Emotions and Relationships in Polish Citizenship Education: Mapping Opportunities and Change Through an Analysis of Secondary School Core Curricula

Violetta Kopińska

doi:10.18778/1733-8077.22.3.06

Authors

Violetta Kopińska Nicolaus Copernicus University, Poland https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5255-9995

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18778/1733-8077.22.3.06

Keywords:

Emotions, Lived Citizenship, School Core Curriculum, Citizenship Education, Poland

Abstract

Is there room in school-based citizenship education to shape citizenship identity as an emotional and relational experience of community membership? Given the importance of school core curricula in many European countries, this paper analyses the core curricula in Poland to identify the provisions that facilitate the recognition of the concept of lived citizenship. The data comprise two core curricula (from 2018 and 2025) for citizenship education in Polish secondary schools, which were created in different political conditions. The aim is to identify, at the curriculum level, potential opportunities to include the affective dimension and to recognise the changes in this area resulting from the curriculum reform. The results demonstrate that both curricula reveal such potential. However, the 2025 reform offers a significantly better representation of categories that appear vital to grasping the affective dimension of citizenship.

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Author Biography

Violetta Kopińska, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Poland

Violetta Kopińska is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, where she serves as Director of the Institute of Education Sciences. She holds a PhD and a habilitation in the social sciences. Her research focuses on citizenship education, civic participation, and curriculum studies. She explores citizenship education through discursive analysis, with particular attention to the relationship between politics and education.

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