BARRIERS OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION TO DEVELOPING 21ST-CENTURY SKILLS: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL INQUIRY

Abstract

Acquiring 21st-century skills has become essential for university students to succeed academically, professionally, and personally. However, many educators are unsure how to develop these skills in students, resulting in a gap between the critical skills that students possess and those that industry expects of them. To address this issue, the study aimed to explore the barriers that hinder university students from acquiring 21st-century skills during their tertiary education. It used an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) research design to examine students' experiences and perceptions of challenges in acquiring these skills. The study identified several categories of barriers, including attitude barriers, technological distractions, pedagogical obstacles, and perceptual barriers. Attitude barriers included fear of failure, a fixed mindset, procrastination, negative self-doubt, a lack of assurance, and peer pressure. Technological distractions included social media, video games, internet surfing, multiple digital tools, and instant messaging. Pedagogical obstacles encompassed traditional teaching methods, inadequate instructor training, limited access to technology, external collaborative learning, limited experiential learning opportunities, and standardised assessments. Perceptual barriers included stereotyping, self-doubt, and negative peer pressure. The study concludes that developing effective strategies to overcome these barriers and promote the development of 21st-century skills among university students requires a multi-faceted approach, including rethinking traditional teaching methods, providing adequate training for instructors, leveraging technology to support learning, and creating opportunities for collaborative and experiential learning. Further research is necessary to explore these strategies and evaluate their effectiveness.