Educational researchers and academics cannot ignore the ever-present call for education and schooling in particular, to reflect the needs of the 21^st century knowledge economy. Since the 1990s, national curricula and education systems have reflected this call in their focus on technology and shifting pedagogy to increasingly constructivist paradigms that aim at the development of competencies rather than the acquisition of knowledge. Despite these shifts in thinking about education and the process of schooling, there remains evidence of irregular or inconsistent practice. Furthermore, national education systems seem still to have little impact on social inequalities that continue to plague post-industrial nations.

Against this background, an underpinning question in this paper is to ask what should be the key questions for research in the context of ‘21^st century learning’? It suggests that these questions arise from the knowledge—competencies nexus. Does knowledge continue to play a role in education and education research? Does the interest in competencies devalue or undermine knowledge? Does a curriculum that is centred on key competencies mean that knowledge is abandoned? Does a social constructivist paradigm necessarily dismantle disciplinary knowledge?

As noted, education systems seemingly continue to struggle to achieve social equality, thus an important further question is to ask what the relationship is between knowledge and improving the life chances for the marginalised. There is a growing body of educational research over the past decade drawing attention to the notion of ‘21^st century learning’. Does the focus on 21^st century learning address the on-going issues of social inequality in post-industrial society?

This paper therefore has two related concerns: the first is the role of knowledge, and the second is the concept of 21^st century learning. They are closely related issues, because the former appears to be under attack by the latter—or at the very least, subject to significant transformation. 

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