Does Community Engagement Boost Pre- and In-Service Teachers’ 21st-Century Skills? A Mixed-Method Study

Khaleel Alarabi, Badriya AlSadrani, Hassan Tairab, Othman Abu Khurma () and Nabeeh Kasasbeh
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Khaleel Alarabi: College of Education, Al Ain University, Al Ain 64141, United Arab Emirates
Badriya AlSadrani: College of Education, United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), Al Ain 15551, United Arab Emirates
Hassan Tairab: College of Education, United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), Al Ain 15551, United Arab Emirates
Othman Abu Khurma: Curriculum and Instruction, Emirates College for Advanced Education, Abu Dhabi SE43, United Arab Emirates
Nabeeh Kasasbeh: Curriculum and Instruction, Emirates College for Advanced Education, Abu Dhabi SE43, United Arab Emirates

Social Sciences, 2025, vol. 14, issue 7, 1-19

Abstract: This study investigated community engagement in developing the 21st-century skills of pre-service and in-service teachers in the context of four skills: communication, creative thinking, collaboration, and critical thinking. It focused specifically on the effectiveness of community engagement in promoting the 4Cs for pre- and in-service teachers and whether such effectiveness differs between pre-service and in-service teachers. This study used a sequential mixed-methods design. A quantitative survey of 160 pre-service and 80 in-service teachers in Abu Dhabi was conducted followed by purposeful qualitative interviews with 20 pre-service teachers. The instrument was adapted from an existing 21st century skills measures. Quantitative data were described using descriptive statistics and analyzed using inferential statistics. The interview transcripts were analyzed. The findings showed that in-service teachers’ performance was better than that of pre-service teachers in all four elements of 21st-century skills, with significant disparities recorded in critical thinking and collaboration, possibly because of field experience. These qualitative results show that community engagement promotes the 4Cs by allowing teachers to apply theoretical knowledge in field contexts and sharpen problem-solving, communication, and teamwork skills. Nevertheless, challenges such as limited resources and time must be compensated for with better initiatives that organizations can employ to promote community engagement activities. This study suggests that using social engagement activities in teacher training is a fruitful way to address this skill gap. This provides implications for teacher preparation and the infusion of community engagement into teachers’ training to foster the 21st-century development of competencies in teachers-to-be.

Keywords: 21st-century skills; community engagement; pre-service teachers; in-service teachers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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