Training through Social Sciences, Education and Civic Empowerment as Competencies for Critical Citizenship

Abstract

The study begins by considering the entire national population as citizens, understood initially in legal-constitutional terms (restricted concept), but acknowledging their limited intergenerational access to education and culture—components necessary for an expanded concept of social citizenship. This limitation problematizes their cognitive development at crucial periods, as it conditions certain social practices and decision-making processes inherent to citizenship exercise, which presuppose specific knowledge, capabilities, and competencies. Given this context, the objectives address the explicit effects of knowledge-power relationships by: a) examining the paradox between a restricted concept of citizenship and its presumed equivalence with the full exercise of an expanded, social, and integral citizenship; b) connecting the latter with educational indicators involved in civic exercise and empowerment as key elements for protecting and guaranteeing fundamental rights; and c) analyzing the role of teaching and social sciences in developing critical thinking among students. The study employs a mixed methodology, based on comparative documentary analysis, with both descriptive and explanatory scope, following a non-experimental design. Results indicate low performance in educational training and civic culture, consequently affecting critical thinking development. The main conclusion suggests that this educational-cultural training reality significantly conditions the construction of critical, empowered, active, and participatory citizenship.