Civic and citizenship education in Denmark 1999-2019: Discourses of progressive and productive education

Abstract

This chapter addresses the participation of Denmark in IEA's Civic Education Study (CIVED) 1999, International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) 2009, and ICCS 2016. The first sections present the Danish implementation of civic and citizenship education as a whole school approach and describes changes to this tradition during the period 1999-2019 in school policy and in teacher training. Examples of how the main national results of these IEA studies have been perceived and used are also discussed. The final sections of the chapter address how different education discourses have played an important role for public school debate, for school policymaking, and for educational research. Finally, it is discussed how general changes in school policy, without officially being labelled as changes to civic and citizenship education, have implications for the school as a place for civic and citizenship education.