Cyberactivism and global citizenship education: Participatory action research in two educational experiences in Bogota

Abstract

This article presents the results of a research project that sought to understand how cyberactivism could further global citizenship education. This research opted for promoting exchange among educational communities from various contexts in order to develop critical thinking and propose collective actions, supported by technological tools, on problems that concern humanity. The study was conducted throughout 2017 in Bogota using two educational experiences focused on interactive digital communication: media school and Colegio Venecia IED. Building on these experiences, a participatory action research project was launched which combined several techniques: Semi-structured interviews, focus groups, participant observation, textual and audiovisual content analysis, etc. One of the most significant results show that students in both experiences promoted reflection and critical thinking about globally relevant matters, such as gender issues and, especially, environmental protection, through cyberactivism and the creation of digital networks, spaces and contents. It is concluded that cyberactivism, promoted in educational processes, contributes to global citizenship education as it fosters the understanding of and intervention in social and environmental problems that affect humanity. This article makes an original contribution by theoretically and empirically exploring the links between cyberactivism and global citizenship education, a relationship that has been little studied in the literature.