Fostering Global Citizenship through Intercultural Dialogue and Collaborative Learning: Evidence from Ghanaian Higher Education Stella Daah Siaw1, Abena Sekyere2, Kwame Siaw3 1Department of Creative Arts and & TVET, Wesley College of Education, Ghana. 2Department of Hospitality and Tourism Education, Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development, Kumasi, Ghana 3 Ghana Revenue Authority, Ghana. 1 [email protected] 2 [email protected] 3 [email protected] Corresponding author: Stella Daah Siaw; [email protected] Abstract Although there is little empirical data from African settings, global citizenship education is becoming more and more important in higher education. Among pupils in Ghanaian higher education institutions, this research explores how intercultural communication and group work help to foster world citizenship. Using a mixed-methods approach, 400 students from various academic fields, levels of study, and geographical backgrounds completed a structured questionnaire with open-ended questions and Likert-scale items. Quantitative data reveal that intercultural conversation is a regular aspect of pupils' learning experience; there is a lot of interaction across cultural boundaries and a great readiness to interact with many points of view. Although uneven participation and language-related difficulties were also apparent, collaborative learning became a major site of intercultural contact whereby students had to handle difference, share responsibility, and settle disputes. Qualitative answers also show that students grasp world citizenship mostly from actual experience, which stresses respect for others, accountability beyond one's own, and knowledge of the larger consequences of daily deeds. The research reveals that among Ghanaian students, daily academic contacts set in local surroundings help to promote global citizenship.

Authors:
Stella Daah Siaw, Wesley College of Education, Ghana
Abena Sekyere, Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development, Kumasi, Ghana
Kwame Siaw, Ghana Revenue Authority, Ghana

About the Presenter(s)
Stella Daah Siaw is an Assistant Lecturer at the Department of TVET, Wesley College of Education, Kumasi in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. She holds two Masters of Philosophy degree (MPhil) in Home Economics from the University of Cape Coast and (MPhil) in Fashion Design and Textiles from Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development, Kumasi Ghana. She is currently a PHD student in Fashion design technology at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. Her research interests include compliance to global best practices, sustainability in the fashion industry, and supply chain management in the fashion industry, technologies used in apparel production.

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