The Impact of Globalization on How We Learn: Global Citizenship Education as a Transformative Learning Approach Towards Global Identities

• Published in: Globalized Identities pp. 301 - 326
• Main Authors: Etzkorn, Nadine, Reese, Gerhard
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Springer International Publishing AG 2022; Springer International Publishing
• Subjects: Decolonization; Global citizenship; Global identity; Internationalization; Study abroad; Transformative learning
• ISBN: 9783031046438; 3031046439
• DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-04644-5_12

In light of the movement to decolonize universities, the aim of educating global citizens should become a future orientation in internationalization practices and study abroad programs of universities. Studying abroad is a global phenomenon that has increased over the last decades. Making international contacts contributes to global citizenship identity. Global Citizenship Education (GCE) aims at empowering learners to make ethical decisions and take responsible actions to face and resolve global challenges. It enables learners to develop a global mindset that encompasses justice motivations, reflective, critical and relational metacognitive capabilities, and sustainability-oriented practices.The normative orientation of this educational concept is guided by values such as non-discrimination, respect for diversity, solidarity for humanity and global social justice. In this way, GCE offers an opposite horizon towards dominating neoliberal perspectives of the internationalization processes of universities. This chapter seeks to engage conceptually with the potential of study abroad for building global citizenship. Of particular interest is the process of global citizen learning of international students. Utilizing social identity theory and transformative learning opens a new theoretical view on how international students develop global citizenship.