21st‐century competences: The relation of ICT competences with higher‐order thinking capacities and teamwork competences in university students.

The Knowledge Society, along with the non‐stop growing technological evolution, entails university students acquiring new competences for them to be successful in society. These are called 21st‐century competences that come as high‐skill competences – higher‐order thinking capacities and teamwork competences – and information and communication technologies (ICT) competences – technological, pedagogical and ethical. This study aims to determine the link between ICT competences and high‐skill competences. A correlational study was conducted whose sample was formed by 983 students studying degrees at the Universidad de Valencia (Spain), selected by non‐probabilistic incidental sampling and collecting information with two questionnaires. The results indicate a positive and statistically significant relation between ICT competences with the other two considered sets: higher‐order thinking capacities and teamwork competences. Moreover, pedagogical competences are more related with the two high‐skill competence sets. This suggests the need for training plans that favour learning 21st‐century competences and for stressing pedagogical competences in ICT. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: University students require new competences to face a changing society.21st‐century competences are made up of ICT competences, higher‐order thinking capacities and teamwork competences.The empirical relation between ICT competences with higher‐order thinking capacities and teamwork competences has been little addressed.Few empirical studies have determined the contribution of each of the competence dimensions in that relation. What this paper adds: There is a positive relation between ICT competences and higher‐order thinking capacities and teamwork competences.Pedagogical competences –ICT competences‐ are more closely related to the two sets of high‐skill competences.Problem solving and the two teamwork competences contribute more to the relation with ICT competences. Implications for practice and/or policy: University system have to development training plans in the 21st century competences for the university student.University system have to promote specific training in pedagogical competences ‐ICT competences‐ for university student. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]