Measuring global citizenship via transformative learning: BEVI assessment of internationalisation

Global Citizenship Education (GCED) emerged after the Second World War and gained prominence with its inclusion in Sustainable Development Goal 4.7. This recognition underscores the role of education in fostering global interconnectedness and encouraging collective responsibility for social and environmental stewardship. Assessing GCED outcomes remains challenging, as research on the experiences of domestic and international students in collaborative programmes is still developing. Exploring how participants learn within transformative settings is essential for strengthening GCED's impact and cultivating global citizenship among future generations. This study adopts a descriptive-exploratory quantitative approach, using the Beliefs, Events, and Values Inventory (BEVI) to examine the influence of international seminars on students’ global citizenship through transformative learning. Data were collected from two seminars held in 2023 and 2024, with 88 undergraduate and postgraduate participants—both domestic and international—completing pre- and post-seminar surveys based on BEVI scales. The analysis focused on five scales: Basic Determinism, Socioemotional Convergence, Sociocultural Openness, Ecological Resonance, and Global Resonance. Results showed overall increases from pre-to post-test, with notable gains in Sociocultural Openness, Ecological Resonance, and Global Resonance. When examined by participant groups, domestic students demonstrated relatively greater improvements. These findings suggest that well-integrated and facilitated multicultural seminars can enhance openness and resonance toward diverse cultures and global communities, particularly for individuals with limited prior exposure to such experiences. The study highlights GCED's potential to support the development of global citizenship among future generations.