Bridging intercultural competence and education for sustainable development through critical thinking: An exploratory model in online intercultural collaborative learning

Abstract

This qualitative study examines how critical thinking (CT) fosters the development of intercultural competence (IC) and how CT can be applied and further developed within learning themes related to Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). In 2023, an online intercultural collaborative learning program on microplastics was implemented with secondary school students in Japan and Taiwan. Interview data from 10 Japanese participants were analyzed using an integrated analytical framework applicable to both intercultural education and ESD. Analysis of 221 CT segments revealed that 47% reached the reframing and enactment stages. Findings indicate that CT mediates the progression of IC- and ESD-related reasoning from reflection to reframing, thereby facilitating enactment within ESD contexts. A detailed examination of individual cognitive trajectories illustrates how CT may cumulatively integrate, deepen, and expand reasoning across distinct learning themes. This study proposes an exploratory perspective in which IC can be understood not as a fixed trait but as a cognitive function that is reconstructed and extended across contexts. This insight offers a basis for ongoing discussions on transformative approaches to global citizenship education.