The Role of Practice in Teacher Education for Democratic Citizenship: Experiences of Israeli Preservice Teachers

Democratic civic education seeks to foster citizens with political knowledge, awareness, and the necessary skills to engage in public life grounded in humanistic ideals. The question of effectively equipping new civics and social studies teachers to teach toward these objectives remains at the heart of ongoing debates. An increasing general body of literature has emphasized the role of practice in teacher education, raising critiques that such an emphasis overlooks social and political dimensions. Furthermore, socially-oriented educational fields such as civics have often been relegated to the periphery as part of such debates. Recognizing these tensions, the present study aims to investigate how student-teachers perceive and experience civic education practices implemented in six courses within a teacher education department at an Israeli university. Through qualitative research, the findings reveal both shared and unique practices across the courses. Drawing on an analysis of these practices, we propose conceptualizing this field as a continuum between cultivating personal identity and developing teaching methods. Following, we argue the importance of considering the personal, social, and political contexts, which were found as crucial in enabling future educators to engage in reflective and critical thinking regarding the pedagogical practices they are instructed in.