Adolescents’ global competence: A latent profile analysis and exploration of student-, parent-, and school-related predictors of profile membership

Abstract

In a diverse and interconnected world, developing students’ global outlook is necessary. Global competence (GC) refers to the capacity and disposition to thrive in this globalized environment. In 2018, PISA conducted an international assessment of adolescents’ GC. Using this data, we adopted a person-centered approach to investigating Korean adolescents’ GC. The present study pursued two aims: (1) to identify GC profiles based on multiple dimensions and (2) to test what student, parent, and school variables predict membership in these profiles. The sample included 15-year-old Korean adolescents (N = 1940) and their parents (N = 1940). We conducted latent profile analysis (LPA) using Mplus and identified four distinct GC profiles: (1) Average Practice but Less Developed Profile, (2) Near-Average Profile, (3) Developed Cognition and Tolerance Profile, and (4) Whole Developed Profile. Predictors of membership in these profiles included student variables (gender, academic performance, self-efficacy), parent variables (parental economic, social, and cultural status, parents’ interest in learning about different cultures), and school variables (number of learning activities at school, teachers’ attitudes toward various cultural groups, school’s cooperative environment). Based on our findings, we suggest educational support strategies for improving adolescents’ GC.