top of page
People Holding Globe

Global Competence
Assessment

What is Global Competence?

Global Competence is a multi-dimensional construct that requires a combination of knowledge, skills, attitudes and values successfully applied to global issues or intercultural situations. Global issues refer to those that affect all people, and have deep implications for current and future generations. Intercultural situations refer to face-to-face, virtual or mediated encounters with people who are perceived to be from a different cultural background.

​

Developing global competence is a life-long process, but it is one that education can shape. PISA 2018 assesses where 15-year-old students are situated in this process, and whether their schools effectively address the development of global competence. 

global-competence-figure-final-360x358.webp

Why is it important for students to develop Global Competence?

Global competence can help young people:

  • develop cultural awareness and respectful interactions in increasingly diverse societies;

  • recognise and challenge cultural biases and stereotypes, and facilitate harmonious living in multicultural communities;

  • prepare for the world of work, which increasingly demands individuals who are effective communicators, are open to people from different cultural backgrounds, can build trust in diverse teams and can demonstrate respect for others, especially as technology continues to make it easier to connect on a global scale;

  • capitalise on inherently interconnected digital spaces, question biased media representations, and express their voice responsibly online;

  • care about global issues and engage in tackling social, political, economic and environmental challenges.

The Four Core Elements of Global Competence

1. Examining Global and Intercultural Issues

Description

This element focuses on the ability to identify, analyse, and understand issues of global or intercultural significance. It requires learners to move beyond surface-level explanations and recognise how local experiences are shaped by broader global forces.

Key Knowledge Points

  • Global interdependence: understanding how economic, political, environmental, and social systems are interconnected across borders

  • Global inequality: recognising unequal access to resources, opportunities, and power

  • Systems thinking: analysing issues as the result of interacting structures rather than single causes

  • Historical context: understanding how past events (e.g. colonialism, industrialisation) shape present conditions

  • Sustainability and long-term impact: considering future consequences of current actions

​

2. Understanding and Appreciating Others’ Perspectives
Description

This element involves the capacity to recognise, interpret, and respect different perspectives, including cultural, social, and ideological viewpoints. It does not require agreement, but rather an understanding of how and why different perspectives are formed.

Key Knowledge Points

  • Cultural diversity: recognising culture as dynamic, contextual, and non-deterministic

  • Perspective-taking: understanding viewpoints shaped by different social, cultural, or historical experiences

  • Critical awareness of bias: recognising one’s own assumptions and cognitive biases

  • Social positioning (positionality): understanding how identity, power, and context influence perception

  • Plurality of knowledge: acknowledging that knowledge is socially situated and not always neutral

​

3. Engaging in Open, Appropriate, and Effective Interactions
Description

This element focuses on the ability to communicate and interact effectively with people from diverse backgrounds. It prioritises dialogue, mutual understanding, and relationship-building over dominance or persuasion.

Key Knowledge Points

  • Intercultural communication: adapting communication styles to different cultural and social contexts

  • Dialogue and listening: engaging in two-way communication that values understanding over winning arguments

  • Managing misunderstanding and conflict: treating miscommunication as a normal and learnable process

  • Trust-building: developing trust through respect, consistency, and transparency

  • Collaboration across difference: working productively in diverse or international groups

​

4. Acting for Collective Well-Being and Sustainable Development
Description

This element refers to the ability and willingness to take responsible, ethical, and informed action in global and intercultural contexts. It emphasises that action should be guided by reflection, awareness of power relations, and concern for long-term and collective outcomes.

Key Knowledge Points

  • Ethical responsibility: evaluating actions based on impact, not only intention

  • Power and inequality: recognising unequal influence, vulnerability, and voice

  • Participation and inclusion: valuing meaningful involvement of affected communities

  • Social justice and human dignity: aligning action with fairness and respect for rights

  • Sustainability: balancing immediate benefits with long-term global consequences

​

​

​

​

​

bottom of page