Global Citizenship Education in a Secondary Geography Course: The Students’ Perspectives
Global Citizenship Education in a Secondary Geography Course: The Students’ Perspectives
Global citizenship education is increasingly appreciated in Ontario, Canada, as an important component
of formal schooling. Although all disciplinary areas have a role to play in global citizenship education,
geography provides an especially relevant context in which to foster the values and attitudes often cited
as important for global citizenship. This study investigates how Grade 12 students, who had recently
completed the course “Canadian and World Issues: A Geographic Analysis”, conceive of the concept of
global citizenship, and experienced its values within this course. Qualitative data was collected through
interviews with seven students. The interviews revealed four major themes relating to how the students
conceptualized global citizenship: global awareness, belonging, caring, and commitment to action. It
revealed students’ personal involvement with the concepts studied helped them learn to be global
citizens, as did the rich discussions of global issues they experienced in class. Careful analysis of both
students’ conceptions of global citizenship and how they experienced global citizenship in the
curriculum exposed an uncritical perspective – one which emphasizes acts of charity and volunteerism
rather than a commitment to social justice. The findings are valuable to teachers and teacher candidates
seeking to better engage their students in global issues and equip them with global thinking strategies,
and to curriculum developers wishing to effectively incorporate values and topics concerning global
citizenship within school curricula.
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