Developing capacity for globally competent teaching: A case study of a state-level model for professional development

There is an emphasis on supporting the development of global competence in students in K-12 education. Global competence refers to the dispositions, skills and knowledge needed to successfully navigate life and work within a global society. As such, teachers must actively address this development by integrating global understandings into their teaching. Therefore, it is essential to understand how in-service teachers are prepared and supported as they incorporate the development of global competence into curriculum and instruction. This study aimed to increase knowledge of how the implementation of the Global Educator Digital Badge (GEDB), a state initiative for educator professional development (PD), built capacity for globally competent knowledge and practices. The theoretical framework of teacher agency (TA) provided insight to the structural, cultural and material factors that may have influenced the agentic choices and actions of participating GEDB educators. The explanatory qualitative case study explored GEDB teachers’ and stakeholders’ (i.e. principals and PD providers) perceptions of globally competent instructional practices and to what extent teachers incorporated GEDB principles into their curriculum (content) and pedagogies (instruction). Additional considerations were to explore factors within PD that influenced these changes and stakeholder perceptions of globally competent education. Participants included GEDB educators from the state (n=27), a nested sample at a globally focused school (n=35), and GEDB PD providers (n=4). Data collected and analyzed included surveys, semi-structured interviews, a focus group, classroom observations and document analysis. Findings suggest that teachers perceived the inclusion of a global competence within extant curriculum as important, suggesting that the GEDB PD facilitated changes in their respective classroom practices. School-based teachers conceptualized and reported their own growth in global competence and the extent to which that growth translated to globally competent pedagogy. Teachers cited that their progression was supported by assistance from state, and local personnel. Teachers also reported that tandem supports from PD and curriculum development (which emphasized global competence in a disciplinary context) aided educators who participated in individualized learning (the GEDB PD) to develop and/or modify the extant curriculum. This enabled teachers to make choices about their own learning and designing of globally competent instruction, evidencing how changes in practices were accomplished through the TA paradigm. Results indicated statistically significant differences between groups of GEDB educators (e.g. based on the number of PD hours completed, and specific indicators of the Teaching for Global Readiness survey), suggesting the PD was successful in its intended outcomes to develop globally competent educators. Specifically, the GEDB PD likely helped teachers develop the necessary pedagogical expertise to design curriculum and address the development of global competence for students. Future avenues for research include examining effective assessment practices that support the development of global competence in students; understanding how global competence is represented in K-12 STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics); and how effective PD models influence student perceptions of global competence.