Comparative Research in Global Citizenship Education

• In Event: Poster Session: Education for global citizenship and competence: Comparing policies, practices and outcomes

Abstract

In recent years teaching citizenship issues are becoming popular in schools across various parts of the world. This paper is based on the presenter’s published work and taught academic courses.

This paper aims to discuss the need for a pedagogical debate on what makes an active citizen. The complex questions this paper will begin to address are these: who is a citizen? What does it mean to be an active citizen and under what social, political or educational scenario does a person become a citizen? Surely the question is not just about learning citizenship but in taking action as a citizen that education within schools needs to address.

Based on published work (book and other articles), this paper will make an eclectic enquiry into the example of intercultural thinkers Tsunesaburo Makiguchi and Daisaku Ikeda (in Japan) and Mahatma Gandhi (in India) who have lead their respective societies into new trajectories of change. This paper will also discuss innovative methods and activities in teaching citizenship education and the current use of the presenter’s work in a Post Graduate Certificate Course in UK, and at the Faculty of Education of a major university in Tokyo.

Also, this paper argues that whilst extensive comparative research has been undertaken in the East and West, there is still a dearth of literature which develops a broader understanding and compares East with East.

Author

• Namrata Sharma, Soka University