Imagination, education for the future and democratic culture: Educational policies in the Iberian Peninsula

Abstract

In a historical moment, where the future is considered a threat, it seems highly relevant to teach the ability to imagine desirable futures. In line with this, Education for the Future (EF), from the Anglo-Saxon tradition, represents a reference to give a response to negative images about the idea of the future. On the other hand, the competences for democratic culture defined by the Council of Europe provide the basis for the elaboration of a theoretical framework that includes the imagination of democratic and sustainable futures as one of its main conceptual axes. Given this theoretical context, this study analyses official documents of public policies carried out in the Iberian context, to examine the treatment of the idea of future in education systems. Specifically, three levels of public policies have been studied: state educational laws, primary education curricula and institutional teacher training policies. The public policies have been analysed using the normative method of content analysis, with a syntactic sampling strategy, calculating the absolute and relative frequency of the units of analysis. Results show that there are few references to the construction of the concept of the future in public policies and suggest that the opportunity to educate others on the imagination of desirable futures may be being wasted. En un momento histórico en el que el futuro se concibe como una amenaza, parece altamente relevante educar en la capacidad de imaginar futuros deseables. En esta línea, la Educación para el Futuro (EpF), de tradición anglosajona, representa una referencia de trabajo para responder a las imágenes negativas sobre la idea del provenir. Por otro lado, las competencias de cultura democrática definidas por el Consejo de Europa dan pie a la elaboración de un marco teórico que incluye la imaginación de futuros democráticos y sostenibles como uno de sus principales ejes conceptuales. Dada esta interjección teórica, el presente estudio analiza documentos oficiales de políticas públicas llevadas a cabo en ámbito ibérico, para examinar el tratamiento de la idea de futuro en los sistemas educativos. Concretamente, se han estudiado políticas públicas a tres niveles: leyes educativas estatales, currículos de Educación Primaria y políticas institucionales de formación docente, para indagar cuál es la presencia del eje conceptual sobre la imaginación de futuros en estos documentos. Las políticas públicas han sido analizadas mediante el método normativo de análisis de contenido, con una estrategia de muestreo sintáctico, calculando la frecuencia absoluta y relativa de unidades de análisis. Los resultados muestran que hay escasas referencias a la construcción del concepto de futuro en las políticas públicas, y dan a entender que se puede estar desaprovechando la oportunidad de educar para la imaginación de futuros deseables.

Regional Educational Policies and Critical Interculturality in Rural Areas of the Province of Abancay - Apurímac, 2023

“…And considering that teachers disseminate intercultural practices such as the preservation and use of native languages, but strategies to disseminate L1 (language 1) and L2 (language 2) need to be strengthened (Cépeda et al 2019). And Pacheco-Bohórquez et al, (2020) considered that EPs require greater economic investment and articulation with institutions and society; to which, Casadellà et al (2022), that education must be done to imagine desirable futures and thus guarantee sustainable development; to this, Suasnábar et al (2018), that the knowledge of students that generates enriching learning should be included.…”

Beyond assessments: Exploring strategies for Afro-Descendant students’ success in Costa Rica

“…Education has been compulsory and free with a humanistic framework since 1869 (Müller-Using & Vargas Porras, 2021), prioritizing the holistic development of individuals, including their emotional, social, and intellectual growth, and emphasizing students' needs and interests over strict adherence to a curriculum or standardized testing (Javadi & Tahmasbi, 2020;Leach, 2022;Tulasi & Rao, 2021). However, despite these achievements, there are significant disparities that persist (tied to a Vallecentrismo ideology), particularly impacting marginalized communities in the Caribbean/Atlantic region (Casadellà et al, 2022;Freidus & Ewing, 2022;Howard & Howard, 2021;Javadi & Tahmasbi, 2020;Leach, 2022;Paulsrud, 2022;Rodríguez-Martínez et al, 2022;Rodriguez & Navarro-Camacho, 2022;Tulasi & Rao, 2021;UCR, 2019;Wilcox & Lawson, 2022;Yang, 2023).…”

Incidence of Student Participation in The Democratic Culture of School Municipalities

“…It also highlights that most democracies are located in Europe, especially in countries such as Denmark, Finland, Latvia and the United Kingdom, which offer their citizens stronger systems of direct participation in decision-making in public affairs (IDEA International, 2023). "Ultimately, these European countries prioritize participation and the importance of democratic culture from educational institutions, as evidenced in international reviews (Casadellà, 2022).…”