Long-term Effects of an Elite Traditional International School Education on Global Citizenship

Abstract

This thesis is concerned with the long-term effect of an elite traditional international school education on global citizenship with respect to its goal of developing an understanding of human rights and responsibilities within the context of multiple world crises (OECD 2018; UNESCO 2015). Inconceivable to the underprivileged majority of the world, global citizenship may be more meaningfully interpreted by geographically mobile individuals with an educational background emphasising intercultural awareness (Balarin 2011; Bates 2012). However, we have little understanding of how this advantaged community interprets the benefits and obligations inherent in global citizenship after they have graduated from school and entered the work force. To address the scarcity of research in this area, I investigate factors that influence global citizenship in 25- to 30-year-old International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme alumni of an elite traditional international school in Switzerland. I focus on alumni perceptions of their own civic engagement and global mobility, which represent incongruent goals for global citizenship education. Evidence from semi-structured interviews suggests that the interaction of an international school education, political affiliations, and upbringing develops in alumni a cosmopolitan form of global citizenship, where liberal ideals of democracy, diversity, and a common humanity are seen as complimentary to neoliberal notions of individualism, competition, and human capital (Oxley and Morris 2013; Pashby et al. 2020). Although IBDP alumni are interculturally sensitive individuals with a broad world view, their engagement with civic activities is limited. The privileged social status of this group facilitates global mobility by providing access to international schooling and higher education, world travel, and the creation of global social networks. Elite traditional international educational environments appear to be implicated not only in the reinforcement of existing social class hierarchies (Bourdieu 1989), but also in the formation of a new class of global elites (Sklair 2001). From a critical realist orientation, I identify social class hierarchies and neoliberalism as causal mechanisms in the deepest domain of social reality that are not directly observable. Findings indicate a fundamental tension between justice and privilege, which places significant pressures from opposing forces on these young adults. Efforts to advance global citizenship education may continue to face considerable antagonism from underlying social structures and mechanisms. To foster a future generation that works together to address planetary emergencies, reformed models of global citizenship education need to be accompanied by critique leading to societal change.

Date of Award	7 May 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bath
Supervisor	Hugh Lauder (Supervisor) & Tristan Bunnell (Supervisor)