Debates on civic education: discourse analysis of principals and teachers in the school context

Abstract

INTRODUCTION. Civic education has been the subject of controversy over the last 20 years in Spain. During this time, the focus of the debate has centred, on the one hand, on how to organise the subject in terms of curriculum and, on the other, on the values that should inspire an education of this type, which would give rise in practice to a preference for certain contents or others. Thus, this paper aims to analyse the discourses of Spanish principals and teachers on the main debates about civic education in schools, since, after all, they are the ones in charge of carrying out any initiative in this respect into educational practice. METHOD. Following a qualitative methodology, 14 interviews were carried out with head teachers and 14 with teachers of the subject of "ethical and civic values", guaranteeing the greatest possible heterogeneity in terms of their selection. RESULTS. The results point to the presence of such debates in the discourse of the interviewed principals and teachers, with a plurality of perspectives on the aims or values of civic education emerging and a broad consensus on the way in which they are organised in the curriculum. CONCLUSION. Finally, a number of considerations are presented regarding possible improvements in the curricular organization and in the provision of teacher training in citizenship issues.