Abstract:
This research compares and examines the conceptions of global citizenship in the global citizenship related courses offered for the 15 Bachelor of Education (Honours) programmes at the Education University of Hong Kong. The research investigates the relationship between (a) the varied understandings, discourses and conceptions of global citizenship and (b) the disciplinary and pedagogical trainings of pre-service teachers, with particular focus on the formation of their professional identity and vision in teaching practice. While diversity of views and conceptions of global citizenship is cherished, it is meanwhile important to develop a cohesive framework that democratically captures the varied understandings, discourses and conceptions of global citizenship. In the current practices of global citizenship education, the main challenge lies in the misalignment between the goals, curricula, pedagogies and assessment tools (Deardorff, 2006, 2009). Seeking the alignments of conceptions of global citizenship, this research contributes to the teaching and learning of the University by enhancement of students’ learning outcomes and core competencies, through the means of internationalisation in cross-faculty curriculum and the fostering of a culture of student engagement and reflections. All things considered, the impact of the research lies in the university-wide framework working towards a clarified and cohesive vision for global citizenship.
Code:
T0202
Principal Project Supervisors:
Keywords provided by authors:
- Global Citizenship
- Global perspectives
- Pre-service teachers
- Teacher Professionalism
- Professional Identity of Beginning Teachers
Start Date:
01 Feb 2018
End Date:
31 Jan 2019
Status:
Completed
Result:
The findings reveal that EdUHK students in the project sample have awareness towards global issues such as global inequalities and environmental problems. They also possess global competence such as open-mindedness and communication skills to initiate intercultural interaction with people from other countries. Many of them expressed that they acquired such global competence through overseas exchange or experiential learning programmes. Yet, most students revealed constraints regarding engagement in global volunteering works and community participation (except a few students who are dedicated to international service learning and volunteering). Overall speaking, few of them indicated that they had taken courses related to global citizenship because there are not many courses focusing on global citizenship at EdUHK. As for the instructors participating in this project, they have different objectives in teaching global citizenship in their courses, ranging from cultivating students' critical thinking to discussing the humanistic dimension of global citizenship (such as embracing diversity), from advocating engagement in global issues to practising global citizenship for the progression of Hong Kong social development. Also, some suggested that institutional coordination for Global Citizenship framework is necessary while some suggested that more teaching resources should be provided centrally in EdUHK.
Impact:
Through communicating the students' perceptions and reflections to the course instructors at the end of the research, instructors could be acquainted of the students' perspectives and see how the research findings could inform their course update/modification and future delivery. And the development of a framework aspiring for diverse perspectives and a cohesive vision for global citizenship education can inform the enhancement of the new assessment framework which can democratically capture more conceptions and dimensions of global citizenship through a 'bottom-up' process. Also, as possible tensions between the cultivations of national identity and local identity arise recently among the Hong Kong's young generation, a cohesive framework and vision for global citizenship can enable beginning teachers to navigate and negotiate this problem in creative ways, particularly to deliberate and develop a citizenship meaningful to the Hong Kong's young people. In this way, this TDG research will make impact for knowledge transfer and policy implications.
Deliverables:
Books/ Book Chapters/ Journal Articles/ Conference Papers
Tang, H. H. H. (2019, June). Engaging students for global citizenship: Diverse conceptions and cohesive vision. Paper presented at The International Conference on Open and Innovative Education (ICOIE 2019). http://icoie2019.ouhk.edu.hk/abs/202.html
Tang, H. H. H., & Wong, Y. Y. J. (2020). Identities, citizenship and education in a global city: Hong Kong citizenship as process. In A. Peterson, G. Stahl, & H. Soong (Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of citizenship and education. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-67905-1 (https://repository.eduhk.hk/en/publications/identities-citizenship-and-e...)
Tang, H. H. (2020, December). Global citizenship and initial teacher education in an asian global city: diverse conceptions and pedagogic implications. Paper presented at the International Conference on Learning and Teaching (ICLT 2020), Hong Kong.
Seminars/ Presentations/ Sharing Sessions
Tang, H. H., & Chong, K. M. (2019, May). Globalisation and its implication for civic education. Seminar presentation at the Staff Development Day of Maryknoll Covent School (Secondary Section). (Number of participants: 20 teachers of Liberal Studies and Humanities)(https://repository.eduhk.hk/en/publications/globalisation-and-its-implic...)
Teaching and Learning Resources/ Materials (including online resources)
A facebook platform on global citizenship "Global Citizenship, International Education & Civic Education" https://www.facebook.com/groups/924600144233464/
Financial Year:
2017-18
Type:
TDG