Project
The Database is a resource designed to support the research community in exploring the complex relationship between civic and citizenship education and post-truth politics. The included case studies aim to serve as reference points and guidelines for further research in this field.
By approaching the issue from technological, sociopolitical, and educational perspectives, the project aimed to produce both theoretical insights and practical tools to counter disinformation across Europe.
This website presents the Database on Civic and Citizenship Education, developed as part of Work Package 8. Its goal is to collect and organize relevant information on the case studies analyzed in five contexts: Italy, Croatia, Bulgaria, Iceland, and Bavaria.
The sources, listed below, consist primarily of governmental decrees as well as national and regional laws.
The database serves as a practical tool to support researchers in conducting focused qualitative analyses and in drafting a comparative study across the selected case studies. By examining each case in depth, the research team was able to identify strengths and weaknesses, and conduct a more tailored investigation on the field trough interviews and focus groups that informed the subsequent comparative paper and the policy recommendations.
CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION
Citizenship education refers to the broad, ongoing process of cultivating the knowledge and soft skills for active and informed participation in society. It is embedded within the broader curriculum and is provided across various school subjects. These subjects, including history, geography, science, mathematics, physical education and others, contribute indirectly to the development of future citizens. In this sense, each subject area fosters a set of soft skills that are integral to becoming an engaged member of society. The dimensions more relevant for the analysis on disinformation have been identified as: 1) democratic citizenship; 2) digital literacy; 3) learning to learn; 4) social cohesion. Following the existing literature, each dimension has been divided across a range of associated soft skills.
CIVIC EDUCATION
Civic education is a specialized and focused component of education, often introduced as a separate subject or program designed by national education authorities. Typically, this form of education is associated with a larger, nationwide strategy aimed at complementing the core curriculum. While citizenship education is always provided in schools, civic education may be added (and not always for each class) teaching students about the rights, duties, and responsibilities of citizenship, as well as the mechanisms of governance, law, and public engagement. Civic education is often designed to directly address contemporary challenges in society, fostering deeper civic awareness, political engagement, and the development of skills necessary for active participation in democratic processes.
ISCED levels
WP8 specifically addressed how schools across different countries promote democratic citizenship and media literacy.The analysis was structured according to the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) levels 1, 2, and 3, ensuring comparability across national education systems.