Teachers’ perspectives on child rights education: Knowing, applying, believing

Abstract

This study deals with child rights education (CRE) and content related competencies emerging from CRE framework that teachers need in order to ensure rights of the child within the education system. The goal of the research was to describe to what extent primary school teachers demonstrate CRE knowledge, skills of applying that knowledge in school context and the attitudes that support CRE. The survey included 930 teachers, using a questionnaire that examined their CRE knowledge, knowledge application/skills, and their attitudes/values about CRE. The results of the survey revealed that, among teachers, there is an insufficient level of knowledge and skills that are crucial to ensure respect and exercise of the rights of the child within the education system, and that they exhibit attitudes that point to misunderstanding of the meaning and significance behind certain child rights and the Convention as whole.