How do people’s international experiences affect what is learned in school? This study examines how teachers and students in diverse school settings in Hong Kong and The United States bring their international and cross-cultural experiences into classroom learning. Through the theories of global education and intercultural development, the authors analyze how students’ and teachers’ experiences are contextualized within classroom instruction and identify ways in which the shared experiences influence learning about the subject under study. The paper also synthesizes findings within and across schools and countries with illustrations to flesh out both commonalities and differences.

This study documents how the social education curriculum in Hong Kong has changed since Hong Kong's return to the People's Republic of China in 1997. Employing qualitative methods of classroom observations, interviews, and documentary analysis, the researchers found changes in mandated topics in the curriculum (such as increased attention to global issues, global economic connections, Chinese identity), pedagogy (such as strategies for active learning), resources (such as materials from UNICEF) and attitudes (such as empathy for people in less developed parts of the world). The findings also include a comparison of local versus international schools, changes in teacher education courses, and teachers' perspectives on issues they face today.