Reconceptualising global citizenship education (GCE) in the post-multicultural era

This paper validates the need to reconceptualize global citizenship education (GCE) by examining key tenets within the concept and exploring models developed to explain its evolution in the twenty-first century. Drawing from a larger comparative study, this research analyses GCE implementation in two primary schools: an international school in Singapore and an independent school in Australia. The study examines how each school has implemented and institutionalized GCE within its specific context. Through extensive literature review and empirical data analysis, the paper develops a conceptual model that deconstructs GCE to provide both depth and breadth to this multifaceted concept. The model demonstrates that GCE comprises overlapping features of three educational principles: multicultural education, citizenship education, and global education. However, findings indicate that a holistic understanding of GCE requires consideration of the convivial and super-diverse contemporary multicultural societies in which it operates. While specificities exist within national contexts, the research reveals that both national and local dimensions exist within similar global flows, yet these flows manifest differently across varied local contexts. The conceptual model offers a framework for understanding how GCE adapts to and is shaped by diverse educational settings while maintaining core principles that transcend geographical boundaries.