Chapter 9: Changing Attitudes, Motivating Action: Global Citizenship Identity Among Privileged Adolescents

This mixed methods study considers the effects of coursework in global education and human rights upon the global citizenship attitudes of privileged adolescents attending an independent secondary school for girls in a large northeastern city in the United States. Pre-post surveys, classroom observations and qualitative interviews with participating students revealed that participation in both the global education and human rights coursework were associated with significant shifts in students’ beliefs about global social responsibility, global interactions, and world mindedness, but not their global civic engagement. Participating students reported that the global citizenship programming strengthened their desire to explore complex relationships between unity and diversity, increasing interdependence between nations, human rights, and opportunities to practice democracy.