Civic education in Europe: pedagogic challenge versus social reality

Abstract

Since the final decade of the 20th century western democracies have witnessed the ongoing development and consolidation of education for democratic citizenship. It has been seen as a solution to specific problems faced by our societies (Cortina, 1997; Altarejos & Naval, 2005; Bolivar, 2007). Governments have attempted to implement the various recommendations of the Council of Europe (2002, 2010). The introduction of educational reforms and the ongoing development of curricula have provided an opportunity to include civic education in the national curriculum of most European countries (Naval, Print, & Veldhuis, 2002). The aim of this article is to suggest the likely future tendencies for this situation within Europe, bearing in mind, among other things, the challenges posed by an increasingly globalised and technological society as well as the objectives of the European Higher Education Area.