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Conference Program

Overview and details of the sessions of this conference. Please select a date or location to show only sessions at that day or location. Please select a single session for detailed view (with abstracts and downloads if available).

Daily Overview

Session

🚩 [SPECIAL EVENT] E.00. Citizenship Education and International Pupil Mobility

Time:

Thursday, 03/Sept/2026:

2:00pm - 3:45pm

Chairs: Mattia Baiutti (Fondazione Intercultura ETS), Piero Valentini (ISTAT), Giuseppe Ricotta (Sapienza University of Rome).

Promoted by Fondazione Intercultura ETS.

Further information on special events are available on the conference website: https://www.scuolademocratica-conference.net/workshops-3/.

Session Abstract

Promoted by Fondazione Intercultura ETS

Chairs Mattia Baiutti (Fondazione Intercultura ETS), Piero Valentini (ISTAT), Giuseppe Ricotta (Sapienza University of Rome)

Keywords citizenship education; international student mobility; intercultural competence

Adjectives such as active, responsible, intercultural, and global outline a concept of citizenship that aspires to broaden the definition of citizenship established with the birth and development of nation states. From a pedagogical and didactic perspective, what skills are associated with this expanded citizenship? What teaching methods can be used to develop and assess them?

Internationally, some contributions offer proposals in this direction. For example, consider the European Union’s key competences (2018), the Council of Europe’s competences for a culture of democracy (2018b), the OECD’s global competence in PISA (2018), and UNESCO’s global citizenship (2014, 2018). In Italy, the introduction of civic education (Law 92/2019) had, in some respects, revitalised the debate on citizenship education, although it has revealed gaps regarding the intercultural and international dimension (Scuola Democratica 2021).

Are there opportunities to develop civic and citizenship education in schools that effectively combine democratic values with international and intercultural dimensions? Individual international pupil mobility is recognized as a resource for developing young people’s intercultural competence (Barrett 2018), but how can its potential be integrated into citizenship education through innovative teaching approaches that engage not only the student participating in mobility but also the rest of his school class?

The workshop will present the research project “Civic Education and International Student Mobility” by Fondazione Intercultura and Associazione “Per Scuola Democratica”. The project included variuous activities: a background study, a pilot study involving a group of schools and teachers, and a survey.

The provisional agenda is as follows: One speaker will introduce the background research, providing a critical review of the scientific and policy landscape on civic and citizenship education, internationalisation and international student mobility, intercultural democratic competence. Two speakers will present the research underpinning the pilot project to be proposed to schools. Two speakers, based on the concrete experience of the pilot project carried out in schools, will share insights into the teaching approaches and organizational conditions that help schools integrate internationalization into civic education. Two further speakers will discuss the survey, examining the values of students who studied abroad with Intercultura. The workshop offers a coordinated overview of how international mobility and democratic citizenship can strengthen each other, and provides insights into the obstacles that schools face in this context.

Presentations

Accepted

Reframing International Student Mobility for Democratic and Global Citizenship: Findings from Action 2 – Phase 1 of the National Research Project “Civic Education and International Student Mobility”

Giuseppe Ricotta¹, Valeria Damiani², Pietro Valentini³

¹Sapienza Università di Roma, Italy; ²LUMSA University, Italy; ³ISTAT and Associazione "Per Scuola Democratica"

The relationship between education and democracy has long been recognized as a foundational nexus for addressing the structural tensions of late-modern societies, from deepening inequalities to the erosion of civic trust. In the wake of global crises and widening socio-economic disparities, educational systems are increasingly called upon not only to transmit knowledge, but also to cultivate democratic culture, intercultural dialogue, and civic engagement. Within this framework, citizenship education is understood as a transformative process that equips students to confront complex and planetary challenges, fostering critical awareness, social responsibility, and commitment to justice.

Against this backdrop, our contribution explores the educational potential of individual international pupil mobility as a lever for strengthening citizenship education and promoting social justice awareness. Drawing on findings from the research project Civic Education and International Pupil Mobility, conducted in Italy in 2022 by Fondazione Intercultura and Associazione Per Scuola Democratica, the study investigates the pedagogical and organizational conditions under which mobility experiences can contribute to the development of civic competences and global citizenship.

The paper aims to contribute to a better understanding of the following thematic areas: a) how the international mobility experiences of a part of the students can offer promising potential for civic and citizenship education for all students; b) which conditions and risks should be considered by educational institutions intending to implement civic education programmes that significantly integrate international mobility experiences.

The qualitative research design involved semi-structured interviews with headteachers (N=11) and field experts (N=10), alongside four focus groups with teachers from upper secondary schools in Northern, Central, and Southern Italy. Schools were selected based on their consolidated experience in student mobility and/or civic and citizenship education initiatives. Data collection focused on four analytical dimensions: (1) the implementation of civic education; (2) the conceptualization of its international dimension; (3) the organization and management of outgoing mobility; and (4) the reintegration and educational valorization of students upon return.

Findings reveal a persistent disconnection between individual mobility experiences and structured civic education pathways. In most cases, schools frame international mobility as a predominantly private undertaking, centered on the student and their family, with limited pedagogical spillover effects. Non-mobile students are rarely involved in reflective or dialogical processes that critically examine similarities and differences between sociopolitical contexts. Likewise, systematic strategies to integrate returnees’ experiences into curricular activities or collective learning processes are largely absent.

Overall, the study highlights the lack of coherent and institutionally embedded approaches linking international mobility with democratic and citizenship education. By identifying both critical gaps and promising practices, the final section advances actionable recommendations for educators and policymakers. These include the development of structured pre-departure and re-entry modules, whole-class reflective practices, and cross-curricular projects aimed at transforming mobility from an individual experience into a shared democratic learning opportunity. In doing so, the paper argues for a reconceptualization of international mobility as a strategic resource for fostering inclusive, participatory, and justice-oriented educational environments.