Sociologický časopis / Czech Sociological Review | DOI: 10.13060/csr.2026.022

Teacher Competencies for Civic and Environmental Education: A Comparative Study of Geography Students in Serbia and the Czech Republic

Aco Lukić ORCID...1,2, Smiljana Đukičin Vučković ORCID...1, Anđelija Ivkov Džigurski ORCID...1, Jelena Milanković ORCID...1, Stefan Stajić ORCID...1
1 University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Geography, Tourism and Hotel Management, Novi Sad, Serbia
2 Newton College, Prague, Czech Republic

The integration of civic and environmental education into the school system is considered a significant component of education for sustainable development, enabling students to become aware of social responsibility and environmental sustainability. This paper discusses the perspectives of students in the final years of undergraduate and master’s studies in geography teacher education programs at universities in the Czech Republic and Serbia, considering the opportunities and challenges associated with introducing an integrated approach to civic and environmental education into school practice. The research analyses the competencies acquired by students, their attitudes toward this topic, their readiness for teaching and further qualitative improvement of these fields in the teaching process. The emphasis is on school practice, which is a very important component of preparing future teachers to work in educational institutions. The role of school practice in developing professional skills among future teachers is highly significant, as it enables students to apply theoretical knowledge in real educational settings. The paper presents results indicating students’ self-assessed competencies and their perceived readiness to work in schools after completing their studies. The analysis indicates that students recognise the importance of an integrated approach to teaching and express interest in implementing it in their future professional careers. Furthermore, the research highlights the challenges students face during their education, including insufficient teaching resources and the need for additional training in interdisciplinary teaching methods. These data contribute to the discussion on educational reforms in the context of sustainable development and offer guidelines for improving teaching practice through an interdisciplinary approach. The research findings can serve as a foundation for further exploration of educational methods while also contributing to the development of teaching strategies that comprehensively integrate civic and environmental topics into education.

Keywords: civic education, environmental education, school practice, student competencies, interdisciplinary teaching

Received: October 9, 2025; Revised: June 23, 2026; Accepted: June 25, 2026; Prepublished online: July 4, 2026 

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