Global Citizenship in Higher Education: The Role of Academic Mobility

The concept of Global Citizenship (GC) is frequently discussed in literature as a means of countering the effects of globalization. Higher education institutions are playing an increasingly prominent role in the field of Global Citizenship Education (GCE). It is essential that teachers possess the requisite skills and willingness to engage responsibly and effectively in a global environment, as they play a pivotal role in the dissemination of GCE. This contribution therefore quantitatively analyzes the extent of GC among teacher students and students of Social Sciences at German universities as a whole and as a function of experiences abroad during their studies (n=66). Using t-tests with independent samples and a one-factorial ANOVA, differences in the expression of GC are identified (1) based on whether an academic stay abroad was present and (2) based on the duration of the academic stay abroad. The data suggest that students who have had experience studying abroad tend to score higher along the three GC dimensions and in the total GC score compared to those who have not. It is noteworthy that students who spent the least amount of time abroad (2 to 8 weeks) scored the highest in GC, social responsibility, and global citizenship engagement. The results indicate that GC is a complex construct with several sub-dimensions, and it is not solely dependent on experience abroad.