A qualitative analysis of pre-departure education of International Voluntary Service in Korea - in the perspective of global citizenship education

2020년 2월

서울대학교 대학원

협동과정 글로벌교육협력 전공

임예은(Ye Eun IM)

Under the aim of nurturing responsible and active global citizens to meet the demands of globalization, the United Nations has presented global citizenship education (GCED) as a core agenda in the education sector. South Korea understands the importance and potential impact of GCED and has taken multiple approaches towards integrating it into education and training programs in higher education, including utilizing an international voluntary service (IVS). This international voluntary service programs provide students with experiential learning and is thus perceived as one of the most effective educational methods for fostering global citizenship in students. However, the secure promise of global citizenship through volunteering abroad raises some concerns. Rather than fostering global citizenry, it can reinforce students' stereotypes about developed and developing countries or reinforce paternalistic attitudes and cultural imperialism towards the local people they try to 'help.' Further, it has a potential danger in perpetuating inequitable power relationships. Moreover, global citizenship lacks a clear definition in its delivery due to its multiple aspects of its definition. This results in different program curricula and orientations, thereby, promoting different, sometimes contradicting, global citizenship. Thus, without a clear definition or concept of global citizenship, IVS programs cannot effectively strategize to promote global citizenship it aims to achieve. The entire process of IVS – pre-departure, placement, and post-completion – needs to be carefully designed, planned, and executed to promote the kind of global citizenship that an IVS program strives to achieve and provide students with positive, beneficial experiences during their fieldwork. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how IVS programs' pre-departure education facilitates the experiential learning of the students in the field, especially in promoting global citizenship. Under this objective, this paper has examined the pre-departure education of IVS programs from X University in South Korea. The data for this study is collected from the interviews with two program coordinators, four education specialists, and ten student participants; and teaching materials of pre-departure education from 2017 to 2018 were collected and analyzed. The major findings are as follows. Frist, GCED implemented in pre-departure education is understood from the perspective of the humanistic approach as 'service' is greatly emphasized in IVS programs. Second, the current execution of GCED is heavily knowledge-based among three components of GCED, which are knowledge, sensitivity, and behavior. Consequently, GCED is delivered mainly through lectures. The finding also suggests that participants' interaction between peers, rather than education in the lecture form, is a critical element in triggering potential transformative experience at the dispatched field. Based on these findings, this study proposes five practical implications for designing pre-departure education that promotes experiential learning and allows students to become more active and critical global citizens.