Digital Platform Work in Portugal: Practices, Experiences and Expectations

This explanatory research aims to produce knowledge on an emerging social phenomenon that has been highlighted in political discourse, the work on digital platforms, on which there is a lack of research and intervention that takes into account the specificities of the Portuguese context, even more so in the field of Education Sciences. It is exploratory, in the sense of a first approach to the research problem, and aims to provide information that will allow future research and intervention work to be framed and justified.

EDe - Digital Education in Schools: the impact of the National Digital Competences Initiative on youth digital literacy and citizenship

Although digital education (DE) is a central demand in the European and national political agendas in the last decade (EC, 2014; INCoDe.2030, 2018; OECD, 2015), research shows that Portugal reports lower levels of digital human capital and use of Internet services compared to the European average (EC, 2019). Furthermore, Portuguese students report lower confidence in their skills to select useful and reliable information on the Internet and autonomously work with the computer, constituting problems to be tackled (EC, 2018).
The introduction of digital technologies in our lives is being accelerated by the pandemic context, which brought about new ways of thinking and doing in diverse aspects and dimensions, from the way how we socially interact to how we work. Consequently, this ongoing digital technological transformation raises new challenges to school education: i) the need to address the labour market demand for digital competencies (Cedefop, 2016); ii) the need for digital inclusion to overcome inequalities in access conditions to technology, as well as the discrepancies in youth
resources and opportunities needed to effectively participate (EC, 2017b); and iii) the need for innovation and digital technologies integration into teaching and learning practices, providing youth with educational opportunities to develop the knowledge and competences needed to fully and safely participate in culturally diverse and technological-driven societies (EC, 2020; INCoDe.2030, 2018; Lourenço et al., 2019). It includes empowering youth to deal with some potential well-known risks associated with digital technologies, such as cyberbullying, internet
addiction, disinformation, or loss of privacy (EC, 2017a; EC, 2020).
In 2017, the Portuguese government launched the National Digital Competences Initiative e.2030, Portugal INCoDe.2030 (2017-2030), in accordance with the Exit Profile of Students Leaving Compulsory Education and the Essential Learnings, as an integrated public policy to foster national digital development. Among its priorities, this national initiative intends to make "sure the whole population has equal access to digital technologies to obtain information, communicate, and interact with others”, as well as, educate “the younger population by stimulating and reinforcing digital literacy and digital skills at all levels of schooling and as part of lifelong learning” (INCoDe.2030, 2018, pp. 12-14).
This strategy proposes DE implementation according to three complementary approaches: as a transversal theme in the 1st cycle of basic education; as a mandatory autonomous discipline called Technologies of Information and Communication (TIC) in the 2nd and 3rd cycles of basic education; and as an optional autonomous discipline named Informatics Applications in the secondary education. DE was first implemented in 223 schools that participated in a pilot project, from 2017 to 2018, then in 2018/2019 it was implemented in the first year of each school cycle and will be progressively adopted in the following academic years until 2021 (EC, 2019).
So far, there are no scientific studies, particularly longitudinal ones, that bring knowledge about the DE practices in formal education, and how these educational experiences impact students’ digital literacy and citizenship within and outside the school context. Furthermore, research needs to take into account the intertwining of school, family and community contexts, looking at regional disparities (Pereira & Reis, 2012). This research aims at making a substantial contribution to our knowledge about DE in the formal within the framework of the new national strategy and our understanding of how students are being prepared to exercise their digital literacy and citizenship nowadays within and beyond school context, through a mixed methodological approach.

[European project; 6 participating countries] 21st Century Skills in the Context of the UN's Social Development Goals for Pupils [Erasmus+]

Today, children are growing up in a world completely different from previous generations. The planet is under stress from pollution and climate change (http://www.un.org/en/climatechange/un-climate-summit-2019.shtml). If we want to secure the planet and future generations, we need to learn to be sustainable in order to enable everyone to live a good quality of life. If we want to succeed in this, it is important to recognize that children and pupils need to be a part of the solution, because obviously, they are the future. Therefore, they need to be able to address the problems and this requires 21st-century skills such as creative thinking, critical thinking, problem-solving skills, media literacy and entrepreneurship. The new Skills Agenda for Europe (June 2016), enshrines critical thinking, entrepreneurship, problem-solving or digital competences, among others, as vital skills that the 21st-century pupil needs to learn (https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/news/competence-frameworks-european-approach-teach-and-learn-21st-century-skills). This is to ensure that pupils develop a broad set of skills from early on in life and to make the most of Europe¿s human capital, which will ultimately boost employability, competitiveness and growth in Europe. The project objective is to increase pupils' skills and competences in 21st-century skills with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) as the framework. This will be done by developing online learning materials and modules for pupils between 10 and 15 years, aiming to improve their understanding of current societal issues, i.e. environment, circular economy etc. The digital materials will focus on developing critical thinking skills, creativity, problem-solving skills and digital competencies such as media literacy in the context of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Children and pupils must learn to be proactive and think outside the box in order to address the changing world and its challenges. Moreover, children are increasingly exposed to news, pictures and pop culture from all around the world (http://reports.weforum.org/human-implications-of-digital-media-2016/downsides-and-risk), and it is important that they are able to figure out the facts from the falsehoods. Without skills regarding creative thinking, critical thinking and media literacy, they risk being seduced by easy solutions and left behind in the constant development of the world. The partnership aims to challenge the pupils to come up with new solutions, work together, co-create and think critically both about how the issues of the world have arisen and how they can contribute to a solution. We will do this in cooperation with teachers by developing modules and learning materials that combine the UN SDG¿s with workshops, case competitions, group discussions etc. that promote the use and acquisition of 21st-century skills, e.g. critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving, entrepreneurial skills and media literacy. Combining 21st-century skills and UN SDGs provides a perfect opportunity for pupils to develop critical thinking, problem-solving, entrepreneurship and digital competences while working with real-world issues such as pollution, water contamination, equality, etc.

[European project; 4 participating countries, 8 partners] BE PART - Youth-Led Development for Schools Participatory Management [Erasmus+, KA3]

This project aims at developing, implementing and evaluating an innovative participatory youth approach in regular schools, fostering inclusive education while promoting citizenship competences and youth empowerment, especially among students with disadvantaged backgrounds. The innovative participatory youth approach that will be designed in the project relies on five main concepts: Youth-led development, models of youth participation, co-creation, Project-based learning and youth empowerment. These concepts will assure innovation in the promotion of the acquisition and development of students civic competencies: Interacting effectively and constructively with others; Thinking critically; Acting in a socially responsible manner; Acting democratically.
To accomplish this, the consortium defined a structure comprising seven work packages:
WP1: Aiming at identifying the MYP to be approached in the project and establishing the student fellowships;
WP2: Dedicated to the capacity building of teachers responsible for the guidance and support of students;
WP3: Related to the implementation and testing of the MYP in the partnership schools;
WP4: A Youth-Led Model will be prepared based on the experience of partners in the design/preparation, implementation and evaluation of MYP in the context of schools, to be introduced to experts;
WP5: A set of resources, tools and activities were outlined in the project to support partners in the communication with main stakeholders, dissemination of the project's results and activities and upscaling of the main deliverables of the project;
WP6: To guarantee that the project implementation is following the road map and timeline of the project, on one hand, and to guarantee the quality of the main outputs of the project, for another hand;
WP7: To ensure proper implementation of the project work plan and guarantee communication among partners during the project implementation.

[European project; 4 participating countries] MINDTheGaps - Media Literacy Towards Youth Social Inclusion [Erasmus+]

MINDtheGaps aims at contributing to the promotion of equal opportunities for youth in vulnerable situations, including those living in residential care institutions, to develop media literacy, digital inclusion and critical thinking and, therefore, conditions to live and participate in the information society and to access the labour market (social inclusion). MINDtheGaps uses a participatory intervention based on programming training and multimedia open educational resources development to empower young people to develop media literacy, and critical thinking and to be able to share knowledge and collaboratively solve problems in partnership with young people from other European countries, in a non-formal context. This means that the project is in line with the New European Youth Policy (2019-2027) since it will develop new and innovative ways to achieve the priorities that are set out in national and EU policy: ENGAGE, CONNECT and EMPOWER young people through innovation, quality and recognition of youth work.
The general objective unfolds in the following objectives: - To know the characteristics and the young people intersecting disadvantages of gender, race, religion, relation to education, learning disabilities, family status, geographical contexts and citizenship status; - To develop tools to educational institutions, in general, to implement inclusive education approaches and promote common values through digital media; - To promote effective use of existing tools to promote citizenship education; - To deepen knowledge about inclusive educational innovative approaches regarding media literacy with young people living in residential care institutions; - To promote young people and staff cross-border situations contact to experience European identity to prevent radicalisation leading to violent extremism through the promotion of common values as a vector of social inclusion; - To raise awareness about the risks and opportunities of the internet and social media; - To develop practical recommendations with regard to the development of media literacy and critical thinking practices both in formal and informal education and training activities among young people in socially vulnerable situations; - To disseminate the produced knowledge evolving policy makers, State care institutions, schools, teacher associations, European networks, education administrative staff, etc. The primary target group will involve 100 young people aged between 15-18 years old at risk of exclusion, including NEETs facing educational difficulties, learning difficulties, early school-leavers, low-qualified adults, young people with poor school performance, economic obstacles, and cultural differences. This target group was selected because they are facing the transition from teenage to early adult age; some of them have equated an eventual school drop-out, which will require them to look for a job, in order to avoid NEET situations. The project's deliveries, namely an innovative practices handbook, online education resources, assessment/testing materials and distance learning platform, are intended to be used and adapted in other educational and training contexts, both formal and informal, ensuring project sustainability and long-term impact. The end-users are school communities/residential care institution staff (school as an institution: managers, administrative staff, education counsellors, parents, surrounding communities, students from 12 to 16 years old and teachers). MINDtheGaps impact envisage is to contribute to developing innovative practices at both partners countries and the EU level to guarantee the right to quality and inclusive education, training and lifelong learning in order to maintain and acquire skills that enable [everyone] to participate fully in society and manage successfully transitions in the labour market (European Pillar of Social Rights, 2017).

[European project; 6 participating countries] UP2B - Boosting Up School Education towards European Citizenship and Labour Market Inclusion [Erasmus+]

The EU Education policies lay down in Europe2020 Strategy and related documents, address themes as important as "Education for Jobs and Growth" or "Early School Leaving" (ESL). In a recent Infographic, the European Commission addressed the subject of ESL, by stating: "Schools cannot effectively work alone. They need to move from isolated and short-term actions to engage in more holistic and systemic initiatives". UP2B is fully aligned with such a vision of an integrated approach from an enlarged community of actors. Centred on Schools, UP2B is fed by a matrix of relevant subjects for the creation of a better School, consequently, better citizens and a brighter future. The project is a strategic partnership of School Education, created by Companies, Universities, NGOs, Education Local Authorities and Schools, from South, North, East and West Europe, cooperating for promoting motivation at School (for students and teachers) and for preparing students for their future life as workers and Citizens. The project's integrated approach of formats, contents and expertise was based on previous needs assessment during the partner's regular activities and envisages enhancing School Education, aiming for Social Cohesion.
UP2B objectives are: -To enhance school attractiveness, diminishing rates of demotivation and absence and rates of early school leaving -To facilitate the relationship and the transition between School and the Labour Market -To increase students' sense of citizenship by generating awareness about the labour market -To increase the sense of European Citizenship and its core values of equity, namely concerning Gender, Minorities and Human Rights, as fundamental Educational aspects while pursuing these objectives, UP2B is also tackling the growing social scourge of NEET youngsters, not dealing with its consequences but rather trying to eliminate some of its causes, as early school leaving and unawareness about the labour market and about VET possibilities. Accordingly, UP2B target groups are: -Students aged 12-16 years old, because at those ages they have already been required to think about important life decisions, namely concerning education paths they wish to follow (regular secondary school, VET school) or they had equated/may equate an eventual school dropout (which will require them to look for a job in order to avoid a NEET situation); it is therefore of upmost importance to raise awareness about the labour market, but most of all, to increase school attractiveness near them; -Teachers of such students, because they play a decisive role in raising awareness concerning Citizenship, facilitating them to better understand society and culture and supporting them to consciously claim their rights and be sure to fulfil their duties, within and beyond school; -School communities (School as an Institution: managers, administrative staff, education counsellors, parents, surrounding communities); -Teachers of teachers: by involving them, the project ensure that its effects start at the very early stage of school actors preparation, ensuring sustainability; -Operators of other education domains (as VET and Higher Education) as they play a decisive role on careers¿ training and guidance; -Operators of the labour market (employers, employment agencies and career counsellors), as they need to provide their views, but also be ready to support demotivated youngsters, inclusively promoting their return to school in the all the applicable cases.

JoSeES - Serious Games in Higher Education: Impacts, Experiences and Potential

This project focuses on understanding how Higher Education students and lecturers relate to video games and serious games, particularly in educational contexts; on constructing instruments (a comprehensive framework) and on furthering methodologies that can support better uses of these games as educational tools while addressing a commonly identified gap in the literature: verifying their educational impacts (in this case, the impacts of serious games on dimensions relevant to citizenship education and the political development).

There is currently a visible investment in educational technologies and serious games are part of this trend. Not only the number of serious games has grown rapidly in recent years but their educational uses have multiplied (Young et al., 2012), and this includes tertiary education (Lean et al., 2006). The use of video games by Portuguese students and in Portuguese educational contexts is severely understudied and the first objective of this project deals exactly that: building an understanding of the habits, attitudes and experiences, of students and lecturers, with video games. Given our interest in civic and political engagement and in socio-political development, we will also explore the relationship between gaming and social experiences at the civic/political level. Data collected from a survey of students, lecturers and researchers from the two biggest public higher education institutions in Porto region will be instrumental to achieve this. Another identified gap in the literature, in this case even internationally (e.g. Girard, Ecalle & Magnan, 2013; Sitzmann, 2011; Young et al., 2012), has to do with empirical verification of the impacts of using serious games. We chose to address this issue by setting up a longitudinal qualitative study and following the experience of a group of students and lecturers, who will play a set of serious games on social issues (environmental issues, issues of racism and discrimination, gender issues etc.) while observing changes and transformations over time. A qualitative methodology will allow us to go beyond impact verification and to explore the features of games and experience that make a difference, how game features and experience elements concur to producing impacts.

To further grasp the educational and civic possibilities offered by the use of video games one needs to understand not only how students and lecturers relate to them but also which features of the game and elements of the educational situation are seen as particularly valuable and productive. Therefore, while dialoguing with previously proposed frameworks (e.g. Echeverría et al., 2011; Mitgutsch & Alvarado, 2012; Raphael et al., 2009) the project will engage students and lecturers in a participatory process aiming at the construction of a new framework centered in an educational perspective, incorporating the visions and expectations of potential users of serious games. Such a framework can be of great use to educators and game developers in better differentiating the potentials of existing serious games and to enhance the educational situations in which they can be used. In line with our understanding of transformative, emancipatory and empowering education, we agree with those who see participation in the game development process as holding a special promise (e.g. Whitton, 2010). The task dedicated to the participatory development of a serious game serves not only to contribute to the development of a relatively new and underexplored methodology but also to again densify the link between serious games and sociopolitical development by generating the opportunity for participants to be empowered to challenge and recreate the practice of citizenship into something that makes sense for them, that communicates with their lives and experiences (Evans & Prilleltensky, 2007).

The project is therefore innovative not only in terms of the questions it chose to tackle but also in the ways of

[European project; 10 participating countries, 15 partners] ] YOUNG_ADULLLT - Policies Supporting Young People in their Life Course. A Comparative Perspective of Lifelong Learning and Inclusion in Education and Work in Europe [Horizon 2020]

Most European Lifelong Learning (LLL) policies have been designed to create economic growth and, at the same time, guarantee social inclusion (EC 2010). First, we will study how different LLL policies are compatible with each other in terms of their orientations and objectives and how each policy considers the youth's needs. Second, we will research the intended and unintended effects of policies on young adults. In this regard, we will look into relevant social developments such as life course de-standardisation processes and into an emerging new political economy of skills. Third, we will generate new knowledge about regional and local policymaking, with particular attention to actors, dynamics, and trends. By focusing on their regional/local context, we will elucidate the interaction and complementarity of LLL policies with other sectors of society, thus contributing to a better understanding of current fragmentation and discrepancies, in order to set parameters for future decision-making support systems. The project will first contribute new knowledge of the impact of LLL policies on young adults' life courses, yielding insights into the conditions, strategies, and necessities for policies to become effective. In addition, it will provide insights into the innovations and potentials they unlock, in particular with a view to informal and non-formal learning to better address vulnerable groups. Second, the project contributes to a better understanding of the structural relationships and functional match between education/training and the labour market sectors. Third, the project will provide a thorough review of regional policies and initiatives in the countries studied, laying bare distinct dynamics and trends, but also mismatches and redundancies. In particular, the project aims at identifying successful programmes in terms of sustainable solutions in integrating the labour market with, social inclusion as well as their transferability to other contexts.

EduCiParT - Participatory citizenship education in transitional societies

Preliminary note: The original idea for this project was made by Prof. Dr. Reinhold Hedke from the University of Bielefeld to a group of researchers from various European countries. The project was then outlined in a group where we are actively involved. Our decision to propose this as a national project will be mirrored by other colleagues in their respective countries. It is important to note, however, that the goals here proposed do not depend on the international context. \nIn the last 30 years formerly authoritharian countries across Europe have witnessed a transition to democracy (Portugal and Spain, as the so-called former soviet-block countries), with a deep transformation of their political institutions, including both the institution of constitutional democracies and the integration in the European Union. This political transition was accompanied by a strong emphasis on the role of education in the promotion of (democratic and European) citizenship, particularly since the mid-nineties: citizenship education (CE) became the motto for educational reforms across Europe (Menezes, 1999, 2003a), and was the object of many international studies on young people’s political knowledge, competencies, attitudes and engagement (Amadeo et al., 2002; Torney-Purta et al., 2001). However, is spite of this intense effort to foster policies and strategies of CE, little is know about current practices in schools. Moreover, in countries that have experienced such intense political transformation, it is of relevance to ask the following questions: To what extent schools are nowadays committed to fostering a democratic culture that integrates a critical historical consciousness of the totalitarian past? How are images of this past depicted in curricula, textbooks, teacher training, and classroom practices? Is the past overly discussed or concealed, criticized or whitewashed? The last decades have been witnessing a renewed interest in citizenship both in terms of theory and research (e.g., Beiner, 1995), particularly related to the intensification of signs of political disengagement and apathy within young people and adults, both in emerging and 'historical' democracies e.g., Amadeo et al., 2002). It is therefore not surprising that there is a widespread emphasis on the role education should play to counteract these tendencies. Almost all citizens attend school and schools have historically played a central role in the promotion of the 'ideal' citizen, in particularly during the institution of the Nation State as the school was a vehicle for the 'creation' of national identities (Habermas, 1992). It is therefore understandable why both European national states and the European Union have stressed the role of schools as instruments for the promotion of democracies. In Portugal, many studies have described and discussed the educational policies in this field (Brederode Santos, Menezes, 1999), but analysis of implementation of these policies are scarce and limited to case-studies (e.g., Roriz, 2007) that tend to ignore the analysis of school-based policies and practices and classroom strategies Our team has a long experience in conducting research in this domain, using a variety of research designs and methodologies, including both international studies (e.g., Arnotet al., 2000; Menezes et al, 2003; Menezes, 2003b), and school-based case-studies (e.g., Menezes, 1998; Stoer & Araújo, 2000). Therefore, we are in a privileged position to address a project that combines international comparisons and national school-based analysis. The project will definitely contribute to understand how the authoritharian past is recognized in contemporary policies, curricula and practices and how it interferes with the promotion of a political culture that values citizen’s active participation in civic and political issues - the touchstone of contemporary democracies.