Recovering epistemic sight in a neoliberalized world: critical economic literacy for the promotion of critical global citizenship education

Global Citizenship Education (GCE), integral to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Target 4.7, is widely acknowledged as essential for addressing pressing global challenges and fostering sustainable development. Among the key approaches to GCE, Critical GCE stands out for its emphasis on critical thinking and systemic critique, equipping learners to challenge structural inequalities and unjust systems. However, the dominance of neoliberal ideologies in our world and in education has prioritized economic outcomes over transformative learning which significantly hinders the implementation of Critical GCE in schools. While factors such as insufficient training and resources have been identified as barriers (UNESCO, 2021), deeper issues like epistemic blindness—educators' lack of awareness of their own epistemological assumptions (Andreotti, 2016) — remain under explored. This study addresses this gap by investigating the role of Critical Economic Literacy (CEL) in enabling educators to teach Critical GCE. Using an intentionalist orientational qualitative inquiry with a critical perspective, the research involved five secondary school teachers from an international school in Beijing in an eight-week CEL course. Data were collected over nine months through pre and post-course surveys, reflective journals, revised unit plans, semi-structured interviews, and Most Significant Change narratives, and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings reveal that CEL facilitated teachers' recognition of their epistemic blindness, fostering critical reflexivity about their role in perpetuating neoliberal systems. This awareness led to a renewed sense of vocational responsibility and a stronger commitment to integrating Critical GCE into their teaching practices. The study highlights the transformative potential of CEL in empowering educators to become critical global citizens and to teach for Critical GCE. By proposing CEL as a pathway to advancing Critical GCE, this research contributes to efforts to challenge neoliberal hegemony in education and promote transformative and critical global citizenship education.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ed.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp

Grantor

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2025

Author dc:creator

• Ho, Cat Sio Hong

Contributors dc:contributor

• Kang, Hyun-Sook
• Burbules, Nicholas
• Cope, William
• Dziadula, Eva

• Critical Economic Literacy
• Critical Global Citizenship Education

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2025 Catherine Ho

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129439

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F129439