Teachers’ perceptions of global citizenship education in Northeastern Thailand: A structural equation model of professional, cultural, and institutional influences

Despite widespread adoption of global citizenship education (GCED) frameworks, implementation remains disappointing worldwide, with teachers as the critical missing link. This study examines the factors influencing teachers’ perceptions of GCED in Northeastern Thailand, using a comprehensive empirical examination of dual mediation pathways in GCED implementation contexts. Through structural equation modeling with 384 teachers in Northeastern Thailand, the research examined how professional characteristics, cultural awareness, and institutional factors interact to shape GCED engagement. Results reveal that professional characteristics influence GCED perceptions through two mediating pathways, which were cultural awareness and educational policy perceptions. Contrary to prevailing assumptions, policy perceptions emerged as the stronger mediating factor (β = 0.325 vs. β = 0.154), while the predominance of indirect over direct effects (total indirect β = 0.479) provides empirical support for ecological theories of teacher agency. Professional characteristics influenced practice primarily through environmental interpretation rather than direct determination. These findings challenge direct-effect models and advance ecological theory by demonstrating that teacher agency emerges through complex interpretive processes. The study contributes to decolonizing GCED research by providing empirical evidence from a non-Western context where teachers successfully integrate global frameworks with local educational traditions. Professional development should integrate cultural awareness with an understanding of the policy framework, recognizing that effective GCED implementation depends on dynamic interactions between contextual factors rather than individual characteristics alone. • Professional characteristics influence GCED perceptions mainly through mediation. • Policy perceptions mediate GCED engagement more strongly than cultural awareness. • Teacher agency emerges through cultural and institutional interpretation processes. • The structural model explains 69 % of the variance in GCED perceptions.