Beyond Fact‑Focused Instruction: Advancing Classroom Practice in Global Citizenship Education

Abstract To identify exemplary practices in global citizenship education in schools, it is important to explore pedagogical approaches that promote global citizenship and intercultural understanding as goals in the foreign language classroom. This study followed a group of secondary school students in Germany and Ireland who collaborated on an 8‑month project following the ABC’s of Cultural Understanding and Communication. The aim was to determine the impact of this intercultural experience and its potential to enhance participants’ understanding of global citizenship issues. The study specifically investigated whether the participants went beyond simply learning about concepts of citizenship and other cultures to actually develop an awareness of multiple perspectives. This study also explored how much the values, attitudes, and behaviours that support global citizenship were encouraged. The findings indicated that when the learners gained the necessary skills to engage in conversations and explore different perspectives, they developed a more nuanced understanding that both they and other cultures are influenced by sociocultural factors. Teachers played a crucial role in helping students as they interacted and exchanged cultural information with their partners. This role included demonstrating inquiry-based approaches rather than emphasizing the idea of the curriculum as a collection of factual knowledge.