Citizenship education in initial teacher training: perceptions of those training to teach

• Main Author: Freire-Ribeiro, Ilda
• Publication Date: 2024
• Other Authors: Mesquita, Elza, Pereira, Ana
• Language: eng
• Source: Repositórios Científicos de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (RCAAP)
• Download full: http://hdl.handle.net/10198/29626
• topic: Citizenship; Education; Teacher training

Promoting citizenship education in the school environment involves developing competencies, skills, knowledge, and attitudes that enable students to be active, responsible, informed and critical citizens. Citizenship education generally covers various themes, such as ethics, values, human rights, social justice, inequalities, interculturalism, and participation which aim to prepare students to be conscious members of society, capable of contributing to building fairer and more reflective communities. In addition, citizenship at school can involve democratic practices in school management, allowing students to participate in decisions that affect the educational environment. In the early years, children's initial experiences of citizenship at school have a significant impact on the formation of attitudes, values, and social skills, and teachers are a cornerstone in promoting and understanding concepts related to citizenship. We assume that citizenship education is essential in initial teacher training, as it plays a fundamental role in the holistic development of citizens. This study aims to understand what future teachers think about citizenship education at school and what their role will be as disseminators of citizenship practices. Forty students of initial teacher training took part in the study. The results, collected through a questionnaire survey, reveal that citizenship is not learned simply through rhetorical processes, through transmissive teaching, but through experienced/participatory processes. It is recognized that education for citizenship must be present in the school culture itself, adjusted to a logic of participation and full co-responsibility and accountability. The need to invest in citizenship issues and integrate them more clearly into initial teacher training is highlighted.