Dr. Jennifer Doran Laden

DEVELOPING GLOBAL CITIZENS: A CASE STUDY ON THE INFLUENCE OF AUTHENTIC LEARNING ON GLOBAL COMPETENCE

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to describe how one interdisciplinary program that used an authentic learning approach may have developed global competence in students. This study explored how teachers planned and implemented a global competence program and how students perceived their acquisition of global competence. I used an exploratory case study of the Global Scholars Program (GSP), a three-year interdisciplinary high school global competence program. I conducted a document review of an outside agency’s situational assessment, a regional organization evaluation report, archived student survey data, sample assessment tasks, and sample student work. Additionally, I conducted voluntary semi-structured interviews with GSP teachers and a focus group with current GSP students. The Global Competence Framework (Boix Mansilla & Jackson, 2011) served as the lens through which I examined the global competence of the GSP students, and I explored how authentic tasks aligned with Herrington and Oliver’s (2000) Nine Elements of Authentic Learning and contributed to global competence. The data indicate that when students experience real-world, student-centered learning with a focus on examining multiple perspectives they perceive that their global competence increases. When interdisciplinary teachers collaborate to create global competence focused instruction using authentic learning principles, students learn to take action to address global issues. Instruction and assessment that uses the principles of authentic learning allows students to deeply explore global content and apply that knowledge and skills in a meaningful way.

Jennifer Laden is the social studies chairperson 6 to 12 in the Byram Hills School District in Armonk, NY. Prior to Byram Hills, Jennifer was an Assistant Principal and Social Studies Supervisor in the Harrison Central School District and a teacher and social studies coordinator in the Bedford Central School District. Jennifer currently lives in Brookfield, CT with her husband, Tom Murphy, and children Eamonn and Doran.