Education for global citizenship in Scotland: Reciprocal partnership or politics of benevolence?

• Pupils’ knowledge and understanding includes some evidence of stereotypical but age appropriate perceptions.
• Pupils have a strong sense of fairness and are concerned about what to do in an unfair world.
• Pupils show awareness of their privileged positions and of reciprocity and a sense of responsibility.
• When school links and global citizenship education include charitable giving they may be vulnerable to a politics of benevolence.

Links between schools in the United Kingdom and partner schools in developing countries are an increasingly popular approach to teaching global citizenship. This study addresses the limited empirical research to date on the influence of such links on pupils’ learning and understanding. Following an overview of the curricular theme of global citizenship in the Scottish curriculum and in the context of a partnership between Scotland and Malawi, challenges and potential pitfalls of teaching global citizenship are illustrated by the voices of pupils at four schools. Data is analysed through the themes of knowledge and understanding, concerns about fairness, and giving and helping. We reflect on whether our study indicates the intended reciprocal partnership or a ‘politics of benevolence’.