Education is a vehicle for training and transformation to counter growing global challenges and threats, while ensuring the improvement of our own knowledge regarding the wide diversity of citizens around the world. In this sense, education for global citizenship provides a perspective focused precisely on developing a society actively committed to achieving a more equitable and sustainable world, promoting respect for dignity, diversity and human rights and, respecting the environment and fostering responsible consumption.
It is critical to foster educational models that promote critical thinking, greater social awareness and commitment, both locally and globally, taking into consideration the changing context of global dependence and interdependence where the well-being of the global community should be a common aspiration. Because of this, education for global citizenship implies not only knowledge per se but also a skill set complemented with particular attitudes.
(Commonwealth of Puerto Rico), the UNAI Principle Hub for Global Citizenship, is conducting a research project with the purpose of exploring the terms, words and concepts that better reflect educators' understanding of global citizenship. A review of the literature reveals that there are multiple definitions and a broad set of words that are used to define, illustrate and somehow explain global citizenship.
This finding motivated the design of a research project led by professors David M¨¦ndez, Sandra Guzm¨¢n and Angel Ginorio, to provoke reflections on the various aspects that affect the understanding of global citizenship. A key component of this is a 6-question survey (the GC-TWC Survey) for UNAI member institutions. The survey, available through an online form until 28 February, contains demographic variables, experiences and perception variables, and an alphabetically organized list of the terms, words and concepts most frequently mentioned in literature.
A descriptive statistics analysis will be used to identify the relevant elements for further study. The research will cover the relationship between global citizenship and cultural, geographical, historical, political and social aspects and, its impact on the teaching-learning process, particularly at the higher education level. The study aims to provide an updated and valuable framework related to education for global citizenship, in line with of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Click to access the questionnaire.
You can learn more about the UNAI Principle Hub for Global Citizenship, Ana G. M¨¦ndez University System, here.
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