No abstract

Our research examined degrees of worldmindedness of 644 undergraduate elementary and secondary social studies teacher candidates entering the requisite social studies methods courses in their junior or senior year at five of Florida's largest public universities. Worldmindedness in this study is defined as a worldview in which one sees oneself connected to the larger world community grounded in Personal Responsibility, Cultural Pluralism, Efficacy, Globalcentrism, and Interconnectedness. We hypothesised selected demographic predictor variables as potential correlates of higher scores in worldmindedness. Findings demonstrated that variables significantly related to higher scores were: proficiency in two or more languages, progressive political orientation, taking more content courses with a global orientation, high grade point average, birthplace outside the United States, and female gender. Secondary candidates scored higher than elementary candidates. We conclude with recommendations for educational experiences in teacher education programs that may develop a deeper worldmindedness in teacher candidates with the potential of producing a sophisticated teaching force comparable to the best in the world.

No abstract

No abstract

In this study, we examined gender and ethnicity differences in globalmindedness among graduating seniors in six North Florida public high schools. Using a mixed method design, we administered 1096 globalmindedness surveys and conducted 59 one-on-one interviews measuring the five globalmindedness dimensions of responsibility, interconnectedness, globalcentrism, cultural pluralism, and efficacy. Females scored significantly higher on all five dimensions of globalmindedness than their male counterparts on the globalmindedness survey; however, the interview results revealed a higher level of globalmindedness among females only on the dimensions of responsibility and efficacy. African-American students possessed a higher level of globalmindedness in the dimensions of efficacy and interconnectedness than their European-American counterparts in both the survey and interview data. The interview results also revealed a higher level of globalmindedness among African-American students in the dimensions of responsibility and cultural pluralism, a difference not seen in the survey data. We discuss the need for further globalmindedness research with graduating high school students, with special attention to the dimensions of globalmindedness that did not align in the survey and interview data. The implications of the findings for educators seeking to teach from a global perspective are addressed.