Open AccessTransformative Citizenship Education and Intercultural Sensitivity in Early Adolescence
Author(s) -
Jennifer M. Mellizo
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
world journal of education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1925-0754
pISSN - 1925-0746
DOI - 10.5430/wje.v8n3p139
Subject(s) - transformative learning , curriculum , pedagogy , psychology , citizenship , citizenship education , psychological intervention , mathematics education , political science , psychiatry , politics , law
As our world continues to evolve into an increasingly diverse, interconnected, and interdependent global society, it isbecoming more important for tomorrow’s citizens (today’s early adolescent students) to develop the knowledge,skills, and dispositions they will need to understand and communicate with individuals who come from many diversecultural backgrounds. Yet, relatively few researchers have examined the effects of specific curriculum interventions,strategies, and/or educational approaches designed to improve intercultural knowledge, skills, and attitudes duringearly adolescence. In this study, a causal-comparative quantitative research design was used to explore differences inintercultural sensitivity between a group of 4th–6th grade students at a school that embraces a transformativeapproach to citizenship education (School 1), and a group of students at a comparison school (School 2). Anindependent t–test revealed students at School 1 scored significantly higher than students at School 2 on aquantitative measure of intercultural sensitivity (AISI). These results suggest a transformative approach to citizenshipeducation can promote the development of intercultural sensitivity during early adolescence. In light of these results,several key aspects of this particular school’s transformative citizenship curriculum are discussed in detail.