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ORCID

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8889-9548

Keywords

global citizenship education, grounded theory, human connections, service-learning, social justice, study abroad

Special Issue

April 2026 Issue

Abstract

This grounded theory investigation theorizes how service abroad programs can promote global citizenship development among university students. The analysis of interviews, annotated artifacts, and class assignments delineates the theory that participation in service abroad provides opportunities to form connections to the host community and empathize with people who are different, thereby promoting personal paradigm shifts from caring about the self to caring about the collective. Service offers an entry point into a host community that enables students to embrace a wider global perspective, form a better understanding of social justice, experience profound personal growth, as well as develop human connections with the global community.

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