10: “But Now I See that There’s So Much More to It”: Journaling, Primary Contradictions and Expanding Conceptions of Democracy and Citizenship

A goal of sustainable development is the promotion and creation of peaceful and inclusive society. Thus, this requires citizens who are committed to these basic principles, enshrined in democratic institutions. Given the central role of schools in the creation of democratic citizens this study explores how preservice social studies teachers expanded their conceptions of citizenship and democracy in relation to the goals of the SDGs. This study demonstrates that journaling about democracy creates primary contradictions which leads to an expansion of their conceptions. Therefore, teachers could and should use journaling as a means for students to explore various aspects of how peaceful and inclusive societies support sustainable development.