Building citizenship from school: The role of education in political socialization and citizen participation

This article presents a systematic review of recent literature to examine how education contributes to the formation of young people as political subjects. Applying PRISMA guidelines, studies published between 2018 and 2023 in databases and search engines ProQuest, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and The Lens were selected. The review covers five main categories: political socialization in school contexts, civic education and citizen participation, pedagogical strategies and educational methodologies, educational policies and sociopolitical structures, and training for social justice in educational contexts. The findings reveal that schools not only transmit civic knowledge but also serve as spaces for the negotiation of political meanings and the construction of active citizenship. However, limitations were identified in the reviewed studies, such as the lack of generalizability due to the majority selection of qualitative and contextual approaches, and the absence of longitudinal data necessary to evaluate the long-term effects of educational interventions. It is suggested that future research include mixed methodologies and comparative approaches to obtain a more diverse and generalizable understanding of educational processes in citizenship formation.