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ABSTRACT
The present study examined the development of global citizenship traits in undergraduate students at a liberal arts college in Southern California. Two hundred and sixty-eight students participated in a survey that measured their global citizenship traits. Using a cross-sectional correlational design, the study examined the experience and development of the students as they strive to become global citizens. The results indicated that students face challenges and a sense of discomfort during study abroad, but their global citizenship traits tend to improve after return. Additionally, the study explored students' perceptions of the curriculum, co-curricular activities, and campus life characteristics. The quantitative analyses suggested that the college's mandatory study abroad program offers students an opportunity to seek their global citizenship identities.
Keywords: curricular and co-curricular programs, global citizenship education, liberal arts, interdisciplinary, study abroad
INTRODUCTION
Since the late 20th century, global citizenship education has received increasingly more attention from educators and researchers (Dill, 2015). As the world has become more interconnected than ever, educators have begun attempting to foster contributive individuals with global consciousness and competence (Dill, 2015; Jooste & Heleta, 2017; Krutka & Carano, 2016). Myers (2016) asserted that global citizenship education in higher education possesses a transformative effect that can change students' concept of citizenship in today's world. The present study focuses on global citizenship education as wholistic efforts to foster global citizenship, which is defined and examined as a way of thinking and living that manifests in one's mindsets and traits such as social responsibility (e.g., self-awareness and awareness of others) and global competence (e.g., cultural empathy, the cultivation of principled decision-making, etc.; see Green, 2012).
Assessment of Global Citizenship Education
Researchers point out that it is difficult to conceptualize global citizenship education, put its theory into pedagogical practice, and conduct a precise assessment of it (Wang & Hoffman, 2016). For instance, Aktas, Pitts, Richards, and Silova (2017) warned that credentialing global citizenship can be problematic because students may feel that they become global citizens based on credentials or degrees that they earn through global citizenship programs, not mindsets and skill sets. Scholars argue that existing literature lacks an assessment of global citizenship education (Myers, 2016; Sklad, Friedman, Park, & Oomen, 2016). Although the need for fostering global citizens in higher education...