Becoming competent global educators: Pre-service teachers’ global engagement and critical examination of human capital discourse in glocalized contexts

Abstract

By investigating 28 pre-service teachers’ learning in a comparative and international education course at a Chinese university, this case study examined how to foster teacher students’ global competence, through their global engagement and critical dialogue with human capital discourse that focuses on measurement, competitiveness, and accountability for human capital building and quality. This study revealed that participants’ motives, efforts, and capability in acquiring global competence were affected by global human capital discourse. Results suggest teacher education programs use critical sociocultural pedagogy to empower teacher candidates to be involved in global engagement, learning, and interaction, challenge human capital discourse at global and local levels, critically reflect on sustainable, humanistic, and moral educational goals and take actions, and become competent global educators.