This study aimed to investigate the level of teachers' awareness of 21^st century skills and the level of their effectiveness on teaching performance. The researcher adopted the analytical descriptive approach as the research method and used a questionnaire she designed in order to accomplish the study's objectives. The study sample included (205) female teachers in general education grades in Riyadh Region. The study obtained several findings, most importantly the following: teachers' awareness of 21^st century skills (creative thinking – effective communication and collaboration – leadership and project management – effective use of technology) and the level of their effectiveness on teaching performance was rated very high, while the barriers to teachers' acquisition of 21^st century skills were rated moderate, from the perspectives of respondents; It was also found that there are no statistically significant differences on the axes of teachers' awareness of 21^st century skills and the barriers to acquiring these skills as regards the variables of (years of experience – number of training courses – the grade level). In light of these findings, the study presents several recommendations, most importantly the following: The need to pay attention to developing appropriate remedial plans for low-achieving students; Encouraging students to practice critical and creative thinking; and need to provide strategies for encouraging self-learning among students.

Keywords: teachers' awareness – 21^st century skills – teaching performance.