Online-Journal of the Private University College of the Diocese of Linz, Austria
Private Pädagogische Hochschule der Diözese Linz, Austria
Copyright (c) 2025 Wolfgang Bilewicz, Bernadette Hörmann, Martin Kramer, Severin Renoldner https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Liberal democracies are on the brink. Some voters support the transformation of democracy into autocracy, other citizens are worried about it. This article discusses democracy talks – streetworking for democracy – as a low-threshold approach of civic education in public spaces. Based on a specific grassroot-initiative, it describes and analyzes the conditions, possibilities, and practices for strengthening democratic attitudes and political forces using the dialogue method. The result: the concept of democracy cannot remain abstractly institutional and procedural in discussion formats, but must be approached from a daily life perspective. Streetworking for democracy is more than just listening; statements that reject democracy and are hostile to social groups must be contradicted. This requires time, passion, and further training.
Copyright (c) 2025 Sieglinde Rosenberger https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Democracy education in the context of diversity and subjectivity
The article presents existential pedagogy as an approach to adequately teaching democratic principles, such as the free development of personality, in school lessons. This teaching and learning theory is based on the principles of Alfried Längle's existential analysis and thus also on Viktor Frankl's underlying logotherapy. For both, the focus is on the individual and their relationship to their life. Using an example from school practice (the transfer of an 11-year-old transgender child with autistic traits to a new school), the article describes how an inclusive approach, taking into account the principles of existential pedagogy, contributes to the understanding of the entire class regarding the importance of diversity and subjectivity as the basis for democratic coexistence.
Copyright (c) 2025 Karl Sibelius https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Democratic human rights education – human rights democracy education
How can human rights be taught in a way that contributes to respectful coexistence? This article builds a bridge between the fundamentals of human rights education and the phenomenological concept of otherness, and then illustrates the consequences using two teaching examples. It begins with the concept of education about, through and for human rights, as enshrined in the UN Declaration on Human Rights Education and Training (2011). It then contextualises the status quo of the implementation of children's rights in Austria by examining the problem of anti-democratic educational practices. In a further step, the assertion and enforcement of (legal) claims is outlined as a relational practice and explored in greater depth using the phenomenological concept of ‘otherness’. The practical implementation is then illustrated and systematically explained using two teaching examples. The focus is on the practices of addressing, engaging in democratic discourse, and dealing with justifications for behaviour that violates human rights or fails to promote democracy. Finally, key elements of democratic human rights education are summarised, and limitations and open questions regarding the pedagogical professionalisation of human rights education are highlighted.
Copyright (c) 2025 Zuzana Kobesova https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Promoting democracy through further education
Democracy is the foundation of our European society and culture of values. The promotion of democracy and the teaching of fundamental democratic principles and values begins at school at the latest. Learning about democracy and political education are, in a sense, constitutive prerequisites for a functioning democracy, because democratic competence, political maturity and the ability to make judgements do not develop on their own. In modern and complex media societies, democracy education is needed more than ever. This highlights the great importance of political education, knowledge transfer and the anchoring of democratic attitudes. Political education also includes spiritual national defence, which, according to the Federal Constitution (Art. 9a), is part of comprehensive national defence. The content relates to democratic values and awareness of neutrality, state sovereignty, democratic freedoms and human rights. This article examines the extent to which political and democratic education can be supported by further training measures. These questions were explored using the example of the university course ‘Understanding democracy in the context of spiritual national defence’, which was offered for the first time by the PHDL in cooperation with the Austrian Armed Forces in the 2024/2025 academic year. The survey of experts from the PHDL and the Austrian Armed Forces regarding this course revealed a consistent picture: Both the educational field and the military consider a high level of political education, democracy education and awareness-raising to be essential with regard to our national sovereignty and neutrality as well as human rights and peace education in general, albeit with different emphases. In today's digitalised information society – with external threats as well as fake news and undemocratic tendencies from within – political education is more important than ever in every respect.
Copyright (c) 2025 Nina Jelinek https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Digital judgement skills in democracy education
The Digital Navigator project is presented as a case study that tests practical and everyday approaches to promoting democracy-related skills such as source criticism, perspective shifting and reflective media use in the digital space. The aim is to strengthen pupils' critical judgement and sensitise them to dealing with disinformation, framing, AI-generated content and digital forms of violence. To this end, gamification and simulation-based learning settings are used that tie in with the lives of young people. The evaluation follows a formative assessment and is based on 56 workshops with 852 participants, as well as standardised feedback questionnaires and structured observations during the workshops. The feedback shows a high level of acceptance of the methods, with 91% of participants rating the offerings as interesting, interactive and helpful. Playful formats that enabled motivation and a change of perspective proved particularly effective, as did co-creation, which allowed students to take responsibility and promoted participatory skills. Challenges arose from the heterogeneity of prior experiences and gender-specific differences in participation. The results show that playful and dialogical approaches provide helpful impulses for knowledge acquisition, reflective skills and democracy-related sub-skills, thus opening up good transfer potential for schools, youth work and media education practice.
Copyright (c) 2025 Kathrin Lunzner, Eva-Maria Steinbacher, Isabella Tkalec https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
School as an adversary of democracy education
This article analyzes how the institution of school structurally counteracts democratic education. It reconstructs three core mechanisms of school socialization that conflict with the prerequisites of democratic participation: the internalization of authority-bound behavior, the promotion of competition and acceptance of inequality, and the systematic obstruction of socio-political judgment. Rather than preparing students for democratic life, schools serve to integrate them into hierarchically organized work structures.
Copyright (c) 2025 Roman Langer https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Sustainable political education goes beyond mere factual knowledge and enables immersion in the three dimensions of politics (Krammer, 2008; Kühberger, 2016). In practice, however, teachers fear influencing their own students (Larcher & Zandonella, 2014) or avoid teaching history in general studies (Hofmann-Reiter, 2021). According to Krösche (2024, p. 45), gaps in teacher training contribute to the low priority given to political education in primary schools. Lange et al. (2024) also emphasise the underrepresentation of the topic in the national education report. This gap should be closed. This article builds on the publication ‘Die Qual der Wahl – Kompetenzorientierte Demokratiebildung in der Volksschule’ (Mansberger, 2025) and focuses on learning through dialogue in order to ultimately create awareness of peace and democratic values. Senghaas' (1995) civilisational hexagon forms the theoretical framework and shows practical implementation possibilities for all sub-areas in the teaching context. A competence-oriented lesson overview of participatory and dialogue-oriented forms of learning highlights the central role of communication. A didactic analysis shows that by talking and listening together, pupils learn to represent their own points of view and recognise other perspectives. Finally, this article discusses professional development opportunities for prospective teachers to promote a sustainable democratic school culture.
political didactics in primary education
Copyright (c) 2025 Sabine Mansberger https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
This article examines how democracy education can be implemented in everyday school life through theatre education methods, especially improvisation. Building on the concept of ‘democracy as a way of life’ (Himmelmann, 2004) and the teaching principle of political education, approaches to democracy education and theatre education are brought together. A teaching example illustrates how improvisational methods can promote democratic learning processes; practical tips provide teachers with ideas for their own use.
Copyright (c) 2025 Alexander Hoffelner, Peter Spindler https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
This submission examines the curricular relevance of remembrance culture and democracy education in Austrian history curricula for lower secondary education. The main focus is on analysing the development of terminology and the embedding of concepts related to remembrance culture and democracy education in terms of content over time. The starting point is the premise that memory culture can be understood as a socially structured, group-specific and processual way of dealing with the past (Assmann, 2013). The study is theoretically grounded in central concepts of collective, communicative and cultural memory according to Halbwachs (1985) and Mathias Berek (2009). Using quantitative frequency analysis, the curriculum documents are examined for the use of relevant terms such as ‘memorial sites,’ ‘anti-Semitism,’ ‘Holocaust,’ or ‘democracy education.’ In frequency analysis, the occurrence of a criterion (e.g., a specific word or statement) in a document is counted and recorded in a table. The results show that in older curricula, aspects of remembrance culture are treated in a rudimentary manner at best (BMUKK, 2000), whereas in newer curricula they are treated explicitly and in an increasingly differentiated manner (BMBF, 2016; BMBWF, 2023). The focus is particularly on the topic of National Socialism and Holocaust education. The more recent curricula increasingly emphasise process-oriented, reflexive and multi-perspective approaches, which implies a stronger emphasis on memorial site education and deconstructive methods (Hellmuth & Kühberger, 2016). Overall, it should be made clear that remembrance culture and democracy education are not only understood as the generation of knowledge, but also as a didactic principle that contributes to the promotion of historical orientation, democratic education and a reflective awareness of history (Pandel, 2014). The curricular integration of concepts of remembrance culture thus proves to be central to critically reflective history teaching and the formation of a democratic historical consciousness in the Austrian school context.
Copyright (c) 2025 Wolfgang Bilewicz https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Future-Oriented Learning and Working (ZOLA) as a Contribution to Democratic Education
This article examines the concept of Future-Oriented Learning and Working (ZOLA) at a UNESCO secondary school as a contribution to democratic education. ZOLA is conceived as an innovation and school development strategy that links project-based, interdisciplinary, and socially relevant learning with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Based on guided interviews with students and teachers and a qualitative content analysis, the study identifies both potentials and challenges of this format. The findings indicate that ZOLA fosters participation, self-efficacy, and social competencies among learners, while at the same time revealing tensions regarding curricular requirements, assessment practices, and organizational structures. Key conditions for success include clear processes, a formative feedback culture, and the professional role of teachers as coaches and learning facilitators. The article therefore discusses ZOLA not only as a didactic approach but also as a school development strategy that can sustainably strengthen democratic school culture and participation structures.
Copyright (c) 2025 Monika Hofauer https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Opportunities for democratic participation for 14-year-old pupils in everyday school life against authoritarian risks
The article deals with the growing challenges facing liberal democratic systems and the central role of schools and political education in strengthening young people's democratic awareness. Political education imparts knowledge, critical thinking skills and opportunities for participation, and promotes a democratic school culture. Although political education is firmly established in the Austrian school system, there is a clear gap between theory and practice. Empirical findings show that political topics are rarely covered in class and that teachers find them challenging. Democratic participation in everyday school life is rarely used: class councils and school parliaments are hardly established. The project ‘Democratic Awareness of Young People in Austria’ (2024–2026) uses a nationwide survey of 14- to 15-year-olds to examine their knowledge, attitudes and experiences. Initial results (N=1995) show that only about 10% perceive political education as being strongly present in the subject GPB. Although the importance of diversity of opinion is highly valued, many learn little about forming their own judgements or developing political competence. Young people's interest in participation and democratic involvement is high, even though they are not yet eligible to vote. The results indicate a need for action: political education must be made more visible in the classroom and more strongly integrated into school structures. In addition to legal and curricular frameworks, teachers need practical training above all. Schools are called upon to consistently enable participation in order to not only teach democracy, but also to bring it to life. In this way, schools can become a central space for experiencing democratic culture and help young people develop political awareness.
Copyright (c) 2025 Martina Rabl, Denise Hofer, Thomas Stornig, Gregor Metz, Tamara Katschnig, Matthäus Berger https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
The organized debate as a didactic method of civic education in the context of teacher education
This article examines organized debates as a didactic method that promotes democracy in the context of teacher education. In view of a changing communication culture and frontal teaching methods that are characterized by a lack of dialogue, the ability to engage in constructive dialogue is highlighted here as a key democratic competence. Organized debates offer a structured opportunity to discuss controversial topics, change perspectives and experience a democratic culture of discussion. Didactically, debates promote opinion building as well as the handling of controversy. The phases of an organized debate are illustrated using a selected debate from a seminar on democracy education at [location]. The reflection of the debate reveals both its potential (e.g. controversy, participation, conflict resolution skills) and its limitations (e.g. stress, language barriers, knock-out arguments). The structured distribution of roles and clearly structured timing enable learners to engage intensively with democratic principles. Overall, the organized debate is an effective methodology for democracy education that should be used more widely, particularly in teacher education, in order to contribute to a dialogue-oriented school culture in the long term.
Copyright (c) 2025 Katharina Resch https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Democracy Education in Primary Social Science
Education for democracy is considered effective if it is given to all young citizens “from the very beginning”, from primary school onwards. In times of increasing political polarization, the promotion of democratic conflict skills appears to be a particularly important educational goal. The project presented (LPSU) aims to make a contribution to this. It aims to develop and evaluate a lesson plan for elementary school science lessons. Initial results of a design-based research study conducted for this purpose show, on the basis of qualitative interviews and lesson observations, that primary school children have different levels of prior political knowledge, are very willing to make political judgments and gain certain democratic insights from the lessons they experience.
Copyright (c) 2025 Thomas Stornig, Silvia Alt https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Copyright (c) 2025 Martin Kramer https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Professional relationship building as a skill in school development consulting
The text highlights professional relationship building as a key competence in school development consulting. From a systemic and group dynamics perspective, it shows how relationships, communication and conscious work with group dynamics are essential factors for sustainable change. The focus is particularly on the interaction between school management and consultants, as well as reflection on roles, expectations and resistance. Relationships are understood not as a framework, but as an active element of design. The article argues that sustainable organisational learning does not result from rigidly working through the planned steps of a project architecture, but rather from process-oriented consulting that focuses on relationships, participation and flexible responses to specific events.
Copyright (c) 2025 Sarah Mayr, Gerda Reisinger https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Student participation using the example of creative service learning
Due to the new research and teaching concept as well as the innovative learning-approach Urban Diversity Education (UDE) at the University and College for Teacher Education in Vienna, new collaborations between students and teacher educators are fostered. Participation in terms of designing and changing the environment, interdisciplinary collaborations with various institutions are long-term goals which highlight and celebrate diversity in society. This transformative approach is defined as service-learning (SL), also known by the Term Third Mission. In the university sector, it emphasizes student participation within the empowerment of learners and educators. Considering this, the authors of this article address the necessary resources, tools and networks by depicting examples of current research-projects leading to the practical implementation during student-courses at the Viennese University College of Teacher Education.
Copyright (c) 2025 Anastasiya Savran, Rolf Laven , Hendrik Renneberg , Wolfgang Weinlich https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
What are our teachers of the future researching? What topics interest young teachers? The compulsory school pupils in Austrian schools are as diverse as the research interests in empirical educational research. This research project highlights the research interests of young teachers and teacher training students at the University of Education of the Diocese of Linz (PHDL) are identified, thus shedding light on the interface between the career entry of Master's students and their graduation from the PHDL. A qualitative survey examines the research focus of Master's theses by graduates of the University of Education of the Diocese of Linz based on the following question: What are the main research areas of Master's students at the PHDL in their Master's theses and what are the reasons for choosing these research topics? During the survey phase, all Master's thesis proposals and abstracts submitted to the PHDL since 2020 (N = 315) were read and coded. This coding resulted in a comprehensive category system, which was structured using the MAXQDA programme. A focus group setting was then conducted with students from the target group. The results provide insight into the topic selection process for master's theses and the interface between higher education and professional life.
Copyright (c) 2025 Lena Prenneis https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Reflexivity in transformational processes of Bildung
In light of major global challenges and the associated experiences of crisis and alienation, the question arises not only of the necessary acquisition of skills to overcome these problems, but also of educating the individual in the sense of a transformation of fundamental structures of one's relationship to the world and to oneself (Graupe & Bäuerle, 2023; Koller, 2022; Nohl, 2021). Based on the German theory of transformational processes of Bildung (Koller, 2018, 2022), the article firstly questions whether transformation is an obligatory criterion for processes of Bildung and, secondly, suggests that reflexivity should be added as a characteristic of successful transformational processes of Bildung. Finally, the article addresses the unresolved question of how pedagogical actions can initiate, accompany and support transformational processes. In the school context, teachers should encourage students to reflect on existing routines and implicit assumptions, open up fields of experimentation and facilitate the integration and consolidation of new perspectives (El-Mafaalani, 2018; Helsper, 2004). The article provides a basis for applying the theory of transformational processes of Bildung to educational fields of action and for further theoretical development and modification if necessary.
Copyright (c) 2025 Martina King, Barbara Fageth https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Group dynamics and drama in education in dialogue
Two social fields in interdisciplinary dialogue. This article focuses on the synthesis of theoretical perspectives on the concept of “role” from the view of drama in education and group dynamics. It explores the extent to which concepts from group dynamics and drama in education can help educators reflect on their own role and thereby expand their professional competence. Two case studies in the context of teacher training and school development consulting provide helpful practice-oriented approaches. The interest in dialogue on this topic is rooted in the long-standing collaboration between the two authors. Both are united by their work in and with groups and their theoretical and practical engagement with the concept of “role.”
Copyright (c) 2025 Sarah Mayr, Marlene Bauer https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Strengthening young people’s democratic awareness is one of the central tasks of school. From a school theoretical perspective, however, schools can neither ‘create’ democracy nor are they directly controlled by it. Rather, democracy becomes visible in everyday school life: through cooperation, getting to know different perspectives, and jointly searching for and testing possible solutions, answers are found and responsibility is practised. Dialogic education, in the sense of education through dialogue for dialogue, plays a key role in this process by opening up spaces for dialogue with the world, with others and with oneself. Democracy education in schools should therefore enable young people to contribute their experiences to discussions, develop appropriate language, question arguments, listen, and consider social power relations. The way in which conflicts are dealt with in everyday school life, pedagogical attitudes are adopted and spaces for reflection are opened up has a lasting impact on the next generation's understanding of democracy. While democracy education often focuses on knowledge transfer and participation, this article asks how genuine pedagogical action in the sense of dialogical education can contribute to the development of democratic attitudes. Using case studies from current compulsory literature in teacher training, it shows how dialogical learning and empathy create spaces in which democratic attitudes can be promoted.
Copyright (c) 2025 Bernadette Hörmann, Martin Kramer https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Regulation and potential applications of text-generating artificial intelligence (AI) for scientific practice at Austrian higher education institutions
With the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in scientific work, universities and colleges are faced with the task of developing precise guidelines for their responsible use. The question arises as to what guidelines for transparent documentation students and teachers should receive in order to ensure scientific integrity. The problem is that AI-assisted writing not only changes text production itself; the process of knowledge acquisition is also increasingly being questioned, as potential lack of transparency in documentation raises doubts about the extent to which deeper understanding actually takes place. This makes clear guidelines in the interests of transparency essential. This article discusses possible usage scenarios and examines the positions, legal information and documentation aids recommended by Austrian colleges and universities for responsible academic writing instruction with AI tools. The aim is to analyse AI guidelines to identify useful possibilities for AI use and examples of transparent documentation. The thesis is that, in addition to “traditional” writing didactics approaches, AI didactics support in university teaching is also necessary for good academic writing practice. The results show that process-oriented documentation that demonstrates the responsible use of AI can be the goal of sustainable preservation of good academic practice.
Copyright (c) 2025 Marina Märzinger https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Cooperative writing in language-diverse learning groups
Cooperative writing can promote the linguistic and social skills of learners in heterogeneous primary school learning groups. By exchanging ideas and working on texts together, pupils can improve their writing skills and learn to give and accept constructive feedback. This not only strengthens linguistic expression, but also promotes teamwork and communication among learners. This article highlights both the opportunities offered by cooperative writing – e.g. improving writing skills and promoting reflective thinking – and potential obstacles, such as different performance levels and working styles within groups. In addition, practical tips are provided on how cooperative writing can be effectively implemented in a school context, for example through the targeted planning of group activities, the introduction of structured feedback processes and the promotion of an open communication culture.
Copyright (c) 2025 Anna-Maria Knauseder https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Parental mediation in a mediatised world
This article provides insight into the challenges faced by parents in supporting children and young people as they develop in a world heavily influenced by media, and in preparing them for future tasks, including in the digital sphere. Digital media play an increasingly important role in the development of children and young people, as they are an integral part of everyday family life from birth and accompany them as they grow up. This study examines the different ways in which media are used in families and their influence on the media behaviour of children and young people. This raises the question of what strategies for parental media education are recommended in the literature in order to adequately support children and young people in the development process of a mediatised world.
Copyright (c) 2025 Petra Traxler https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Strategies for recruiting and selecting teachers from the perspective of student teachers
In view of the shortage of teachers, recruitment and selection strategies are important not only for maintaining teaching but also for ensuring teaching quality. For this reason, the article examines recruitment and selection strategies from the perspective of student teachers (N = 70). Based on an open questionnaire and focus group interviews, the data, which was evaluated using content analysis, shows, among other things, that targeted recruitment programs, attractive working conditions, professional recognition, further training and career opportunities are central strategies that influence job satisfaction. On the basis of the discussed results, the article combines strategies for personnel recruitment and selection.
Copyright (c) 2025 Andreas Schreier https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Copyright (c) 2024 Franz Keplinger, Ines Weber https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Copyright (c) 2024 Gudrun Kasberger https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Copyright (c) 2024 Jadranka Garmaz https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Copyright (c) 2024 Michael Zichy https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Kommentar aus der Sicht der Moraltheologie zu „Menschen.Bildung.Persönlichkeit“
Replik zum Schreibgespräch „Menschen.Bildung.Persönlichkeit. Konturen einer katholischen Pädagogik“
Copyright (c) 2024 Rudolf Hein https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0