Participation in environmental stewardship activities as a predictor of global mindedness: evidence from an international survey

Prior research has suggested that global mindedness can be taught to (and assessed in) students as well as other related populations, such as teachers and parents. One way of accomplishing this objective is by encouraging student participation in actions that are designed to improve associated competencies, such as environmental stewardship. This study examined the extent to which student attitudes about environmental stewardship were associated with global mindedness, and the degree to which this relationship differed across countries. Environmental stewardship was significantly associated with global mindedness in each individual country included in our sample, and our empirical evidence suggests that an increase in the level of participation is significantly and positively associated with global mindedness, with such participation by itself explaining as much as 18% of the total variation in global mindedness in our country-level models. Educational implications are discussed in terms of fostering student agency through sustainability practices.