PILOT PROJECT FOR GLOBAL COMPETENCY EDUCATION IN EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA SCHOOLS

Abstract

In this study a group of 9th grade World History students from eastern North Carolina participated in a semester-long virtual exchange program to increase global competency learning. Virtual exchanges are technology-enabled, sustained, people-to-people education programs. Global competency is described as the capacity to examine local, global and intercultural issues, to understand and appreciate the perspectives and world views of others, to engage in open, appropriate and effective interactions with people from different cultures, and to act for collective well-being and sustainable development. The students in North Carolina connected with students from a school in Kazakhstan and engaged in three different virtual exchange experiences. These three exchanges focused on introductions, governments and policies, and current issues, respectively. Additionally, students completed guided journal entries after each exchange. Before and after the program students took the survey from the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018 framework. The data collected comprised of the changes in responses to the PISA survey along with coded language identified in the journal entries.