Fostering Global Citizenship through English Language Teaching

Abstract

In today’s increasingly interconnected world, education plays a central role in preparing learners to become active, responsible, and culturally aware members of a global society. Global Citizenship Education (GCE) has emerged as a key framework for fostering critical thinking, intercultural understanding, and civic engagement. Given its status as a global lingua franca, English Language Teaching (ELT) provides a unique platform for integrating GCE principles into language education.

This study adopts a conceptual and literature-based approach to examine how ELT can foster global citizenship through three interrelated dimensions: pedagogical strategies, teacher education, and technology-mediated practices. Drawing on key scholarship (e.g., Tichnor-Wagner et al., 2017; Harshman & Augustine, 2013; Ekanayake et al., 2020; Santana et al., 2025; Choi, 2025), the article synthesizes current theoretical perspectives and identifies effective practices for integrating global issues into language classrooms.

The findings highlight that intercultural and critical pedagogies, combined with well-designed professional development programs, enable teachers to incorporate global themes into language instruction effectively. Furthermore, telecollaboration and digital platforms create authentic opportunities for intercultural communication, supporting learners’ linguistic and global competencies simultaneously.

The study concludes that fostering global citizenship through ELT requires a synergistic relationship between pedagogy, teacher preparation, and technology. It provides practical implications for educators, curriculum designers, and policymakers, while also identifying areas for future empirical research to explore classroom-based applications of GCE in language education.