Changing Attitudes, Motivating Action: A Cross-Disciplinary Approach to Developing Global Citizenship Identity Among Privileged Adolescents

• In Event: Democratic Citizenship in Education Paper Session 1

Abstract

This mixed methods study considered the effects of coursework in global education and human rights upon the global citizenship attitudes of adolescents attending an independent secondary school for girls in a large northeastern city. Pre-post surveys, classroom observations and qualitative interviews with participating students revealed that participation in both the global education and human rights coursework was associated with significant shifts in students’ global knowledge, global competence, global social responsibility, and global perspective. Participating students reported that this combination of global citizenship programming resulted in an increased desire to understand diverse perspectives, an increased desire to travel to Non-Western regions of the world, and an interest in learning more about these regions of the world.

Authors

• Sherri Robyn Sklarwitz, Boston University

• Susan Fields, Boston University

• Scott Clifford Seider, Boston University