Toward Global Citizenship: Internationalization of Adult Education in Canada and the US

Authors

  • Mary V. Alfred Texas A&M University
  • Shibao Guo University of Calgary

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56105/cjsae.v24i2.132

Abstract

Zha (2003) argues that internationalization will become increasingly important in the higher education sector because academic and professional requirements for graduates increasingly reflect the demands of the globalization of societies, economy, and labor markets, and as a result, higher education must provide adequate preparation to meet these requirements. Similarly, Ramdas (1997) suggests that adult education is uniquely positioned to make an empowering intervention on behalf of the underprivileged in every society, and in order to do that, adult educators must internationalize the curricula in order to prepare global citizens to contest the negative impact of globalization.  To the end, the purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which adult education faculty and programs in Canada and the US were preparing global citizens as evidenced by the internationalization of research, curricular, and pedagogy. Data were collected through analyses of AERC and CASAE conference proceedings (1995-2010) and program offerings from Internet sites of selected adult education programs. The findings suggest that adult educators of higher education must make more purposeful attempts at the internationalization of research, curricula, and pedagogy that would highlight and contest the hegemonizing effects of globalization on individuals and societies and work to prepare graduates for responsible global citizenship in a civil society.

Downloads

Published

2012-03-27

How to Cite

Alfred, M. V., & Guo, S. (2012). Toward Global Citizenship: Internationalization of Adult Education in Canada and the US. Canadian Journal for the Study of Adult Education, 24(2). https://doi.org/10.56105/cjsae.v24i2.132