Book review: Research in Global Learning: Methodologies for global citizenship and sustainable development education, edited by Douglas Bourn

Book review: Research in Global Learnng: Methodologies for global citizenship and sustainable development education, edited by Douglas Bourn

London: UCL Press, 2023, 280 pp.; ISBNs: 978-18000-8310-3 (hbk); 978-18000-8309-7 (pbk); 978-18000-8311-0 (ebk)

Research in Global Learning: Methodologies for global citizenship and sustainable development education, edited by Douglas Bourn, is an ambitious and timely compendium that offers a diverse range of perspectives on global citizenship and sustainable development education. This collection of articles provides an extensive exploration of research methodologies in global learning, a field that has seen increased academic and policy interest in recent years (ANGEL, 2024).

The book’s strength lies in its emphasis on empirical research from various geographical and cultural contexts, offering a much-needed corrective to the traditional dominance of Western perspectives in this field. The book is divided into 13 chapters, each written by a single author, grouped in four sections: (1) Relationship of policy to practice; (2) Opportunities and constraints within different education systems and the role of teachers; (3) Global citizenship, internationalisation and sustainable development in higher education; and (4) Perspectives and voices of young people and students. Each section is composed of chapters that address specific themes or case studies from a wide range of countries – Brazil, China, Ghana, Greece, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Poland, South Korea, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, the UK and the USA. These articles showcase how global citizenship and education for sustainable development are being shaped, implemented and researched in various sociopolitical contexts.

The book’s introductory chapter, written by the editor, sets the tone by highlighting the importance of methodologies that align with the social justice ethos of global learning. Bourn underlines that global learning is an inherently political act, one that requires critical reflection on the power dynamics that influence both pedagogy and policy. The contributions from the authors, many of whom are early career researchers, reflect this ethos through their varied methodological approaches. The editor recognises that there is a spectrum of often interchangeable terms used in the book such as global education or learning, development education, global citizenship education, environmental education and education for sustainable development. These share commonalities such as promoting a global outlook, addressing social justice and power inequalities, being concerned and caring for the environment, and focusing on contributing to a more just society.

Two of the most remarkable aspects of this book are its portrayal of young scholars’ perspectives and its departure from Western-centrism. Bourn’s compilation features contributions from often under-represented countries in global education research. This diversity not only enriches the theoretical debates within global learning but also offers valuable insights into how global citizenship education is being practised in educational systems in the Global South. More importantly still, the methodological approaches and methods in this compendium include ethnography, surveys, post-positivist realism, action research, critical discourse analysis, case studies, mixed-methods and longitudinal studies. This diversity is welcome, and it could be interpreted as a reflection, and hopefully a trend, of the need to expand epistemological boundaries when conducting social and educational research with a global scope.

In Chapter 1, written by Heela Goren, a comparative analysis of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) global competence questionnaire in Israeli schools is critically examined. Moreover, how global measures of competence fail to account for local sociopolitical complexities is discussed. Similarly, Chapter 2, authored by Romina De Angelis, provides an ethnographic case study of sustainable learning in a Jamaican school. It highlights the disjuncture between top-down educational policies and the lived realities of teachers and students in local contexts. Similarly, these chapters illustrate the value of bottom-up, context-specific research in challenging the universalist assumptions often embedded in global education policies.

The book also does an excellent job of bridging theory and practice. Several chapters, particularly those in the second and third sections, explore the role of teachers and educational institutions in implementing global citizenship and sustainability initiatives. For instance, Chapter 5, authored by Amy Strachan, focuses on primary science education in England. It demonstrates how global learning can be integrated into existing curricula, while also advocating for a pedagogical shift that emphasises critical thinking and environmental consciousness.

While this book offers a rich and varied collection of essays, it is not without its shortcomings. One of the limitations of this compendium is the uneven description and reflection of the methodologies presented. While some chapters delve deeply into their methodological frameworks, others offer more surface-level discussions. This could be due to the fact that some methodological approaches are not generally applied in global education contexts, and therefore the need to address not only the why, but also the process for undertaking such methodologies becomes increasingly relevant. For instance, in Chapter 2, Romina De Angelis thoroughly explains and contextualises the ethnographic approach undertaken within the broader literature on sustainable education. In contrast, Kyoungwon Lee introduces post-positivist realism focused on global citizenship education in South Korea in Chapter 3, but that could have been expanded by unpacking its implications for understanding teacher agency in global education.

Moreover, there is an unaddressed tension between the focus on ‘sustainable development’ and Freire’s ecopedagogy concepts, later expanded by Gadotti, especially regarding oppression, critical consciousness and emancipation. The term ‘sustainable development’ is mentioned, often uncritically, across several chapters in this book (in the introduction, in Chapters 1–6, 10 and 13, and in the conclusion). Likewise, Freire’s work is often referenced in this publication (in the introduction, in chapters 2, 3, 6 and 11, and in the conclusion).

Freire’s (1992) focus on emancipation calls for the liberation of the oppressed, among which Gaia, or Mother Earth, and questions the anthropocentric views of traditional pedagogies (Freire, 2002; Gadotti, 2009). One of the aims of ecopedagogy is to widen the view from anthropocentrism to planetary awareness in order to create a new sense of planetary citizenship or ‘planetary civilization’ (Gadotti, 2009: 66). Freire proposes critical consciousness and action through democratic processes by emphasising the need to challenge and transform oppressive systems.

Conversely, sustainable development is a growth-oriented anthropocentric concept that views nature as a resource for humankind (Bolis et al., 2014). As a result, rather than advocating for the radical and structural social and political transformative changes that Freire envisioned, sustainable development risks reinforcing oppressive systems by prioritising continuity within existing economic frameworks and by offering a palatable and depoliticised term that can be used to perpetuate the status quo. This tension could have been further explored in this publication.

Despite its limitations, the practical implications of the book are noteworthy. By highlighting the voices of teachers and students, this collection underscores the importance of involving local stakeholders in the design and implementation of global education initiatives. This is particularly relevant for educators and policymakers seeking to promote global citizenship and sustainability in diverse educational settings.

This compendium makes a significant contribution to the field by foregrounding the importance of empirical research in global learning. The focus on context-specific methodologies is particularly valuable, as it challenges the tendency within global education to rely on universalist frameworks, that is, the possibility to apply generalised concepts, values and rules to every individual across all cultures, which often fail to account for local realities. Chapters 4 and 7, written by Natalya Hanley and Aamna Pasha respectively, illustrate how national contexts in Kazakhstan and Pakistan shape the implementation of global education policies, offering important insights for policymakers and educators alike.

This book is a valuable resource for researchers, educators and policymakers interested in global citizenship and sustainable education. Its global scope, emphasis on empirical research and focus on methodological diversity make it a significant contribution to the field. Bourn’s collection challenges readers to think critically about the role of education in promoting social justice and sustainability, making it an essential read for anyone engaged in global learning research and practice.