Poverty, like other persistent social problems, has taken on new dimensions and scale due to globalization. This research examined 20 adolescents' explanatory frameworks for global poverty during their participation in an international studies program. International development theories were employed to analyze the range of their responses. The data showed that the students synthesized a range of information to make multifaceted explanations for poverty that included the role of globalization in structuring poverty. These findings suggest that adolescents can develop "synthesizing minds" although all students will not interpret the same information in the same way. Implications for the development of global citizenship in terms of the formation of ethical responsibilities to resolve social problems are also discussed. (Contains 10 notes.)