International Academic Leaders' Cognitive Representations of Global Citizenship Education in the Higher Education Curriculum

The concept of "global citizenship" has gained popularity in academic circles recently and has given rise to the emerging field of global citizenship education (GCED). Since higher education institutions are growing more and more culturally diverse, it is crucial to find ways to effectively integrate global citizenship into the curricula. This phenomenological qualitative study aimed to understand how worldwide academic leaders conceptualized GCED in the context of higher education. Data were gathered from a variety of sources, including field notes, an open-ended semi-structured virtual interview, and observation. This study advances four primary findings. First, the findings of the current study were consistent with the concepts of GCED found in the earlier research literature. Second, participants were recognized frequently as the foundation upon which they emphasized the relevance of GCED in the higher education curriculum and executed it in the classroom. Third, the inclusion of GCED in higher education curricula would give students a way to learn about diversity and other cultures. Lastly, integrating the GCED aspects into the curricula for higher education may prove to be a difficult undertaking. Participants in the study recognized a perceived need for helping students develop into global citizens and elaborated on the several constructs that would need to be introduced into classroom instruction to achieve this goal. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Goal Number 4 on Promoting Quality Education and Lifelong Opportunities for All, need the mainstream of higher education to align its worldview. Through the above findings and literature, a trifocal instructional, pedagogical, and sociological framework that emphasizes the blending of crucial components and traits in the educational process with a dash of GCED ideas and principles has been developed.