Date of Award

1993

Degree Name

EdD Doctor of Education

Dissertation Committee

Mary Woods Scherr, PhD, Director; Susan M. Zgliczynski, PhD; Eren Branch, PhD

Keywords

culture, diversity, Ethnocentrism, Global-Mindedness Scale, Leadership studies, minority & ethnic groups

Abstract

The leaders of the twenty-first century will need remarkable insight into other cultures and peoples and unprecedented concern for the well-being of the world community. The generally stated goal of global education in the United States is to foster a sense of global belonging through lessening ethnocentrism, increasing knowledge of other cultures, and promoting a concern for the global ecosystem. Despite the resources dedicated to this end, only limited research has been done to assess the effectiveness of programs designed to foster global-mindedness. Global-Mindedness, as the definition emerged through the qualitative component of this research, is a worldview in which one sees oneself as connected to the global community and feels a sense of responsibility to its members. This commitment is reflected in the individual's attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. The intent of this research was to develop an instrument to measure this construct. An analysis of the theoretical and empirical literature and extensive interviews provided the basis for the items in the scale. The instrument was tested with 396 undergraduate students at the University of California, San Diego. Content validity was established and a factor analysis confirmed construct validity. Correlation coefficients were established between reported behaviors and global-mindedness scores. The final version of the Global-Mindedness Scale contained 30 items representing 5 factors, including (a) Responsibility, (b) Cultural Pluralism, (c) Efficacy, (d) Globalcentrism, and (e) Interconnectedness. Scores differed significantly based on gender, academic experience, political views, participation in internationally-oriented activities, and international experience. The instrument will be useful for assessing attitudes before and after classroom experiences or participation in study abroad programs.

Document Type

Dissertation: Open Access

Department

Education

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