Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Teaching of 21st century skills needs to be informed by psychological research

  • Comment
  • Published:

From Nature Reviews Psychology

View current issue Sign up to alerts

The technological advancements and globalization of the 21st century require a broad set of skills beyond traditional subjects such as mathematics, reading, and science. Research in psychological science should inform best practice and evidence-based recommendations for teaching these skills.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

References

  1. Frank, M. R. et al. Toward understanding the impact of artificial intelligence on labor. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 116, 6531–6539 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. OECD. Skills Outlook 2021: Learning for Life (OECD Publishing, 2021).

  3. OECD. PISA 2015 Results: Collaborative Problem Solving (OECD Publishing, 2017).

  4. Autor, D. H. Skills, education, and the rise of earnings inequality among the “other 99 percent”. Science 344, 843–851 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Hattie, J. A. C. & Donoghue, G. M. Learning strategies: a synthesis and conceptual model. NPJ Sci. Learn. 1, 16013 (2016).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Sonnleitner, P., Brunner, M., Keller, U. & Martin, R. Differential relations between facets of complex problem solving and students’ immigration background. J. Edu. Psy. 106, 681–695 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Graesser, A. C., Sabatini, J. P. & Li, H. Educational psychology is evolving to accommodate technology, multiple disciplines, and twenty-first century skills. Annu. Rev. Psychol. 73, 547–574 (2022).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. National Academy of Sciences. Investigating the Influence of Standards. A Framework for Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education (National Academies Press, 2022).

  9. Markovitz, D. The Meritocracy Trap: How America’s Foundational Myth Feeds Inequality, Dismantles the Middle Class, and Devours the Elite (Penguin, 2020).

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Samuel Greiff.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Greiff, S., Borgonovi, F. Teaching of 21st century skills needs to be informed by psychological research. Nat Rev Psychol 1, 314–315 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44159-022-00064-w

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44159-022-00064-w

  • Springer Nature America, Inc.

This article is cited by

Navigation