Preparing for the Future: The Link between 21st Century Skills and Academic Performance in Senior High School

The development of 21st-century skills, such as critical thinking, collaboration, and digital literacy, significantly enhances the academic performance of senior high school students by equipping them with the essential tools to navigate and excel in a rapidly evolving educational landscape. Along this line, this study determined the level of 21st-century skills and academic performance among senior high school learners in the Alicia District , Bohol Division, for the school year 2018-2019 The research employed a descriptive correlational design, involving 205 senior high school learners from four schools in the district. Data were collected using a modified questionnaire based on Jason Ravitz's tool for measuring 21st-century teaching and learning, which assessed students' acquisition of skills in four dimensions: Core Subjects and 21st-century themes, Learning and Innovation Skills, Life and Career Skills, and Information, Media, and Technology Skills. Academic performance data were obtained from school officials. The findings revealed that the majority of students achieved a Very Satisfactory academic performance, with a mean score of 86.46. Respondents demonstrated moderate proficiency across all dimensions of 21st-century skills, with an overall mean score of 2.72. Life and Career Skills had the highest composite mean (2.83), followed by Learning and Innovation Skills (2.76), Information, Media, and Technology Skills (2.75), and Core Subjects and 21st-century themes (2.53). A weak but statistically significant positive correlation (r = 0.2485, p < 0.05) was found between 21st-century skills and academic performance, suggesting that as students' proficiency in these skills increases, their academic performance tends to improve modestly. The results underscore the need for educators and policymakers to prioritize the integration of 21st-century skills into the curriculum and instructional practices.