WILLEMSTAD - The Gen-irators, the secondary school students involved in the Think to DO Institute, have been doing research for more than 4 years now on the best education systems in the world, what needs to change to prepare students for 21st Century skills, and the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on society and schools in general.
As young adults who are the future of the country, we are greatly concerned about challenges to providing access to skills, education and training for young people. Without adequate skills, especially digital ability, many young people will continue to struggle to gain a position in the labor market upon leaving education. The Gen-irators suggest looking at the top six countries and applying some of their curriculum to enhance our own curriculum.
These students recognize that a change is needed in the local education system. The specific areas of six country comparison: Teachers and teaching environment, Teacher knowledge and skills, Teacher Temperament, School Culture, Indicators of academic learning, Values of learning, Student commitment to learning, Character and well-being, Civic Engagement, Appreciation of diversity/understanding others, Determination, Growth mindset, Social awareness, Self-management and Self-efficacy, and Attention to Future of Work. The six countries compared were: Canada, France, Germany, Netherlands, Singapore, and United States.
These countries model best practice in educational design to build 21st Century skills and serve as role models for local reform.
This research also included a Student Attitude Survey. This international survey measured attitudes about learning and self-confidence, technology, school climate rules and school safety, comprehensive curriculum choices, teachers and adults.
The Gen-irators conducted this survey to check how students feel about their school. They asked about their classes, activities outside of class, and how they're doing overall. The goal was to find out what's going well and what needs improvement in their schools. The Gen-irators used different questions to look at many aspects of the student experience, helping them analysis the factors that contribute to a positive or negative student experience.
The 2020-21 and 2022-23 results fall along the same lines. Confidence in secondary education school preparation across school boards is low. The only area that showed a positive change was related to technology. Across the five areas of the survey, the dissatisfaction level was calculated between 60 percent and 85 percent. The survey was given to 16- to 20-year-olds from multiple schoolboards. Seventy-three percent of the respondents were between the ages of 16-18. More girls responded to the survey.
This research will be sent to the Ministry of Education and other stakeholders to influence better decisions about education in the future.