The Meaning of Global Competence as Perceived by Engineering Students

This study explores the meaning of global competence as perceived by engineering students with overseas training experience and offers practical insights for designing educational programs to enhance this competence. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 engineering students from six universities in South Korea, and the responses were analyzed through content analysis. The study identified six major themes, which were categorized into knowledge, skills, and attitudes; (K) “understanding international issues and industrial trends” and “specialized knowledge through integrative thinking”; (S) “foreign language communication” and “collaborative problem-solving”; (A) “respect and embrace cultural diversity” and “curiosity and a spirit of challenge” Based on these findings, we suggested the importance of developing customized global competence programs that reflect the characteristics of engineering students and provided practical learning opportunities that incorporate students' experiences. The results provided both theoretical and practical implications for enhancing the global competencies of engineering students, and suggest the need for further research across various academic disciplines and international contexts.