Young People's experience of global learning

This research by Ipos MORI, for DEA, asked secondary school children for their perceptions of global issues. Specifically, the survey set out to cover the following key issues:
• Whether pupils are experiencing global learning in school;
• Whether pupils feel it is important to experience global learning at school; and
• Whether pupils believe they have an impact on the world, and whether they do take action to make the world a better place.

Key points:
• Over 50% of students say they have experienced global learning in school since September 2007, while a slightly larger proportion see global learning as important. Over three – quarters of pupils for example, think it is important that schools help pupils understand what people can do to make the world a better place (78%).
• There appears to be a demand for global learning, with more pupils believing global learning is important than actually experience it in school. Findings suggest that there are a proportion of young people who are not experiencing global learning in school; one in five (19%) for example, say they have not discussed news stories from around the world at all in school.
• Findings suggest that global learning has an impact: those who have experienced global learning in school are keen to understand more about the problems in the world, as well as being more likely than average to believe that what they do in their daily lives can affect those in other countries and that people like them have the ability to make a difference. These more informed pupils also appear to be more open to people of different backgrounds than those who have not experienced global learning in school, and more likely than average to say that they try to do things to make the world a better place.
• 66% of school children feel that they can do something to make the world a better place, while 42% believe that what they do in their daily life affects people in other countries.
• 50% of pupils think it is a good idea to have people of different backgrounds living in the same country together. 28% are neutral or unable to give a response, while 14% disagree that it is a good idea. Those who have thought about news stories from around the world from different points of view are more likely to think it is a good idea (66% vs. 50%).
• 22% of young people say they would prefer to make the world a better place than earn a high salary, whilst nearly twice as many (39%) say that making money is more important to them.

For more on the full project click here