University Students’ Perception toward Global Citizenship’s Knowledge, Skills and Values in the Sultanate of Oman

Wajeha Thabit Al-Ani

doi:10.5430/ijhe.v11n3p40

Abstract

Global citizenship refers to a sense of belonging to a larger culture and humanity in general. It emphasizes the people's political, economical, social, and cultural interdependence and interconnection at the local, national, and global levels. This study explores university students’ perceptions toward global citizenship knowledge, skills, and values in the Sultanate of Oman. To achieve this objective, a descriptive approach was followed by developing a questionnaire including 47 items covering three major dimensions of global citizenship education, namely cognitive, socio-emotional, and behavioral (CSeB). The questionnaire was tested to ensure its validity and reliability and applied to a study sample of 299 students (122 males and 177 females). The findings show statistically significant differences at (α=0.05) between the mean of students’ responses who studied Global Citizenship Course (GCC) and those who did not. This reflects the effectiveness of the GCC on students’ points of view. Also, the findings show a significant difference between students’ points of view regarding the accommodation variable in the cognitive domain in favor of students who live with their families compared with those who live on-campus. GCC plays a significant role in developing student skills and pro-social behavior. The effort to establish a concept of global citizenship is a small step towards a better understanding of its impact and effect.

Highlights

Global citizenship education has become a catchphrase that national educational organizations and scholars have used over the past few years to delineate the emerging internationalization of education
The study results showed that the effective implementation of global citizenship education does need to involve all areas of the curriculum and school ethos and structure, extra-curricular activities, and needs to foster community engagement and engage students in actions for change
This study was conducted to explore the effectiveness of Global Citizenship Course (GCC) on students' perceptions towards global citizenship knowledge, behavior, and social values at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU)

Summary

Introduction

Global citizenship education has become a catchphrase that national educational organizations and scholars have used over the past few years to delineate the emerging internationalization of education. It has emerged as a response to the growing globalization and excessive values of citizenship (Pais, 2020). According to United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the key concepts related to global citizenship are awareness, participation, responsibility, cross-cultural empathy, personal achievement, and international mobility (Schattle, 2009). A global citizen who was sponsored through a worldwide way of life is someone who can live and work efficiently anywhere in the world (Noddings, 2005). McIntosh linked the idea of a global citizen to the behavior of the mind, heart, body, and soul that ought to do with operating for and maintaining a community of ties and interactions across traces of difference and distinction while preserving and strengthening a sense of one's own identity and integrity (McIntosh, 2005)

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