University Students’ Perception toward Global Citizenship’s Knowledge, Skills and Values in the Sultanate of Oman

Abstract

Global citizenship refers to a sense of belonging to a larger culture and humanity in general. It emphasizes the people's political, economical, social, and cultural interdependence and interconnection at the local, national, and global levels. This study explores university students’ perceptions toward global citizenship knowledge, skills, and values in the Sultanate of Oman. To achieve this objective, a descriptive approach was followed by developing a questionnaire including 47 items covering three major dimensions of global citizenship education, namely cognitive, socio-emotional, and behavioral (CSeB). The questionnaire was tested to ensure its validity and reliability and applied to a study sample of 299 students (122 males and 177 females). The findings show statistically significant differences at (α=0.05) between the mean of students’ responses who studied Global Citizenship Course (GCC) and those who did not. This reflects the effectiveness of the GCC on students’ points of view. Also, the findings show a significant difference between students’ points of view regarding the accommodation variable in the cognitive domain in favor of students who live with their families compared with those who live on-campus. GCC plays a significant role in developing student skills and pro-social behavior. The effort to establish a concept of global citizenship is a small step towards a better understanding of its impact and effect.