The Extent of Inclusion of Future Skills in Science Curricula in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Light of Contemporary Global Trends

The present study aimed to investigate the extent to which future skills are included in science curricula in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in light of contemporary global trends. The study employed the descriptive-analytical method, and its sample consisted of the science curricula prescribed for the intermediate stage in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia across its three grades and two semesters for the academic year 2023–2024. The research tool was a content analysis checklist of the intermediate-stage science curricula in light of future skills. The findings revealed that the main domains of future skills were included in the intermediate science curricula to varying degrees, ranging from moderate to very low. The domain of learning and innovation was moderately included, at a rate of 60.3%, followed by the domain of information and technology, which was weakly included at 25.9%, while the domain of science and profession was very weakly included at 13.8%. The distribution of these domains across the three grades of the intermediate stage was relatively close to the total percentages: for Grade 7, the percentages were 59.2% for learning and innovation, 25.1% for information and technology, and 15.6% for science and profession; for Grade 8, the percentages were 61.2% for learning and innovation, 32.1% for information and technology, and 6.6% for science and profession; and for Grade 9, the percentages were 60.4% for learning and innovation, 21.3% for information and technology, and 18.3% for science and profession. The results also indicated varying inclusion rates of the sub-skills. The study offered several recommendations, including revisiting the content and activities of intermediate science curricula in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in light of contemporary global trends, and enriching them with future skills in a balanced manner.
Keywords: Future Skills – Science Curricula – Contemporary Global Trends.