21st Century Knowledge Economy: Research Proposal

Introduction

The history of world civilization began with communities that were dependent on agricultural activities with simplified lives. The 19th century was characterized by refinement and specialization among workers in production. In the 21st century, knowledge acquisition has been the basis of life due to the emergence of knowledge-based economies (k-economy). The modern era is characterized by liberalization, globalization, and massive advancement in information, communication, and technology (ICT) (Cvetkovich, 2018). As the world transits in the new era, adequate knowledge is mandatory, starting with the necessary levels in primary schools.

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According to the International Commission on Education for the Twenty-First Century report, long-life education is based on four pillars: learning to do, learning to know, learning to be, and learning to live together (Cvetkovich, 2018). Commencement of learning at the elementary level, the child ought to be given the opportunity to explore the various types of knowledge and have depth in some of them. The ability to learn to know ensures one gets a broad scope of education and allows the learner to make essential decisions in career determination. The knowledge acquired at this level enables the juvenile to gain the skills needed to pursue and develop an interest in learning. The learning acquired is expected to create the child's mechanical and operational capabilities as well as improve the ability to deal with unforeseen events, teamwork as well, and adaptation to various social and working environments.

The 21st-century education is, however, faced by challenges emancipating from liberalization, globalization, internationalization, and the development of ICT. Asian countries additionally face a problem in the event of k-economy knowledge. The ministries for education in these countries must establish curriculums that honorable, knowledgeable, skilled, and ICT literate. The departments managing higher education are also responsible for reviewing and planning renewal, reconstruction, refreshment, consolidation, and formulation of an adequate curriculum (Lamb, Akmal, & Petrie, 2015). Such critical functions in the education system entail educational leadership, starting with the minister to the principals. The skills acquired in the order goes in line with the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

The education system in the 21st century is a dynamic and transformative process characterized by flexibility, creativity, complexity, as well as a challenging environment. In addressing the issues experienced in third world countries, the education system must be constructed in such a way that it meets the needs of the students (Yaqoob, Ahmed, Hashem, Ahmed, Gani, Imran & Guizani, 2017). For instance, all schools should get enhanced with a project-based curriculum that engages the students in real-life challenges. In the quest to achieve the goal, education needs are holistic, dynamic, and consistently serving the needs of the environment and time. Since education is closely linked with the development of an individual (Miller, 2019), the need to address government and society is paramount. Such interventions allow the children to identify with the numerous challenges in their surroundings. The leadership itself is faced by problems such as the implementation of information technology; School-based assessment, implementation of IT in teaching and learning methods as well as proper handling of the student's behavior.

Challenges in Information Technology (IT) Implementation

Despite the increase in the number of tutors in education who understands the importance of computer utilization in learning and teaching, a significant amount of them remains fixed to the conventional systems (De Freitas, Morgan & Gibson, 2015). Teachers have been concerned about computers usage in teaching due to the fear of being harmed by them, the perception that they might not comprehend how the gadgets are used and others are wary of the new responsibility (De Freitas, Morgan & Gibson, 2015). Computer utilization in teaching has, as such, presented a burden to some non-dynamic tutors. The preparation of learning materials also seems burdensome and time-consuming. Such materials involve the exploitation of technological knowledge in creating and inserting videos and graphics in the used in presentations.

The 21st-century learning is characterized by the utilization of cloud services leading to the creation of a digital globe with speedy communication. In education, information technology involves electronic systems used to collect, store, process, and transmit and deliver information accurately and quickly in the form of multimedia, internet, or other hypermedia used in support of learning and teaching purposes l(Lamb, Akmal, & Petrie, 2015). An ideal digital classroom allows students can join in any part of the world has become a reality. Such systems have been well elaborated in japan and America compared to Asia. Asia lags in both the infrastructure and skills needed to enable global classrooms.

Challenge in IT utilization in Learning and Teaching Process

Studies have revealed the cognitive difficulties experienced in learning and teaching IT (Lamb, Akmal & Petrie, 2015); hence, a problem in Asian schools. It has been a general assumption that providing computer software and hardware in schools enable IT integration automatically. Such a concept is misleading since the success of the system is dependent on the perceptions held by the teachers and principals in the schools.

Research Questions

What are the challenges experienced by primary school headteachers in Asian countries?

How do the primary school headteachers overcome challenges in learning and teaching in the 21st century?

Investigative Design

The design will establish the challenges in the 21st-century leadership in education concerning STEM; descriptive research will be carried out. According to Nassaji (2015), this type of investigation design focuses on the description of some phenomena in a current situation. The research will be taken to understand the 21st-century situation in Asia concerning other places. Descriptive analysis will be carried out in the current affairs and explore the challenges the headteachers might experience in rolling out STEM education.

References

Cvetkovich, A. (2018). Articulating the global and the local: Globalization and cultural studies. Routledge.

De Freitas, S. I., Morgan, J., & Gibson, D. (2015). Will MOOCs transform learning and teaching in higher education? Engagement and course retention in online learning provision. British Journal of Educational Technology, 46(3), 455-471.

Lamb, R., Akmal, T., & Petrie, K. (2015). Development of a cognitionpriming model describing learning in a STEM classroom. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 52(3), 410-437.

Lamb, R., Akmal, T., & Petrie, K. (2015). Development of a cognitionpriming model describing learning in a STEM classroom. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 52(3), 410-437.

Miller, J. P. (2019). The holistic curriculum. University of Toronto Press.

Nassaji, H. (2015). Qualitative and descriptive research: Data type versus data analysis.

Yaqoob, I., Ahmed, E., Hashem, I. A. T., Ahmed, A. I. A., Gani, A., Imran, M., & Guizani, M. (2017). Internet of things architecture: Recent advances, taxonomy, requirements, and open challenges. IEEE wireless communications, 24(3), 10-16.