It is no longer just an opinion but a fact that the only way to prevent a catastrophic future for humanity on a planetary scale is to introduce sustainable practices in all areas of human endeavour. The key role in these processes is activity to education. The aim of this study is to investigate the perceptions of Slovenian secondary school students, parents, and teachers (SPTs) regarding the role of smartphones and tablets in promoting 21st-century skills. This study explores the views of Slovenian secondary school students, parents, and teachers (SPTs) on the value of smartphones and tablets in 21st-century skills education. The results show a consensus among participants that smartphones and tablets make a positive contribution to various aspects of 21st-century skills as a Prerequisite for Sustainable Future. Participants consistently rated the suggested benefits of smartphones and tablets above the middle of the scale, with a focus on internet, digital, and information literacy. However, there is still room for improvement in basic skills and higher-order thinking skills. The factorial analysis revealed three correlated factors: Holistic Learning skills, Higher-Level Cognitive skills, and Digital Information Literacy skills. Subsequent analysis revealed significant differences between the focus groups, with students showing stronger agreement with the positive impact of smartphones and tablets on a wide range of skills. While teachers recognized the value of smartphones and tablets for students’ digital literacy and engagement, the differences between teachers and other groups were relatively small. These findings underscore the importance of integrating smartphone strategies and technology tools to promote 21st-century skills as a Prerequisite for Sustainable Future. Educators and policymakers can use these findings to promote effective teaching and learning practices that meet the demands of the 21st century.

After the appearance of the first smartphones in 2007 and shortly thereafter, tablets became not only useful communication tools, but also objects that function as life organisation units. However, although they are ubiquitous, their actual and potential role in biology education has not been sufficiently explored. The objectives of the survey were to investigate the recent use of smartphones in the last two grades of Slovenian comprehensive school by 14- to 15-year-old students, their satisfaction with them for educational purposes, and the perceived impact on the quality of schoolwork in biology classes. Based on the responses of 313 lower secondary school students, we can conclude that by the end of compulsory education, almost all of them have used smartphones and tablets for educational purposes to some extent, even if the reported use in different school subjects is low. Based on structural equation modelling, which examines the influence of the constructs of support, perceived usability, perceived ease of use, attitudes, and perceived pedagogical impact on the quality of smartphone-based schoolwork, it can be concluded that only perceived pedagogical impacts and perceived usability impacted quality, leading to the conclusion that additional efforts should be made to explore their full potential and the gaps that should be addressed through formal education. Leaving students to their own devices is the worst solution, resulting in a permanent lack of skills, such as the ability to select and interpret information provided through the media.

Smartphones and tablets have permeated various aspects of life. This study explores the differences in wishes between students, parents, and teachers regarding the use of smartphones and tablets in biology classes in the upcoming school year. An online questionnaire was used for the study, which provided eight different scenarios for the use of smartphones for teaching purposes. The data were collected from 934 participants, including 465 students, 282 parents, and 188 biology teachers from various Slovenian lower secondary schools. The principal component analysis revealed the unidimensional structure of the instrument, explaining 59.7% of the variance (alpha = .91). The results showed that the use of smartphones and tablets for distance learning, teaching purposes, schoolwork and homework is generally desirable. There was less consensus on their use for laboratory and field work, evaluation of knowledge, and biology lessons. The main finding was that the differences between the groups were small or even negligible in terms of effect sizes. Statistically significant differences were found between the focus groups, with students and teachers expressing greater agreement than parents. These findings emphasize the importance of addressing parents' concerns and understanding the perspectives of stakeholders in order to effectively integrate smartphones and tablets into the classroom. Keywords: differences in wishes, lower secondary school biology, mobile learning, smartphones and tablets integration, students and parents and teachers