Samhällskunskap i ett föränderligt samhälle Medborgarkompetenser och didaktiska utmaningar

Sammanfattning: Citizens of today’s society are expected to be able to evaluate, make choices, take responsibility and act independently locally, nationally and globally in order to participate in both formal and informal political systems. This study contributes to the research on Civics Education (Social Studies) by examining how teachers, working in the grades 7-9, meet contemporary society in their civics teaching. The study enquires how this can be done in education by examining teacher´s descriptions and understandings of their teaching regarding civic competences as perspective-taking, critical thinking, reflexivity and autonomy.The study's most significant findings suggest that teachers express that they use students' experiences and initiatives in civics education to contribute to the qualification of civic skills. Teachers can use the students' individual experiences and initiatives to link the social content and democratic participation to late modern competences. By using students' experiences and initiatives, the teacher can broaden students' perspectives on various issues, support the students in developing a critical approach, offer the students opportunities to reflect on their own values, and their own roles in society, and independently try to take a stand and act.