Globally the development of learners’ 21st century skills has received considerable attention in different levels of education. This is because fostering learners’ development of 21st century skills is critical for empowering learners to innovate, adapt and act responsibly in complex global challenges such as poverty, health and economic growth and prepare them to participate meaningfully both in global and local workforces (Senjiro & Lupeja, 2023; Tandika, 2022). Responding to such a demand, in 2005 Tanzania introduced competence-based curriculum to replace knowledge-based curriculum in primary schools (Paulo & Tilya, 2014). As the result, the intention of developing 21st-century skills is evidently documented in 2014 Education and Training Policy (2023 edition), its implementation guidelines, the National Curriculum Framework for Basic and Teacher Education and basic education system (pre-primary, primary and lower secondary education) (Komba & Shukia, 2023; MoEST, 2019; URT, 2023b, 2023a). These changes have imposed new demands on teachers and necessitated the alignment of their classroom instructional practices to support learners in mastering 21st century skills. 

Existing studies conducted in Tanzania revealed that most of the teachers possess limited instructional competences to facilitate lessons and design assessments that foster mastery of the 21st century skills mainly due to limited professional development training (Ndimbo, 2024; Nyoni, 2023; Rubeba & Ali, 2024; Senjiro & Lupeja, 2023; Tandika, 2022). However, most of these studies have focused on secondary education, while studies on primary school teachers remain few, limited in scale and geographical coverage (Ndimbo, 2024). Additionally, Komba and Shukia (2023) noted that there is limited evidence in Tanzania of whether primary school teachers are effectively supporting learners’ mastery of 21st century skills in their teaching. Thus, this study focuses on assessing primary school teacher’s classroom instructional practices for fostering 21st century skills in Tanzania. 

The study is guided by the Assessment and Teaching of 21st Century Skills (ATC21S) framework. ATC21S is categorized into four broad skills; ways of thinking, ways of working, tools for working and living in the world (Griffin et al., 2012). Ways of thinking include critical thinking, creativity and problem solving. All these involve higher-order cognitive processes that enable learners to analyze information, generate original ideas, and develop effective solutions to complex and unfamiliar problems (Chai et al., 2015; Griffin et al., 2012). Ways of working include collaboration and communication. This category involves how individuals interact with others to share ideas, coordinate efforts, and achieve common goals (Griffin et al., 2012). Ways of thinking and working are collectively referred to as golden standard abilities essential for meeting the demands for success in work and life (Griffin et al., 2012). This is because together they equip learners with abilities to analyze complex situations, generate innovative solutions, work effectively with others, and clearly express ideas. These skills are essential for success in both modern workplaces and everyday life. Thus, critical thinking, creativity, problem solving, collaboration and communication are taken into account in this study.

Research objectives

This study aimed: 

1. To examine the variation in the overall teachers’ classroom instructional practices for fostering critical thinking, creativity, problem solving, collaboration and communication skills.

2. To compare teachers’ classroom instructional practices for fostering critical thinking, creativity, problem solving, collaboration, and communication skills based on working experience, level of education attained, teaching subject, and gender.

Research questions

This study respond to the following research questions: 

1. What variations exist in teachers’ overall classroom instructional practices for fostering critical thinking, creativity, problem solving, collaboration, and communication skills?

2. Are there significant differences in teachers’ classroom instructional practices for fostering critical thinking, creativity, problem solving, collaboration, and communication skills based on working experience, level of education attained, teaching subject, and gender?

This study is part of the STEP-STUDY (Strengthening Primary School Teacher Professional Development in Tanzania: Generating Evidence for Policy and Practice) project which is a large-scale teachers’ survey in Tanzania. The study employs quantitative approach and cross-sectional survey design. Data are collected from 400 public primary schools selected through proportionate sampling techniques across all regions of Tanzania Mainland. A targeted representative sample of around 4000 primary school teachers are randomly drawn to take part in this study. A structured, closed-ended questionnaire survey of primary school teachers, with oversampling of novice and upgrading in-service teachers, was administered in accordance with all ethical principles of the study. A 21st century skills survey questionnaire used in this study was developed based on Chai et al. (2015) survey while adapting indicators to the Tanzanian context and in Swahili language. The Swahili language survey is used due to the fact that it is the media of instruction for public primary schools in Tanzania. Hence, teachers are more comfortable using Swahili. The survey questionnaire covers teacher’s classroom instructional practices for fostering critical thinking, creativity, problem solving, collaboration and communication skills. A pilot study was conducted in Dodoma city in December 2025 by reaching out to seven primary schools with a total of 192 teachers. The pilot data showed that the reliability measured in terms of Cronbach Alpha for classroom instructional practices for fostering critical thinking (α = .866), creativity (α = .869), problem solving (α = .864), collaboration (α = .840) and communication (α = .899) skills which were above .70 and hence shows the tool was reliable and hence is suitable for collecting the intended data. Data are collected this February to March 2026 by trained enumerators working in the STEP-STUDY project. To simplify the data collection process, an online survey using Kobo toolkit is mostly used and paper based for those who will not be able to fill online. To examine differences in the overall mean scores of teachers’ instructional practices for fostering critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving, collaboration, and communication skills, repeated measures ANOVA analysis technique is used. On the other hand, to compare teacher’s classroom instructional practices for fostering critical thinking, creativity, problem solving, collaboration and communication skills based on working experiences, level of education attained, teaching subject and gender, ANOVA analysis technique is used.

Data for this study have already started to be collected and will be finalised end March, 2026. The study is expected to reveal varying levels of teachers’ classroom instructional practices in fostering critical thinking, creativity, problem solving, collaboration, and communication skills, with significant differences based on working experience, level of education attained, teaching subject, and gender. Based on this study findings, robust evidence-based insights and recommendations will be made that contribute to teacher professionalism in Tanzania by identifying strengths and gaps in instructional practices, informing targeted continuous professional development design, review, implementation, and practice, teacher training programs, and policy interventions aimed at enhancing 21st century skills instruction.

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