A Study on the Global Citizenship Education Model Incorporating Virtual Intercultural Exchange

The purpose of this study is to explore a new educational possibility for proposing a Global Citizenship Education (GCED) model for Korean high schools that incorporates intercultural exchange with a school in a different country. In an increasingly interconnected world, global collaboration in working towards resolving global challenges is essential. With the growing status of GCED as a mainstream educational agenda around the globe, numerous studies have been conducted on curriculum development for GCED. While there is a body of research on the effect of intercultural exchange on developing communicative skills and intercultural competence (ICC), it is difficult to find cases in which it is integrated into formal education in Korea. Therefore, this study suggests a GCED model that incorporates virtual intercultural exchange to be applied to Korean high schools, based on the GCED topics presented by UNESCO and those relating to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The virtual exchange designed in the proposed model involves both synchronous and asynchronous exchange. With the necessary administrative and technological considerations supported, this model is expected to serve as an educational alternative for high school education to cultivate global citizenship, intercultural competence, and English communicative skills needed to survive in the ever-changing global society.