Abstract
In an increasingly interconnected world, Global Citizenship Education (GCE) has emerged as a crucial framework for addressing contemporary global challenges such as climate change, migration, and social inequalities (Akkari & Maleq, 2020; Bourn, 2020; Pashby, 2016; Sant et al., 2018; Tarozzi & Torres, 2016). Recognised by international organisations such as UNESCO (2015) and further legitimised through the Dublin Declaration (GENE, 2022), GCE remains a complex and dynamic discipline. Despite its increasing prominence in educational discourse, its implementation within formal education faces persistent challenges, particularly in teacher education (Bamber, 2019; Bourn et al., 2017; Franch, 2020; Sant et al., 2018; Schugurensky & Wolhuter, 2020; Tarozzi, 2024; Tarozzi & Mallon, 2019). This study explores the role of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) in preparing future teachers to integrate GCE into their pedagogical practice. While growing scholarly attention has been dedicated to GCE, there remain significant gaps in research concerning its integration into ITE programmes (Barry et al., 2023; Lourenço, 2024; Schugurensky & Wolhuter, 2020). In particular, there is a need to understand how pre service teachers and teacher educators engage with GCE concepts within university based training. Adopting a qualitative multiple-case study approach (Yin, 2018), this research investigates ITE programmes in Italy and Ireland, focusing on their structure, content, and support mechanisms for GCE. Data collection methods included document analysis, semi-structured interviews, and focus groups with 31 participants, including prospective teachers and teacher educators. The study provides a comparative perspective, highlighting how Ireland presents a more structured integration of GCE within curricula, supported by political and academic frameworks (Estellés & Fischman, 2021), whereas Italy relies more on individual initiatives and personal experiences (Damiani, 2021). Despite these differences, both contexts reveal challenges in bridging theory and practice, as well as a conceptual ambiguity in how GCE is understood and implemented. Findings underscore the critical role of institutional frameworks, teacher agency, and pedagogical approaches in fostering effective GCE integration. The study argues that ITE programmes must balance theoretical foundations with practical applications to equip future teachers with the competencies necessary to navigate global complexities. Through a comparative lens, this research offers empirical, theoretical, and methodological contributions, providing actionable recommendations for enhancing GCE integration within ITE programmes. By doing so, it contributes to policy discussions, curriculum development and possible future research directions, which will hopefully strengthen the capacity of teacher education in this context.