Dower (2003:7) suggests ‘all human beings have certain fundamental rights and all human beings have duties to respect and promote these rights’. The global dimension in education is essential to developing this concept of active and global citizens. It provides a medium through which children and young people not only develop their understanding about the interdependent relationship between their local communities and the world around them, but that they also acquire the values of tolerance and respect for others and a concern for human rights and sustainable development with a desire to promote equality, peace and social justice. Support for the incorporation of the global dimension into the curriculum has become increasingly prominent in recent years both within the UK and internationally (Oxfam, 1997; DfEE, 2000; Robbins, Francis and Elliott, 2003; Hicks, 2002; 2004). In addition, a number of curricular frameworks have been developed to assist schools and teachers to plan appropriately for global learning (Oxfam, 1997; Pike and Selby, 1999). In the case of Northern Ireland, the key concepts of global education are integral to the revised Northern Ireland Curriculum (DENI, 2007) at primary level, within the area of Personal Development and Mutual Understanding, and at post-primary level within the area of Learning for Life and Work (PMB, 2009). As such, it is imperative that teachers are prepared to facilitate the promotion of global learning in their practice. A significant body of work has been undertaken to consider strategies and programmes through which the various elements of global education can be embedded within initial and continuing teacher education programmes (Young and Commins, 2002; Hagan and McGlynn, 2004; Trotta Tuomi, 2004; Clarke and Drudy, 2006; UCET, 2008). One such programme is ‘The Global Dimension in Initial Teacher Education’ at St. Mary’s University College, Belfast. This programme was initiated in 2005 and was funded by the Department for International Development. It involved the development of taught and on-line courses, certification in the area of the global dimension and a college resources centre. The overall intention was to prepare teachers to implement this aspect of the curriculum effectively in their work. The purpose of this study was to assess the influence and impact of student teachers’ participation in the global dimension project on classroom practice during their practicum in a range of different primary schools across Northern Ireland in 2008.

An opportunistic sample of students (n9) was chosen from the BEd cohort, years 1 to 4 within a teacher education college in Northern Ireland. The sample was selected because of their expressed interest in aspects of the global dimension and because they had indicated that they intended to include this in their work with pupils in school. The sample included male (n3) and female (n6) students who were on a seven week practicum in the second semester of 2008. The students were located in a variety of rural and urban primary schools across Northern Ireland. The research method employed was narrative enquiry (Gudmunsdottir, 1996). Recorded interviews were conducted with each participant during which they relayed their experience of integrating the global dimension concepts into their practice. Data derived was supported by photographic evidence documenting their experiences. Due to the comparatively small sample, a thematic approach to analysis was taken.

Students felt that teaching through the pillars of the global dimension made planning for the revised Northern Ireland Curriculum (PMB, 2009) easier. They reported that this approach had enhanced meaningful cross-curricular connections and enabled children to learn key life skills such as co-operation and independence. There were also some challenging realities. Participants found it difficult to match the global dimension concepts to the children’s levels of understanding and life experiences. There was also reported to be a scarcity of rich, interactive activities and resources to teach the concepts within the global dimension satisfactorily. Given the participants’ initial interest and commitment to the global dimension, the findings cannot be generalised. There are implications for teacher educators to consider different conceptualisations of the global dimension based on students’ prior experience and to facilitate the development of broader experiential-based methodologies which all teachers can employ to infuse the global dimension across the curriculum.