TY - JOUR
T1 - Professional development perspectives on Global Citizenship Education in Ghana
AU - Parejo, José Luis
AU - Lomotey, Benedicta A.
AU - Reynés-Ramon, Miquel
AU - Cortón-Heras, Maria O.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 NFER.
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - Background: Increasingly incorporated into curricula worldwide, Global Citizenship Education (GCE) is a complex and evolving area of education. As the significance of GCE in the classroom grows, so does the need for insight into professional development for GCE educators. Given that many approaches to GCE have typically stemmed from ‘global North’ contexts, it is particularly important to research this area from ‘global South’ perspectives. This paper contributes by reporting on a study conducted in an initial teacher education setting in Ghana. Purpose: The study aimed to investigate prospective teachers’ viewpoints on GCE. It sought to explore aspects including how pre-service teachers understood the orientation, meaning and relevance of GCE teaching and their views on the debates surrounding GCE’s underlying approaches and values. Methods: Participants were 16 pre-service teachers who had taken GCE courses during their degree programmes at a university in Ghana. Data were collected through three focus group discussions and analysed qualitatively. Findings: In-depth analysis of the rich data suggested that participants had generally positive perceptions about GCE, whilst observing challenges and tension in the relationships between local, national and global issues. Whereas some were of the opinion that GCE had a neocolonial orientation, focusing on Western elements over other cultures, others expressed the view that GCE content could be reoriented to address local issues as well. Although participants felt that greater practical experience could strengthen their learning, they believed they had obtained adequate skills in terms of content and theory for the teaching of GCE. Conclusion: The study draws attention to the need for educators to be supported from an early stage and throughout their career journeys with professional development in GCE that invites exploration, critical thinking and challenge.
AB - Background: Increasingly incorporated into curricula worldwide, Global Citizenship Education (GCE) is a complex and evolving area of education. As the significance of GCE in the classroom grows, so does the need for insight into professional development for GCE educators. Given that many approaches to GCE have typically stemmed from ‘global North’ contexts, it is particularly important to research this area from ‘global South’ perspectives. This paper contributes by reporting on a study conducted in an initial teacher education setting in Ghana. Purpose: The study aimed to investigate prospective teachers’ viewpoints on GCE. It sought to explore aspects including how pre-service teachers understood the orientation, meaning and relevance of GCE teaching and their views on the debates surrounding GCE’s underlying approaches and values. Methods: Participants were 16 pre-service teachers who had taken GCE courses during their degree programmes at a university in Ghana. Data were collected through three focus group discussions and analysed qualitatively. Findings: In-depth analysis of the rich data suggested that participants had generally positive perceptions about GCE, whilst observing challenges and tension in the relationships between local, national and global issues. Whereas some were of the opinion that GCE had a neocolonial orientation, focusing on Western elements over other cultures, others expressed the view that GCE content could be reoriented to address local issues as well. Although participants felt that greater practical experience could strengthen their learning, they believed they had obtained adequate skills in terms of content and theory for the teaching of GCE. Conclusion: The study draws attention to the need for educators to be supported from an early stage and throughout their career journeys with professional development in GCE that invites exploration, critical thinking and challenge.
KW - 21 century skills
KW - African studies
KW - Citizenship education
KW - Global Citizenship Education (GCE)
KW - higher education
KW - teacher education
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85140839934&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/00131881.2022.2135120
DO - 10.1080/00131881.2022.2135120
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85140839934
SN - 0013-1881
VL - 64
SP - 407
EP - 423
JO - Educational Research
JF - Educational Research
IS - 4
ER -