Education and Science, cilt.0, sa.0, ss.0-1, 2025 (SCI-Expanded)
Global developments significantly affect countries' citizenship education policies and the citizenship competencies that students should acquire. This makes it essential to develop students' democratic citizenship competencies. In this context, the research aims to determine the democratic citizenship competencies necessary for secondary school students to participate in public life in a democratic country as active individuals. A mixed method was used in the research. The Delphi technique was utilized, and purposive sampling was used to increase the diversity of participants and data. Delphi panelists were selected from academicians, independent researchers, school administrators, and teachers directly interested in citizenship, citizenship education, democratic citizenship/citizenship education, democracy, and human rights. Sixty-one panelists participated in the 1st Delphi round, 8 in the confirmation round, and 44 in the 2nd Delphi round. In the 1st Delphi round, data was collected with a single open-ended question and analyzed through descriptive analysis. Thus, for democratic citizenship, competencies in line with the panelists' opinions, knowledge, skills, values, attitudes, and tendencies were determined, and dimensions related to the subject were created. The dimensions determined in the 1st Delphi round and the themes, categories, and items forming these dimensions were presented to the panelists for their opinions in the approval round. As a result of the approval round, the dimensions forming democratic citizenship competencies were rearranged. In order to reach a consensus, the items forming the dimensions of Democratic Citizenship Education (DCE) were presented to the panelists for scoring in the 2nd Delphi round. The quantitative data obtained in this round were analyzed using the SPSS 25 program statistical analyses. In the study, three dimensions (cognitive, affectivel, and skill) reflecting the Democratic Citizenship Competencies (DCC) were determined. It is seen that the dimensions forming the DCC are related to multiculturalism, understanding, dialogue, communication, establishing connections, democratic participation, moral responsibility, critical understanding, independent learning, mutual respect, and tolerance. The dimensions determined in line with the DCC can be used as an analytical tool by those preparing the curriculum, administrators, and teachers. These dimensions can also guide the determination of the direction and goals of DCE. Teachers can benefit from these dimensions developed in their in-class and out-of-class teaching planning, implementation, and evaluation stages.