Vol. 14 No. 1 (2025): Philosophy for Peace and Social Justice Education
Articles

Qualitative Snapshot of Civic Education in the Spanish Educational System

Rafael López-Meseguer
Universidad Internacional de la Rioja
Bio
Published February 13, 2025

Keywords:

Citizenship education, Civic education, Political education, Citizenship, Civic competence
How to Cite
López-Meseguer, R. (2025). Qualitative Snapshot of Civic Education in the Spanish Educational System. Internacional Journal of Education for Social Justice, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.15366/riejs2025.14.1.004

Abstract

Since the beginning of the century, numerous debates have emerged regarding civic education in Spanish schools. However, many of these debates lack arguments based on empirical evidence and are sometimes influenced by partisan interests and confrontations. In light of this, the study represents a substantive contribution to these debates through a multiple case study involving 14 schools selected based on the criterion of maximum heterogeneity in their characteristics. The main findings indicate that the introduction of the specific subject of Ethical and Civic Values (formal civic education) requires significant improvements in both its design and implementation. Additionally, the study has revealed a wide variety of informal and non-formal mechanisms through which schools promote the development of students' citizenship competencies. Overall, the study concludes that only a comprehensive civic education strategy that integrates all three of these dimensions (formal, informal and non-formal) can be truly effective in fostering the development such competence.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Belavi, G., Fernandes, P., Marinho, P. y Moreno-Medina, I. (2024). A democracia na escola: conceções de alunos de Espanha e Portugal. Revista Internacional de Educación para la Justicia Social, 13(2), 23-39. https://doi.org/10.15366/riejs2024.13.2.002

Bolívar, A. (2016). ¿Cómo puede la evaluación institucional contribuir para mejorar la escuela?. Estudos em Avaliação Educacional, 27(65), 284-313. https://doi.org/10.18222/eae.v0ix.3812

Bowyer, B. y Kahne, J. (2020). The digital dimensions of civic education: Assessing the effects of learning opportunities. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 69, 101162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2020.101162

Bozec, G. (2023). Making citizenship a practice? Citizenship in schools in contemporary France. En A. P. V. Kühn y G. Graiño (Eds.), La educación cívica en España y en perspectiva internacional (pp. 287-306). Marcial Pons.

Bruch, S. K. y Soss, J. (2018). Schooling as a formative political experience: Authority relations and the education of citizens. Perspectives on Politics, 16(01), 36-57. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1537592717002195

Campbell, D. E. (2006). Why we vote: How schools and communities shape our civic life. Princeton University Press.

Campbell, D. E. (2019). What social scientists have learned about civic education: A review of the literature. Peabody Journal of Education, 94(1), 32-47. https://doi.org/10.1080/0161956X.2019.1553601

Comisión Europea/EACEA/Eurydice. (2017). Citizenship Education at School in Europe – 2017. Eurydice Report. Publications Office of the European Union.

Consejo de la Unión Europea. (2023). Council conclusions on the contribution of education and training to strengthening common European values and democratic citizenship. Official Journal of the European Union.

Dahl, R, (1992). The problem of civic competence. Journal of Democracy, 3(4), 45-59. https://doi.org/10.1353/jod.1992.0048

Dewey, J. (2004). Democracia y Educación. Una introducción a la filosofía de la educación. Morata.

Díaz Méndez, R. E., Gallardo Córdova, K. E. y Velarde Camaqui, D. (2023). Formación do-cente en competencias ciudadanas globales: una revisión sistemática de literatura. Sinéctica, Revista Electrónica de Educación, 60, e1469. https://doi.org/10.31391/S2007-7033(2023)0060-007

Donbavand, S. y Hoskins, B. (2021). Citizenship education for political engagement: A systematic review of controlled trials. Social Sciences, 10(5), 151. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci10050151

Feu, J., Serra, C., Canimas, J., Làzaro, L. y Simó-Gil, N. (2017). Democracy and education: a theoretical proposal for the analysis of democratic practices in schools. Studies in Philosophy and Education, 36(6), 647-661. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11217-017-9570-7

Fitzgerald, J. C., Cohen, A. K., Maker Castro, E. y Pope, A. (2021). A systematic review of the last decade of civic education research in the United States. Peabody Journal of Education, 96(3), 235-246. https://doi.org/10.1080/0161956X.2021.1942703

Flick, U. (2015). Introducción a la investigación cualitativa. Morata.

Fuentes, J. L. y Valero-Berzosa, J. (2023). New digital virtues or virtues for the digital context. Do we need a new model of character education? Revista Española de Pedagogía, 81(284), 123-141. https://doi.org/10.22550/REP81-1-2023-07

Fundación Europea Sociedad y Educación (2021). Proyectos de ciudadanía activa para mejorar las competencias social y cívica. Resumen ejecutivo. Publicaciones de la Fundación Europea Sociedad y Educación.

Friese, S. (2012). Qualitative Data Analysis with ATLAS.ti. Sage.

Gregório, I. (2023). Civic Education in Portugal. En A. P. V. Kühn y G. Graiño (Eds.), La educación cívica en España y en perspectiva internacional (pp. 243–261). Marcial Pons.

Hernández, E. y Galais, C. (2021) The long-lasting effects of citizenship education. West European Politics, 45(5), 1130-1152. https://doi.org/10.1080/01402382.2021.1917153

Hoskins, B. y Janmaat, J. G. (2019). Education, democracy and inequality: Political engagement and citizenship education in Europe. Springer.

Kahne, J. E. y Sporte, S. E. (2008). Developing citizens: The impact of civic learning opportunities on pupils’ commitment to civic participation. American Educational Research Journal, 45(3), 738-766. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831208316951

Kells, S. (2022). Comprensión conceptual de la educación cívica en España y Estados Unidos: una revisión sistemática. Bordón. Revista de Pedagogía, 74(1), 63-104. https://doi.org/10.13042/Bordon.2022.90636

Kvale, S. (2011). Las entrevistas en investigación cualitativa. Morata.

Langton, K. P., y Jennings, M. K. (1968). Political socialization and the high school civics curriculum in the United States. American political Science Review, 62(3), 852-867. https://doi.org/10.2307/1953435

López-Meseguer, R. (2022). Debates clásicos, modernos y contemporáneos sobre la educación cívica. Revista Internacional de Pensamiento Político, 17(1), 549-567. https://doi.org/10.46661/revintpensampolit.6811

López-Meseguer R. y Aparicio-Herguedas J. L. (2024a). La educación cívica a debate: análisis del discurso de directores y profesores en el contexto escolar. Revista Complutense de Educación, 35(4), 775-784. https://doi.org/10.5209/rced.89074

López Meseguer, R. y Aparicio-Herguedas, J. L. (2024b). Participación estudiantil y desarrollo de la competencia ciudadana en la escuela: apuntes para la formación del profesorado. Revista Interuniversitaria de Formación del Profesorado, 99(38.3). https://doi.org/10.47553/rifop.v99i38.3.101939

López-Meseguer, R. y Mínguez-Vallejos, R. (2024). Educación cívica: análisis del concepto. Teoría de la Educación. Revista Interuniversitaria, 36(2), 199-217. https://doi.org/10.14201/teri.31749

López-Meseguer, R., Mínguez-Vallejos, R., Gutiérrez, M., Pedreño, M. y de Cendra, L. (2023). Cartografía social de la educación cívica no formal en España. Fundación Europea Sociedad y Educación.

Mena, L., Fernández Enguita, M. y Riviére, J. (2010). Desenganchados de la educación: Procesos, experiencias, motivaciones y estrategias del abandono y del fracaso escolar. Revista de Educación, Número extraordinario, 119-145.

Merriam, S. (1988). Case study research in education a qualitative approach. Jossey-Bass.

Miles, M., Huberman, M. y Saldaña, J. (2014). Qualitative data analysis: a methods sourcebook. Sage.

Mycock, A. (2023). Citizenship education in the United Kingdom: continuity, dissonance, and change. En A. P. V. Kühn y G. Graiño (Eds), La educación cívica en España y en perspectiva internacional (pp. 263-286). Marcial Pons.

Naval, C., Villacís, J. L. y Ibarrola-García, S. (2022). The transversality of civic learning as the basis for development in the university. Education Sciences, 12(4), 240. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12040240

Pérez-Díaz, V. (2014). Civil society: A multi-layered concept. Current Sociology, 62(6), 812-830. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011392114533

Psillos, S. (2009). An explorer upon untrodden ground: Peirce on abduction. En D. Gabbay (Ed.), The Handbook of the history of logic (Vol. 10, pp. 117-151). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-444-52936-7.50004-5

Saldaña, J. (2013). The coding manual for qualitative research. Sage

Sandahl, J. (2023). Bridging political polarization in Swedish schools: disciplinary knowledge as panacea or cul-de-sac? En A. P. V. Kühn y G. Graiño (Eds.), La educación cívica en España y en perspectiva internacional (pp. 307-326). Marcial Pons.

Schulz, W., Fraillon, J., Losito, B., Agrusti, G., Ainley, J., Damiani, V. y Friedman, T. (2023). IEA International Civic and Citizenship Education Study 2022 Assessment Framework. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-20113-4

Slavkova, L. y Kurili?, M. (2023). Great expectations. Demands and realities of civic education in Europe. The Civics Innovation HUB.

Stake, R. (1998). Investigación con estudio de caso. Morata.

Torres-Valderrama, S., Otondo-Briceño, M. y Seguel-Arriagada, A. (2024). Estudios de formación ciudadana en la formación inicial docente: Una revisión sistemática de la literatura. Revista Andina de Educación, 7(2), 000727. https://doi.org/10.32719/26312816.2024.7.2.7

UNESCO. (2015). Educación para la ciudadanía mundial. Temas y objetivos de aprendizaje. Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000233876f

Wasburn, P. y Adkins Covert, T. (2017). Making citizens: political socialization research and beyond. Palgrave MacMillan.

Warren, M. (2001). Democracy and association. Princeton University Press.

Westheimer, J. (2019). Civic education and the rise of populist nationalism. Peabody Journal of Education, 94(1), 4-16. https://doi.org/10.1080/0161956X.2019.1553581

Yin, R. K. (1989). Case study research: design and methods, applied social research methods series. Sage.