Introduction

Since its early beginning, the 21^stcentury held crucial global issues as human rights, democracy, terrorism, peace and war, poverty, social inequality and environmental destruction. Taking into account the fact that in such reciprocally dependent world each correlates to one another, where incidents happening anywhere frame the other parts of the globe, it can be readily deduced that it is impossible to found a secluded life from these matters. Subsequently, raising citizens who have awareness of and sensitivity to global matters and the skills to solve them, and learning to participate in interconnected, complex and diverse societies is no longer a luxury but an ultimate pressing necessity. In this regard, Osler and Starkey (2005) asserted that a paradigm of citizenship within a country’s frontiers was inconceivable, while Kan (2009) distinguished between being a citizen of a country to being a citizen of the world. Therefore, the concept of Global Citizenship (GC) was coined, indicating a sense of belonging to a wider community and shared humanity (UNESCO, 2014) and inviting academic institutions to update the curricula and the concept of “citizenship” that was previously integrated in different school subjects throughout the 20^thcentury.

Recognising the unique roles that academic institutions play in constructing youth to participate in our world, many project works developed frameworks to explain and foster what PISA (2018) named Global Competence. PISA (2018) introduced Global Competence as the ability “to examine local, global and intercultural issues, to understand and appreciate the perspectives and world views of others, to engage in open, appropriate and effective interactions with people from different cultures and to act for collective well-being and sustainable development”. Similar to PISA, the Council of Europe developed a Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture, to be adapted in primary and secondary schools and higher education and vocational training throughout Europe as well as national curricula and teaching programmes.

Therefore, what scholars call Global Citizenship Education became the radix of an equiponderant teaching. This claim is no exception in the Foreign Language teaching domain where its fruitful application enhances not only the linguistic competence but also the global awareness of learners giving its communicative autonomous platform. The availability of such intellectual base that provides the right atmosphere for rationality in thinking, problem solving as far as the global issues are concerned with the ram of preparing and training good citizens is the responsibility of many educational institutions; most notably universities. Thus, the premise is that higher education nowadays can contribute to the public good by training more global citizens who enter society not only with technical know-how, but also with cultural awareness, a strong sense of civic responsibility and the skills needed to participate as active citizens in a globalized world.

Consequently, this research is deemed important. The general purpose of this study is to examine the perceptions of university educators about integrating global citizenship education (GCE) into ELT courses. In accordance with this purpose, we seek to answer the following:

1.                       What are their roles and responsibilities in educating students as global citizens?

2.                       How do they practice GCE in their classes?

3.                       What challenges are they facing in practicing GCE in ELT courses?

1. Global Citizenship Education (GCE)

The novel citizenship paradigm termed global, world, cosmopolitan or intercultural citizenship, still to date lacks a consensus on its definition. For Brownlie (2001) global citizenship goes beyond just learning about intricate ‘global issues’ such as sustainable development, conflict and international trade. It is about the worldwide dimension to local matters present in our communities and lives. It is part of what we do, what we wear, what we eat, what we listen to, etc. To Burrows (2004); however, global citizenship is realizing the powers and their effects on human life, understanding cultures and cultural differences, analyzing the problems of the world from different perspectives, and producing new ideas for the world. OXFAM (2006, p.5), which prepares the global citizenship curriculum, defines a global citizen as someone who:

·  is aware of the wider world and has a sense of their own role as a world citizen;

·  respects and values diversity. - has an understanding of how the world works;

·  is passionately committed to social justice. - participates in the community at a range of levels, from the local to the global;

·  works with others to make the world a more equitable and sustainable place;

·  takes responsibility for their actions.

In a study carried out by Lima and Brown's (2007), a global citizen is defined as an individual who: (1)speaks multiple languages; (2)understands about different cultures; (3)has no prejudice and respects diversity; (4)is willing to help those in need; (5)plays important roles in the society; (6)uses technology effectively; and (7) is informed about what is going on in their country and/or the world.

In this context, enabling individuals as agents who identify with a nascent set of global values and practices and work for the common good and act accordingly within those circumstances can only be trained through education and training activities. That is why, raising global citizens requires renewable educational approaches allowing individuals to adapt to the mobile globalized world. Thence, global citizenship education has recently gained importance in education systems around the world. Global citizenship education infuses learners the idea of not only belonging to their nation, but also to the world and includes global issues such as democracy, social justice and human rights (Davies, 2016).

UNESCO (2015, p.16) expressed the aims of global citizenship education as follows:

·  develop an understanding of global governance structures, rights and responsibilities, global issues and connections between global, national and local systems and processes;

·  recognise and appreciate differences and multiple identities, e.g. culture, language, religion, gender and our common humanity, and develop skills for living in an increasingly diverse world;

·  develop and apply critical skills for civic literacy, e.g. critical inquiry, information technology, media literacy, critical thinking, decision-making, problem solving, negotiation, peace building and personal and social responsibility;

·  recognise and examine beliefs and values and how they influence political and social decision making, perceptions about social justice and civic engagement;

·  develop attitudes of care and empathy for others and the environment and respect for diversity;

·  develop values of fairness and social justice, and skills to critically analyse inequalities based on gender, socio-economic status, culture, religion, age and other issues;

·  participate in, and contribute to, contemporary global issues at local, national and global levels as informed, engaged, responsible and responsive global citizens.

According to Cates (2000), the aims of global education are divided into four as; knowledge about world countries and cultures, and about global problems, etc; skills of critical thinking, co-operative problem solving, conflict resolution, etc; attitudes of global awareness, cultural appreciation, respect for diversity, etc; and action: thinking globally and acting locally. Similarly, OXFAM (2006) identified the key elements for developing active and responsible global citizenship as: knowledge and understanding (social justice and equity, identity and diversity, human rights, etc), skills (critical and creative thinking, cooperation and conflict resolution, communication, etc), values and attitudes (respect for people and human rights, value diversity, concern for the environment and commitment to sustainable development, etc).

2. Global Citizenship Education and EFL Classroom

Global citizenship can be implemented with various subject areas, and each of them has a paramount contribution to foster the key elements of efficacious global citizenship (OXFAM, 2006). However, the language classroom seems to be the ideal place to incorporate 21^stcentury citizenship education, given its cross-cultural nature. Rivers expressed his thoughts (1976, p. 96), ‘’As language teachers we are the most fortunate of teachers--all subjects are ours”. In this context, whatever the learners want to communicate about is the language classroom subject matter (Rivers, 1976as cited in Jacobs & Cates, 1999).

Indeed, in recent years, many educators in the field of English Language Teaching (ELT) around the world have argued for the importance of global (citizenship) education for English as a Second Language (ESL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL) (Cates 1997; 2000; 2009; Chowdhury, 2013; Dyer & Bushell 1996; Focho, 2010; Jacobs & Cates, 1999; Jacobs & Goatly 2000; Serrano, 2008; Yamashiro & McLaughlin, 1999). According to Cates (1997), Focho (2010) and Marshal (2007), there is a certain subject flexibility in foreign language courses which does not exist in others. Therefore, advocates note for the importance of bringing a world intercultural perspective to EFL classes. Pramata and Yuliati (2016) argued that foreign language educators, in their classes, have the responsibility of training learners to become active participants in the solution of global issues and develop awareness of these issues, not only focus on the teaching of vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, listening, speaking, reading and writing. This might be very challenging to the teachers to be more shrewd and updated on the global issues; not only educating students but also conducting teachers' growth (Sato, 1999). In this regard, EFL instructors have to hold a positive attitude towards global citizenship; being flexible about their curriculum and the educational atmosphere.

3. Global Citizenship Education in Higher Education Institutions

Scholars emphasize that global issues should be addressed in ELT courses as a way of teaching for global citizenship. In this context, many researchers argue that one of the best ways to address global issues in class is theme-based instruction within a communicative approach (Cates 1997, 2000; Crandal, 1993; Gursoy, 2010; Met, 1991; Prodromou, 1992; Serrano, 2008; Swenson & Cline, 1993). Theme-based instruction refers to a language teaching approach in which teaching is organized around themes and topics, instead of functions or situations. Educators such as Brinton, Snow & Wesche (1989) and Mohan (1986) suggest that language is a means in learning the world and propose the use of creative, updated themes in classroom teaching. Such atmosphere can be best found in foreign language university subjects. Universities arguably have a responsibility in fostering a student citizenry and global awareness through international curricula.

As a matter of fact, there exists a certain level of awareness about integrating global citizenship education in higher education ELT courses around the world; however, scholarly publications suggest that little has been done on this subject in Algeria. A study by Salem (2018) has showed successful learning in addition to students’ positive attitudes towards the course while promoting awareness of global issues. The lack of vital studies in assessing the effectiveness of the educational practices being adopted, no study has been found as far as the perceptions of the educationalists regarding the implementation of GCE is concerned. Hence, the claim here is that higher education today can contribute to the public good by training more global citizens who enter society not only with technical know-how, but also with cultural awareness, a strong sense of civic responsibility and the skills needed to participate as active citizens in a globalized world.

4. Research Methodology

4.1. Research Design

This research was conducted qualitatively using a phenomenological design. The latter requires rigorous understanding and determination of how individuals perceive, describe, feel, criticize and understand certain phenomenon (Patton, 2002). This study seeks to investigate integrating global citizenship education into ELT courses. By using phenomenological design, attitudes of the instructors about incorporating global citizenship education into ELT courses, the practices they perform, the challenges they encounter during these practices have all been inspected pointedly.

Accordingly, it was indispensable that a semi-structured interview method is to be employed allowing in-depth description of practitioners about the phenomenon under study. Thus, this research is pivotal and the results can provide database for future work related to the topic.

In order to examine the perceptions of higher education instructors about integrating global citizenship education into ELT courses, answers of the following questions were sought:

1)                       What does global citizenship mean according to the instructors’ perceptions?

2)                       What are the roles and responsibilities of the ELT instructors in educating students as global citizens as perceived by them?

3)                       What are the instructors’ teaching practices in preparing students for “global citizenship?” (If any)?

4)                       What is the contribution of the current ELT curriculum in educating students as global citizens as perceived by the instructors?

5)                       What are the challenges of integrating global citizenship education with ELT courses as perceived by the instructors?

 

 

4.2. Participants

The participants of the research consist of 15English instructors who work at higher education institutions in Algeria in the academic year 2018-2019. Convenience sampling or availability sampling, which is one of the purposeful sampling methods, was adopted due to the speed and practicality it gives to the researcher when selecting a situation that is close and easy to access (Saunders, Lewis & Thornhill, 2012). While the twelve of the instructors are male, eight of them are female. Participants' ages ranges from 26to 65years. Four of the instructors are professors, whereas seven are doctors and four are doctoral students. Seniority of the instructors are as follows: six of them have 1-5years, four of them have 6-10years, two of them have 11-15years, and three of them have 16years and up of seniority.

4.3. Data instruments and tools

In order to collect the research data, a semi-structured interview was opted for. The semi-structured format was constructed by the researcher through the literature review. In this interview form, there are ten questions, six of which are open ended. The questions on the interview form run as follows: 1.How would you define the concept of “global citizenship” in your own words? What characteristics do you think a global citizen should have? 2.How do you define your role and responsibility as an English Instructor in preparing students as “global citizens?” 3.What types of teaching practices do you involve in your classroom in preparing students for “global citizenship?” (If any)? Is there anything that you do differently or add to the curriculum at your classes to promote global citizenship? 4.Do you think the ELT curriculum you are currently following educate students as global citizens? Explain. 5.What do you see as challenges in ELT courses for preparing students to become global citizens?

4.4. Data Analysis

The data gathered through the interview were analyzed with content analysis technique. The analysis followed the next steps: the data were downloaded to the computer preparing the texts for data analysis. Educators’ answers were examined and coded, and these codes were joined with each other and categorized. Codes and categories were edited. Findings were presented in tables and interpreted (Creswell, 2007, p.185, Strauss and Corbin, 1990, p.61). So as to increase the validity and reliability of the study, the data collected were reported in detail and explained explicitly how the results were reached (Neuman, 2011). Moreover, reflecting the participants’ standpoints, findings were presented without any comment, often with a direct quotation. Instructors were given numbers and when they were quoted these numbers (e.g, Educator 3) were added at the end of the quotes. To save the accurate data, participants’ responses were voice recorded after their own.

4.5. Findings

4.5.1.      Findings regarding the perceptions of the instructors with respect to the concept of “global citizenship”

Frequency distribution of the categories regarding the perceptions of the instructors with respect to the concept of global citizenship is shown in Table 1.

Table N° 1:Categories of instructors’ perceptions regarding the concept of “global citizenship”

Category	Code	Frequency
Values and attitudes	Respect	6
	Responsibility	3
	Belonging	8
	Sharing	2
	Openness	4
Skills	Active civic engagement	1
	Solutions	2
Understanding and Knowledge	Identity	1
	Global issues	2
Total		30

According to the teachers’ answers about global citizenship definition, three categories were identified: values and attitudes, skills, and understanding. The first category is values and attitudes for most of the educators defined global citizenship as a set of values and attitudes individuals observe. The key components that constitute these values and attitudes according to the interviewed participants were: respect (f:6), responsibility (f:3), belonging (f:8), sharing (f:2), and openness (f:4).Two examples on the concept of global citizenship can be seen in:

“Citizenship is a set of values that any individual should observe when living in social communities. These values contribute to the well-being and safety of all the people. They make like comfortable and enjoyable to all people. Examples of theses social norms could include respect for other people environment.” (Educator 1).

“I would define it as the person’s ability to feel a part of one global world the way they feel to home in which they have rights and duties to fulfill...simply a person should feel that they belong to one world where the people are seen as one race thinking more about the benefits of humanity than one particular group. They should respect, tolerate, and communicate regardless the political, religious, cultural or social differences. This happens with the existence of a unified Language”. (Educator 8).

The second category that comes under the umbrella definition of global citizenship is skills. Two codes were reached regarding this: active civic engagement (f:1), and solutions (f:2). Active engagement was expressed in terms of active duties towards the humanity and the world as protecting the environment. Whereas solutions’ skill was discussed through finding resolutions to global issues such as racial discrimination, wars and conflicts, etc. Instructors’ statements are illustrated in the following:

“Global Citizenship is the feeling of belonging to the world the way you feel to home. This feeling should engender actions of active citizenship; e.g. protecting the environment.” (Educator 14).

“As far as I know, it’s the ability to find resolutions to global problems as poverty, racial discrimination, wars and conflicts… etc.” (Educator 5).

From table 1, the third category elicited from the teachers’ definitions about Global citizenship is understanding, which was expressed as identity, and global issues skills. One example can be seen in:

“Global citizenship is a vague concept linked to openness of the mind and much knowledge about other countries’ cultures. It is to feel everywhere one's home by understanding others’ languages, customs, habits…”. (Educator 3).

4.5.2.        Findings regarding the characteristics a global citizen should have.

The results according to the lists provided by the instructors are shown in table 2.

Table N° 2:Categories regarding global citizen’s characteristics.

Category	Code	Frequency
Acceptance	Respectful	4
	Tolerant	4
Communication	Foreign languages speaker	6
Reflection	Critical thinker	5
Total		19

Table 2shows the categories obtained from the set of global citizen’s characteristics relying on the educators’ responses. The categories are: acceptance, communication, and reflection. Two codes were attributed to acceptance; respectful (f:4), tolerant (f:4). Whereas for communication and reflection, one for each were coded as: foreign languages speaker (f:6), and critical thinker (f:5) respectively. Examples taken from the instructors’ responses are:

“Educated, conscious, tolerant, speaker of Foreign Languages of, at least a lingua franca, English or otherwise.”(Educator 4).

“Respect for people environment, doing one’s duties, helping others in need, showing empathy for the disabled, respecting social norms, cooperating with authorities, preserving ecological environment and natural resources such as water, and behaving oneself with people.”(Educator 1).

“Culturally aware, autonomous, and tolerant as a whole.” (Educator 9).

“Tolerance, multilingual, respect for others' culture and faith”. (Educator 15).

“Civism, critical thinking, constructive human being, sharing...etc.”(Educator 3).

4.5.3.      Findings regarding perceived roles and responsibilities of ELT Instructors in preparing students as global citizens.

Five educators stated that higher education instructors are not much concerned with teaching values of global citizenship. They justified this by stating that they are more concerned with the teaching of content modules and scientific matters. Table 3shows categories attained according to the statements of those who believe they have a responsibility in this issue.

Table N° 3:Categories regarding responsibilities of ELT Instructors in preparing students as global citizens

Category	Code	Frequency
A Guide	Introducing students to the world and globalization	1
	Teaching about different cultures	3
	Fostering 21st century skills learning	1
A Mediator	Raising awareness	4
	Providing assistance on social strategies	2
Total		11

Table 3shows the ten answers from the teachers stating they have a responsibility in preparing learners to become global citizens were categorized in the role of a guide and a mediator. According to the responses, a guide is practiced through; introducing students to the world and globalization (f:1), teaching about different cultures (f:3), fostering 21^stcentury skills learning (f:1). Below are the opinions of instructors expressing their role as a guide:

“I believe it is very typical for a teacher to raise their awareness, providing direct instruction on citizenship in the globalized world, provide assistance on social strategies, schedule workshops, trainings, themed study days, work in collaboration (teachers and students) and participate together in social activities.(Educator 15).

“As an EFL Student and instructor, we would feel more responsible to introducing Students to the world and globalization. English is the medium that ties and unifies the world's societies. The English Language teaching does not only involve teaching about the Language signs themselves but also deals with teaching about cultures and interactions with other societies and cultures. As teachers, our role bases on guiding these Students towards this New world.”(Educator 7).

A mediator, the second category, was coded in raising awareness (f:4), providing assistance on social strategies (f:2). The statement of educator 11expresses the opinions:

“I act as a mediator of knowledge about national and international citizenship and my responsibility also touches upon guiding and helping my learners acquire the skills of the 21st century.” (Educator 11).

4.5.4.      Findings regarding teaching practices implemented in ELT classes to prepare students for global citizenship.

Eight instructors stated that they did not incorporate any teaching practices in their classroom to prepare students as global citizens. They explained that their classes do not involve systematic teaching of attitudes in respect with citizenship.

Table N° 4:Categories regarding the implementation of teaching practices with respect to the integration of global citizenship with ELT.

Category	Code	Frequency
Discussing global matters	Discussions and debates	5
	Texts’ writing	2
Total		7

The only category obtained is; discussing global matters given as a response by the remaining seven instructors who said that they involved global citizenship education practices in their ELT courses. It was found out that discussing global issues were practiced through; debates and discussions (f:5), and texts writing (f:2). Examples on this category are:

“Teaching English culture and literature as parts of a humanist attitude of tolerance.”(Educator 15).

“Talking about tolerating differences and the importance of discovering the other in the writing classes.”(Educator 2).

“Reflective and critical learning by linking my content (texts and instruction) to the Algerian society and encourage them to make comparisons with other countries.”(Educator 6).

4.5.5.      Findings regarding whether current ELT curricula in universities educate students to become global citizens.

All of the participants stated that the current ELT curriculum they were following did not educate students as global citizens.

4.5.6.      Findings regarding challenges faced by instructors in integrating global citizenship in ELT curricula

The categories attained in accordance with the challenges of integrating global citizenship into ELT curriculum are presented in Table 5.

Table N ° 5:Categories regarding the challenges of integrating global citizenship education into ELT.

Category	Code	Frequency
Student	Unwillingness to become citizens of the world	1
	Cultural barriers	1
Teacher	Less equipped	1
	Less knowledgeable	1
Institutions	Insufficient time and space	2
	Unreadiness for new concepts	1
	Lack of international opportunities	2
Total		9

As seen in Table 5, three categories concerning the challenges faced when integrating global citizenship education into ELT were marked; namely: student, teacher, and institutions. Student category was coded as: unwillingness to become citizens of the world (f:1), and the cultural barrier (f:1). An example for this category can be seen in educator 15opinion:

“I think some Students in Algeria do not like being global citizens, İ mean, their attitudes toward worldwide are negative. Also the curricula do not give much time and space to include more activities and topics that Help to engage Students to the global citizens.” (Educator 15)

Challenges from the teacher’s perspective were expressed in: less equipped (f1), and less knowledgeable (f:1). The following instructor’s expression is the example:

“Actually many challenges are sufficient in this field. The big challenge is to systematically incorporate it into teaching contents. The formal teaching of language should dovetail the teaching of values of citizenship. Moreover, teachers should be well equipped explain and demonstrate to their students genuine significance of the values in question.”(Educator 1)

The last challenge was categorized as institution whereby three codes were attained: Insufficient time and space (f:2), unreadiness for new concepts (f:1), and Lack of international opportunities (f:2). These two statements enlighten the institutional challenges:

“The lack of intercultural experience. Talking about global citizenship theoretically does not always work. Students should live being global citizens. In this regard, the integration of telecollaboration, which is gaining momentum in EFL today, can really help.”(Educator 2).

“Students cannot travel outside their hometown, let alone the country, cannot become global citizens.”(Educator 11)

5.               Discussion and recommandations

This study was carried out through a semi-structured interview conducted with 15higher education instructors working at Algerian universities to investigate their perceptions about incorporating global citizenship into ELT courses. According to Oxfam (2006), which prepares global citizenship curriculum, a global citizen should possess the following qualities: knowledge and understanding, skills, and values and attitudes. Research findings showed that Algerian educators put so much emphasis in their answers on the “values and attitudes” dimension such as respecting differences, belongingness, sharing, and responsibility towards global matters. The educators also included solutions skills, and surprisingly, few characteristics as critical thinking, tolerance, communication, mastery of foreign languages within the same context were embraced. This result reveals the degrees concerning instructors’ knowledge about the concept Global Citizenship as a whole despite the fact that no studies in the Algerian context have been carried out about the matter before in EFL classrooms. Scholars advocate the teacher’s role in making the world a better place developing students’ language competencies. Ameziane and Guendouzi (2005) assert that “the English language is not only seen as a means of communication enabling people to interact with cultural appropriateness, but also a means to develop cognitive and metacognitive skills and form knowledgeable citizens of the world”. Likewise, Byram (2003) believes that the main task of language instructors is not to teach only language; but to also teach young people the experience of thinking, valuing and behaving in other ways. However, five teachers stated that they have no role towards the responsibility of making the EFL learners global citizens. Two of them suggested a subject with the concept name rather. The other ten educators, whose answers embraced the teacher’s role in introducing global citizenship in ELT classes, expressed their roles as guides and mediators. The participants claimed the tasks in practicing their roles are: introducing students to the world and globalization, teaching about different cultures, fostering 21^stcentury skills learning, providing assistance on social strategies, and raising awareness. According to Focho (2010), FL teachers have a certain flexibility in topics that does not exist in other subjects. Similarly, in studies carried out by Marshal (2007) and Jing (2013), teachers stated that EFL classes have very few restrictions on the types of subjects they may tackle, which makes it possible for the instructors to relate to a wide range of crucial social and cultural issues in the classroom. In this regard, Hosack (2012, 2013) asserts that the use of global issues content related in foreign language classrooms would reinforce global citizenship education. In other words, working with content designed to increase student awareness of issues such as climate change, human rights, international health problems, cultural diversity is considered as a means of teaching for global citizenship. The results also show that most of the instructors interviewed who admitted their responsibility in fostering global citizenship education in their courses, reflect their thoughts in their ELT course practices. Eight instructors stated that they did not incorporate any teaching practices in their classroom to prepare students as global citizens. They explained that their classes do not involve systematic teaching of attitudes in respect with citizenship. This stems from instructors’ perception of global citizenship education as an issue only associated with certain courses, such as Social Studies. Oppositely, the literature prevails an increasing awareness in incorporating global citizenship education with ELT. As a matter of fact, numerous studies have shown the possibility of integrating global citizenship as a common area of connection within the scope of many disciplines, including ELT (Cates 1997; 2000; 2002; Chowdhury, 2013; Dyer & Bushell 1996; Focho, 2010; Jacobs & Cates, 1999; Jacobs & Goatly 2000; Hauschild et al., 2012; Hosack, 2012; 2011; Kruger, 2012; Pramata & Yuliati, 2016; Serrano, 2008; Yakovchuk, 2004; Yamashiro & McLaughlin, 1999). The aforementioned studies also emphasize the role of language educators in teaching for a better moral world. In this study, the seven instructors who practice global citizenship education in their courses stated that they did it by only discussing global issues mainly through discussions and debates, or texts’ writing. Concordantly, Provo (1993) called for dialogues and debates in teaching. He stated that the educators should design an informative content about substantial world issues to encourage learners think about resolutions. Moreover, researchers favoring the use of global issues as a theme in EFL courses advocate theme-based instruction as a communicative teaching methodology of FL teaching (Cates; 1997, 2000; Crandal, 1993; Met, 1991; Prodromou, 1992; Serrano, 2008; Swenson & Cline, 1993). Gürsoy and Salı (2014) found out that such an approach does not only improve learners’ language skills but also raise their awareness, skills and positive attitudes towards these affairs. As far as the curriculum is concerned, all of the participants stated that the current ELT university curriculum they were following did not educate students as global citizens. Nevertheless, a recent study conducted by Omidvar and Sukumar in 2013displayed a “real” curriculum in university as an unlimited curriculum to specific content but rather a college curriculum that aims to cultivate multifaceted citizens who fulfill their social functions more efficiently. According to the findings, the challenges faced by the instructors when integrating global citizenship education into ELT were related to students, teachers and institutions as well. The participants addressed the challenges related to students in terms of the learners being reluctant and unwilling to become citizens of the world, in addition to social and cultural barriers about the subject. Another perspective regarding the challenges was teachers’ related. According to the interviewees’ answers, the fact that global citizenship education is a very new concept in the field of ELT, and the instructors' lack of knowledge about it contribute to the challenging aspect in incorporating global citizenship in ELT. Another impulse challenging the GCE integration was the institutional limitations. The latter were expressed by the participants in terms of insufficient space and time in the curriculum and the lack of international opportunities exchange for the learners. Although the flexibility of the teacher to carry out their lessons is necessary; the intercultural dimension can still be improved even if teachers have to follow a certain curriculum as suggested by Byram, Gribkova and Starkey (2002). The fact that global citizenship education is a very new concept in the field of ELT corresponds to the other findings of the study. The challenge of Instructors’ lack of awareness about the subject may have caused them not to struggle enough to raise students’ awareness on this issue. It is thought that ELT instructors/ teachers have great roles and responsibilities in educating students as global citizens.

Conclusion

The fundamental goal of this article has been to investigate the perceptions of Algerian higher education instructors about integrating global citizenship education into their ELT courses through a semi-structured interview. Instructors’ opinions were taken regarding how they described global citizenship, their roles and responsibilities in educating students as global citizens, the way of practicing global citizenship education in their classes, and the challenges faced while going about it. Findings revealed that participants mostly focused on the “value and attitude” dimension of global citizenship such as sensitivity, sense of belonging, responsibility… etc. The instructors deemed their responsibilities as guides and mediators. While most of them stated that they did not involve any specific teaching techniques in their courses to educate students and prepare them as global citizens, addressing global issues in the courses through discussion, debates and even texts writing were conducted by few instructors to promote global citizenship. Therefore, it has been concluded from the study that ELT instructors have insufficient levels of knowledge, skills, attitude and action related with global citizenship education. It may be helpful to provide ELT educators at all levels with in-service training on integrating global citizenship education into ELT so that they can organize the teaching-learning environment according to global citizenship education. However, it should be reminded that this study was carried out through interviews with 15instructors working at university in Algeria as a whole. Similar studies with larger samples with mixed methods can provide significant contributions in terms of clarifying the subject in larger groups. In addition, other qualitative studies to be carried out at middle and secondary school levels can be useful in explaining the issue in depth. Empirical studies, case studies and action research that integrate global citizenship education with ELT courses will also make a great contribution to the field