This proposal reports on an ongoing doctoral research that seeks to address the following research question: How can Global Citizenship Education through Intercomprehension be integrated into the Portuguese curriculum? This research addresses the intersection of Global Citizenship Education (GCE) and Intercomprehension (IC) within the framework of the Portuguese educational system, specifically targeting the first years of schooling, corresponding to the first years of schooling (5-10 y.o. children).

The primary objective of this study is to develop a theoretical framework that interprets the potential curricular application of GCE through Intercomprehension within the Portuguese education system. By adopting a Grounded Theory approach, this study aims to construct a comprehensive understanding of how these eminent educational concepts intersect and interact within the socio-cultural context of Portuguese educational system.

At its core, the conceptual framework of this research revolves around a critical approach to Global Citizenship Education and the multifaceted nature of Intercomprehension. Receiving particular attention since the Global Education First Initiative (United Nations, 2012), GCE has taken a high place in national educational agendas in countries from all over the world. Even so, it remains a complex and chameleonic construct which serves and/or has been used for multiple purposes and ends (Pashby et al., 2020; Stein, 2015; Tarrozi & Torres, 2018; Torres, 2017); thus, nowadays, to talk about global citizenship education is to discuss “multiple ideological constellations overlapping and even contradicting one another” (Pashby et al., 2020, p.1).

A critical approach to GCE (Andreotti, 2006), one of the aforementioned ideological constellations, allows for a critical examination of the potential of GCE to address historical legacies, such as Portugal's colonial past, connected to contemporary challenges, thereby aiming for a more sustainable and socially-justice based society. From an ontological perspective, critical GCE allows for the possibility of IC emerging as an educational goal aiming to prepare citizens for plural interactions of both cultural and linguistic nature (Andrade, 2003; Doyé, 2005; Parrança-da-Silva & Andrade, 2018; Parrança-da-Silva, 2024). This convergence between GCE and IC shows potential as it offers a possible answer to the requirements outlined by Portuguese curricula emphasizing the personal and social development of students during this particular period of schooling (encompassing a qualification, socialization and subjectification purpose) (Biesta, 2009, 2020).

For quite some time IC was understood as “One of the most remarkable and challenging ideas for the realization of a plurilingual education” (Doyé, 2005, p.7). Arising from didactics discussions in the last decade of the 20^th century, IC started to be understood as a form of communication in which each citizen uses its own language though understanding that of the other. It is relevant to take note how since its origins IC presents itself with an intention towards inclusion and social justice as it gives equitable space and voice to one’s identity. This was the starting point of a multifaceted identity for IC as it developed to become recognized as not only a communication situation or a pedagogical approach but also as a means to facilitate inclusive educational environments conducive to social justice, as well as equitable and responsible participation.

Through exploring and discussing these theoretical underpinnings, the Portuguese curricula, and the set of data collected and analyzed during the empirical stage of the research, this study intends to propose a framework that underscores the synergistic relationship between GCE and IC. In doing so, it seeks to provide insights into how educators, namely teachers of the first cycle of basic education, can effectively integrate these concepts into the curriculum and into their pedagogical practice.

This research employs a Grounded Theory (GT) (Charmaz, 2006, 2008; Clarke, 2003; Tarozzi, 2020) methodology to comprehensively explore the integration of Global Citizenship Education (GCE) and Intercomprehension (IC) within the first years of schooling in Portugal. First developed by Glaser and Strauss (1967), GT is particularly suited for studying complex social phenomena, allowing for the generation of theoretical insights grounded in empirical data. In a broad sense, GT can be understood as both a strategic method for theorizing and a set of methodological procedures. The research design involves a dual inter-related qualitative inquiry: the first one, based on a comprehensive state-of-the-art review of GCE and the Portuguese curricular framework, and the second one into the practices, perceptions, and experiences of educators who participated in a teacher training course (TTC) developed in the context of the Erasmus+ project “TEDS – Teacher Education for Sustainability – Schools educating for sustainability: proposals for and from in-service teacher education”, focusing on the theme “Dialogue, diversity and inclusion” (2019-1-PT01-KA201-060830). Participants in the TTC included kindergarten educators and teachers representing all levels of the Portuguese education system. For our first qualitative inquiry, we conducted a comprehensive literature review to gather pertinent material published on the topics of GCE and IC up to 2023, alongside all relevant documents for the subject matter and for the first school years. Qualitative methods were also chosen to accommodate both the diversity of participants and the multifaceted nature of the phenomena under investigation, as well as to deeply capture the perspectives of all participants. Data was collected from multiple sources to provide a comprehensive understanding of the TTC participants’ practices, perceptions, and experiences. The primary data sources included teacher interviews, teacher project planning documents, teachers’ reflections, and educational resources (i.e. tangible resources resulting from students’ learning) produced during the implementation of the educational projects developed by the teachers as part of the TTC. Overall, this methodological approach allowed for a rich exploration of the integration of GCE and IC within the Portuguese educational context, drawing on diverse sources of data to generate nuanced insights and theoretical understandings. Currently, we are coding our data, being more specifically, at the organization of coding stage (Tarozzi, 2020).

In our ongoing doctoral research, conducted in Portugal since September 2019, we have undertaken a comprehensive exploration of the possibilities of integrating GCE through IC within the Portuguese curriculum. Our investigation, rooted in a critical approach to GCE and in an understanding of IC as a multifaceted educational resource for social justice, seeks to address the complex challenges and opportunities presented by these educational concepts. We expect that this research can contribute to the ongoing discussion on GCE and IC, providing a new pedagogical intersection area by offering a more comprehensive understanding of the concepts and of their application within the Portuguese educational context. By adopting a GT approach, our research endeavors to construct a theoretical framework that accounts for the complexities and nuances inherent to the Portuguese educational context, to the data collected, and to the ongoing theorization of these concepts. Ultimately, this study aspires to inform education policy and practice, fostering a more inclusive, equitable, and globally-minded educational landscape in Portugal. For this presentation, we intend to present an overall view of our research followed by a brief discussion about what we have discovered so far.

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