademi.
  17. Canpolat, M. (2021). The relationship between teacher candidates’ 21st-century skills and emotional intelligence levels. Journal of Higher Education and Science, 11(3), 527-535. https://doi.org/10.5961/jhes.2021.472
  18. Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
  19. Coşkun Şentürk, G. (2014). The effect of critical thinking education on performance in music education. Adnan Menderes University Journal of Social Sciences Institute, 1(4), 43-56. https://doi.org/10.30803/adusobed.188824
  20. Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). Sage.
  21. Creswell, J. W. (2017). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Eğiten Kitap Yayıncılık.
  22. Çınardal, F. C., Çınardal, L., & Çatak, B. (2015). Critical thinking tendencies of students in higher education institutions providing professional music education. Bartın University Journal of Faculty of Education, 4(2), 452-465. https://doi.org/10.14686/buefad.v4i2.1082000240
  23. Çiftçi, B., & Bakar, M. H. D. (2020). Sosyal bilgiler öğretmen adaylarının 21. Yüzyıl becerileri yeterlilik algılarının incelenmesi: (Nevşehir ili örneği). Kapadokya Eğitim Dergisi, 1(2), 44-60. https://kaped.nevsehir.edu.tr/en/volume-1-issue-2
  24. Dede, C. (2010). Comparing frameworks for 21st-century skills. In J. Bellanca & R. Brandt (Eds.), 21st- century skills: Rethinking how students learn (pp. 51-76). Solution Tree Press.
  25. Ekinci, Ö., & Aybek, B. (2010). Öğretmen adaylarının empatik ve eleştirel düşünme eğilimlerinin incelenmesi. İlköğretim Online, 9(2), 816-827. https://izlik.org/JA64WF57WH
  26. Ennis, R. (1985). Goals for critical thinking curriculum. In A. Costa (Ed.), Developing minds (pp. 54-57). Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
  27. Epstein, R. L. (1999). Critical thinking. Wadsworth Publishing Company.
  28. Erdem, A. R., & Yazıcıoğlu, A. (2015). Öğretmen adaylarının eleştirel düşünmeye yönelik görüşlerinin bazı değişkenler açısından incelenmesi. The Journal of Academic Social Sciences, 2(19), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.16992/asos.860
  29. Eryılmaz, S. (2018). Öğrencilerin bilgi ve iletişim teknolojileri yeterliliklerinin belirlenmesi: Gazi Üniversitesi, Turizm Fakültesi örneği. Electronic Journal of Social Sciences, 17(65), 37-49. https://doi.org/10.17755/esosder.310987
  30. Evancho, R. S. (2000). Critical thinking skills and dispositions of the undergraduate baccalaureate nursing student (Publication No. 1398931) [Master’s thesis, Southern Connecticut State University]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.
  31. Facione, P. A. (2000). The disposition toward critical thinking: Its character, measurement, and relationship to critical thinking skill. Informal Logic, 20(1), 61-84. https://doi.org/10.22329/il.v20i1.2254
  32. Facione, P. A., Sánchez, C. A., Facione, N. C., & Gainen, J. (1995). The disposition toward critical thinking. Journal of General Education, 44(1), 1-25. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27797240
  33. Gökbulut, B. (2020). The relationship between teacher candidates’ educational beliefs and 21st-century skills. Turkish Studies Education, 15(1), 127-141. https://doi.org/10.29228/TurkishStudies.40164
  34. Hayırsever, F., & Oğuz, E. (2017). The effect of teacher candidates’ educational beliefs on their critical thinking tendencies. Abant İzzet Baysal University Journal of Education, 17(2), 757-778. https://doi.org/10.17240/aibuefd.2017.17.30227-326596
  35. Herlinawati, H., Marwa, M., Ismail, N., Junaidi, L., Liza, L. O., & Situmorang, D. D. B. (2024). The integration of 21st century skills in the curriculum of education. Heliyon, 10(15), e35148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e35148
  36. Hotaman, D. (2019). 21st-century skills economically. In A. D. Özçelik & M. N. Tuğluk (Eds.), 21st-century skills in education and industry (2nd ed., pp. 269-296). Pegem Akademi.
  37. Karalı, Y. (2012). Critical thinking disposition of students of college of education: The model of Inönü University (Thesis No. 314200) [Master’s thesis, İnönü University]. Council of Higher Education National Thesis Center.
  38. Karasar, N. (2005). Scientific research method: Concepts, principles, techniques (15th ed.). Nobel Yayın Dağıtım.
  39. Kaya, H. (1997). Critical thinking skills of the students of university (Thesis No. 69640) [Doctoral dissertation, Istanbul University]. Council of Higher Education National Thesis Center.
  40. Kayış, A. (2008). Reliability analysis. In Ş. Kalaycı (Ed.), SPSS uygulamalı çok değişkenli istatistik teknikleri (pp. 402-419). Asil Yayın Dağıtım.
  41. Kılıç, I., Yazıcı, T., & İzgi Topalak, Ş. (2017). Critical thinking tendencies of music teacher candidates. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, 17(72), 185-202. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/ejer/issue/42492/511903
  42. Kozikoğlu, İ. (2019). Investigating critical thinking in prospective teachers: Metacognitive skills, problem solving skills and academic self-efficacy. Journal of Social Studies Education Research, 10(2), 111-130. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1220699
  43. Kozikoğlu, İ., & Altunova, N. (2018). Öğretmen adaylarının 21. yüzyıl becerilerine ilişkin öz-yeterlik algılarının yaşam boyu öğrenme eğilimlerini yordama gücü. Journal of Higher Education and Science, 8(3), 522-531. https://izlik.org/JA38ZY76FX
  44. Kuh, G. D. (2001). Assessing what really matters to student learning inside the national survey of student engagement. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 33(3), 10-17. https://doi.org/10.1080/00091380109601795
  45. Kurbanoğlu, S., & Akkoyunlu, B. (2001). A study on equipping students with information literacy skills. Hacettepe University Journal of Education, 21(21), 81-88. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/hunefd/issue/7817/102699
  46. Küçükoğlu, A. (2018). In 21st-century education. In Ö. Demirel & Z. Kaya (Eds.), Introduction to education (15th ed., pp. 389-411). Pegem Akademi.
  47. Kürüm, D. (2002). Critical thinking abilities of teacher trainees (Thesis No. 117321) [Master’s thesis, Anadolu University]. Council of Higher Education National Thesis Center.
  48. Lampert, N. (2006). Critical thinking dispositions as an outcome of art education. Studies in Art Education, 47(3), 215-228. https://www.jstor.org/stable/25475782
  49. Luo, Y. (2024). Challenges and strategies for cultivating critical thinking in Chinese art education. Journal of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, 26, 323-331. https://doi.org/10.54097/vjqzyj12
  50. Mahgoub, Y. M. (2021). The role of art education in developing students’ thinking skills for sustainable development. Philosophical Readings, 13(4), 2265-2270. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5617416
  51. Mermer, O., & Can, A. A. (2020). Examination of emotional intelligence and critical thinking tendencies of prospective music teachers. Atatürk University Fine Arts Institute Journal, 26(45), 674-690. https://doi.org/10.35247/ataunigsed.777656
  52. National Commission on Excellence in Education. (1983). A nation at risk: The imperative for educational reform. The Elementary School Journal, 84(2), 112-130. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1001303
  53. OECD. (2018). The future of education and skills: Education 2030. https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2018/06/the-future-of-education-and-skills_5424dd26/54ac7020-en.pdf
  54. Oreck, B. (2004). The artistic and professional development of teachers: a study of teachers’ attitudes toward and use of the arts in teaching. Journal of Teacher Education, 55(1), 55-69. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487103260072
  55. Oreck, B. (2006). Artistic choices: A study of teachers who use the arts in the classroom. International Journal of Education & the Arts, 7(8).
  56. Öpengin, E., & Elmas, İ. (2023). The examination of the relationship between prospective teachers’ creative self-efficacy and teaching 21st century skills. Anadolu University Journal of Education Faculty, 7(4), 804-818. https://doi.org/10.34056/aujef.1271748
  57. Öztürk, Ö. T. (2023). Examination of 21st century skills and technological competences of students of fine arts faculty. International Journal of Education in Mathematics, Science, and Technology, 11(1), 115-132. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijemst.2931
  58. Partnership for 21st Century Learning. (2019). Framework for 21st century learning. https://www.battelleforkids.org/networks/p21
  59. Pascarella, T., & Terenzin, P. (2005). How college affects students, a third decade of research (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
  60. Paul, R., & Elder, L. (2006). Critical thinking: Learn the tools the best thinkers use. Pearson Prentice Hall.
  61. Piji Küçük, D., & Uzun, Y. B. (2013). Critical thinking tendencies of music teacher candidates. Ahi Evran University Kırşehir Faculty of Education Journal, 14(1), 327-345.
  62. Richmond, S. (2009). Art’s educational value. Journal of Aesthetic Education, 43(1), 92-105. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ825837
  63. Saavedra, A. R., & Opfer, V. D. (2012). Learning 21st-century skills requires 21st-century teaching. Phi Delta Kappan, 94(2), 8-13. https://doi.org/10.1177/003172171209400203
  64. Saxena, S. (2013). Top 10 characteristics of a 21st-century classroom. EdTechReview. https://www.edtechreview.in/news/top-10-characteristics-of-a-21st-century-classroom/
  65. Sayın, Z., & Seferoğlu, S. S. (2016, February). Coding education as a new 21st-century skill and the impact of coding on education policies. 18th Academic Computing Conference, Adnan Menderes University, Aydın.
  66. Semerci, N. (2016). The development of critical thinking dısposıtıon scale (CTHD): Study on the revsion of validity and reliability. Turkish Studies, 11(9), 725-740. https://doi.org/10.7827/TurkishStudies.9573
  67. Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2013). Using multivariate statistics (6th ed.). Pearson.
  68. Tasgin, A., & Dilek, C. (2023). The mediating role of critical thinking dispositions between secondary school students’ self-efficacy and problem-solving skills. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 50, 101400. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2023.101400
  69. Taşdemir, M. (2003). Eğitimde planlama ve değerlendirme (2nd ed.). Ocak Yayınevi.
  70. Tiryakioğlu, R. (2022). Examination of the relationship between 21st century skills and new media literacy of primary school science and matematics teachers (Thesis No. 770277) [Master’s thesis, Ordu University]. Council of Higher Education National Thesis Center.
  71. Topoğlu, O., & Ünal Öney, E. (2013). Investigation of the relationship between critical thinking dispositions and miscellaneous variables of the students of the faculty of education the department of fıne arts education. Turkish Studies, 8(8), 1301-1312. https://doi.org/10.7827/TurkishStudies.5368
  72. Trilling, B., & Fadel, C. (2009). 21st century skills: Learning for life in our times. Jossey-Bass.
  73. Turgut, M. F. (1992). Eğitimde ölçme ve değerlendirme metotları. Saydam Matbaası.
  74. Tutal, Ö. (2023). Examining the relationship between teacher candidates’ 21st-century skills and educational philosophy tendencies. Journal of Sustainable Educational Studies, 4(4), 261-276. https://izlik.org/JA67UX83WX
  75. Uyar, A., & Çiçek, B. (2021). Farklı branşlardaki öğretmenlerin 21.yüzyıl becerileri. IBAD Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 9, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.21733/ibad.822410
  76. Wagner, T. (2008). The global achievement gap: Why even our best schools don’t teach the new survival skills our children need, and what we can do about it. Basic Books.
  77. Yıldırım, A., & Şimşek, H. (2018). Qualitative research methods in the social sciences. Seçkin Publishing.