Pengaruh pembangunan profesionalisme berterusan sebagai mediator terhadap hubungan antara kompetensi profesional guru dan kemahiran abad ke-21 guru sekolah menengah TS25

The goal of education today is to produce human capital that is competent, talented, innovative, creative, able to solve problems, and critical thinking to meet the needs of the future job market. The School Transformation Program 2025 (TS25) was created to meet this challenge in line with the Malaysian Education Development Plan (PPPM) 2013 - 2025 towards educational excellence. Nevertheless, the extent to which teachers are prepared to empower professional competencies, is grounded in elements of 21st century skills through the concept of lifelong learning. Therefore, this study aims to identify the relationship and influence of teachers' professional competencies on the development of continuous professionalism and 21st century skills. In addition, the role of continuous professional development as a mediator is also studied. A total of 242 secondary school teachers of TS25 Cohort 1 Northern Zone of Peninsular Malaysia were selected as study respondents. The research method was implemented using cross -sectional survey method through quantitative approach. The research instruments were adapted from the Malaysian Teacher Standard by the Ministry of Education Malaysia (2009), 21st Century Knowledge and Skills in Teacher Educator by Partnership For 21st Century Skills (2010) and Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) (2013) by Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Data were analyzed using descriptive analysis, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation and multiple regression. The findings showed that the level of professional competence and 21st century skills among the TS25 secondary school teachers of the study is high. In addition, the study found that the development of continuous professionalism has an influence on the relationship between teachers' professional competencies and 21st century skills. In turn, the development of continuous professionalism serves as a partial mediator of the relationship between teachers ’professional competencies and 21st century skills. Thus, the appreciation and cultivating of the concept of lifelong learning is important to enhance the professional competencies of teachers in an effort to integrate 21st century skills in teaching.