Thematic Article Collection: Rewriting the Grammar of Schooling: Educational Metamorphosis Across Contexts, Citizenship, Curriculum, and Connections
Coordinating Ambassadors
Giuseppina Rita Jose Mangione
Head of the Research Structure on Innovation of the School System
INDIRE – National Institute for Documentation, Innovation and Educational Research
Italy
Email:
g.mangione@indire.it
Giuseppina Rita Jose Mangione coordinates the nationally competitive research project “Azioni di ricerca per l'istruzione e la formazione” (CUP B55F21008020001) funded under the Italian National Research Plan (PNR). The project focuses on innovation in schooling systems, digital competence development, hybrid learning environments, and the design of future-oriented educational models capable of addressing the systemic transformations currently affecting education.
Within the research activities carried out at INDIRE – Istituto Nazionale di Documentazione, Innovazione e Ricerca Educativa (National Institute for Documentation, Innovation and Educational Research), the project has also contributed to the conceptual development of the 4Cs framework (Contexts, Citizenship, Curriculum, and Connections) referenced in this thematic collection. The framework has been elaborated as part of ongoing research exploring the transformation of schooling in response to digital, ecological, and demographic transitions, with particular attention to digitally integrated learning environments, systems-oriented citizenship education, curriculum innovation, and networked educational ecosystems.
Giuseppina Rita Jose Mangione, serve as subject matter expert and liaison between the editorial team and research community. Authors responding to targeted outreach should list them as commissioning editors and include the following acknowledgement:
“The authors acknowledge Giuseppina Rita Jose Mangione for encouraging this submission as part of the journal’s thematic article collection Rewriting the Grammar of Schooling: Educational Metamorphosis Across Contexts, Citizenship, Curriculum, and Connections.”
Introduction
This thematic collection explores the ongoing metamorphosis of schooling in response to the intertwined digital, ecological, and demographic transitions that are reshaping contemporary societies. Educational systems worldwide are increasingly called upon to rethink their institutional architectures, pedagogical paradigms, and learning environments in order to respond to digitally mediated knowledge production, hybrid learning ecologies, and rapidly evolving societal conditions. These transformations require not only the adoption of new technologies, but a deeper reconsideration of the purposes, structures, and relational configurations of schooling itself.
These transformations have been conceptualized through the framework of the 4Cs: Contexts, Citizenship, Curriculum, and Connections. This framework articulates what may be described as the emerging grammar of schooling, offering an interpretative and design-oriented perspective on how educational systems can evolve in response to contemporary challenges. Rather than simply adding new pedagogical features to existing models, the 4Cs framework suggests the need to reformulate the underlying syntax of education itself: rethinking learning spaces as open, flexible, and hybrid environments; reimagining educational time as modular, extended, and adaptive; redesigning curricula as interdisciplinary, inquiry-driven, and responsive to real-world challenges; and transforming institutional relationships into collaborative learning ecosystems embedded within territories and communities.
Within this perspective, digital literacy and digital competence are understood not merely as technical skills but as foundational cultural and civic capabilities that enable learners to participate meaningfully in complex knowledge societies. At the same time, emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence are beginning to support new forms of inquiry, scenario exploration, and systemic analysis that can help educators and institutions imagine and design the possible futures of schooling.
By bringing together theoretical reflections, empirical research, and research-action experiences, this thematic collection aims to contribute to a systemic and interdisciplinary understanding of how digitally integrated learning environments, AI-supported educational practices, and networked institutional models are reshaping the future of schooling.
Objective
The objective of this thematic collection is to advance international scholarly dialogue on the evolving role ofdigital literacy and digital competence within the structural transformation of schooling. More specifically, the collection aims to investigate how digitally mediated learning environments, artificial intelligence, and hybrid educational ecosystems are reshaping key dimensions of education through the analytical lens of the 4Cs framework: Contexts, Citizenship, Curriculum, and Connections.
In this perspective, the collection seeks to explore:
- how learning contexts are evolving into hybrid physical–digital environments that integrate territorial resources, cultural heritage, community knowledge, and digital infrastructures;
- how citizenship education is expanding to include media literacy, data literacy, and AI literacy as essential competences for democratic participation, critical thinking, and systems-oriented understanding;
- how curriculum innovation is incorporating interdisciplinary approaches, laboratory-based pedagogies, and inquiry-driven learning processes supported by digital technologies;
- how institutional connections are evolving toward networked educational ecosystems, including learning hubs, distributed educational infrastructures, and collaborative partnerships between schools, research institutions, communities, and policy actors.
By combining theoretical contributions, empirical research, and research-action experiences, the collection aims to develop new perspectives capable of guiding educational innovation in digitally connected societies. Particular attention is given to issues of equity, sustainability, digital justice, and the development of transformative competences necessary for navigating complex social, technological, and environmental challenges.
Recommended Topics
Topics to be discussed in this thematic collection include, but are not limited to:
- Digital literacy and digital competence in contemporary education
- Artificial intelligence literacy and ethical AI in educational contexts
- Systems thinking and complex problem solving in digitally mediated learning environments
- Hybrid learning ecologies integrating physical and digital educational settings
- Curriculum transformation and interdisciplinary learning in the digital age
- Laboratory-based pedagogies and inquiry-based learning in compulsory education
- Change Laboratory methodology and organizational learning in vocational and technical education
- Digital competence for democratic citizenship and sustainability
- Data literacy, media literacy, and algorithmic awareness in education
- Future schooling models and the emergence of learning hubs
- Networked educational ecosystems and territorial educational hubs
- Digital innovation in small schools and rural or inner-area educational contexts
- Policy and governance of digital transformation in education
- Inclusive and equitable digital education
Submission Procedure
Authors are encouraged to submit original, unpublished manuscripts that advance international scholarly dialogue on the evolving role of digital literacy and digital competence within the structural transformation of schooling. Before preparing submissions, authors may find it helpful to review the Journal Guidelines at https://www.igi-global.com/publish/contributor-resources/journal-guidelines-for-submission/?titleid=1170. Additional guidance for prospective contributors is available at https://www.igi-global.com/publish/contributor-resources/before-you-write/.
All submissions undergo double-anonymized peer review by at least three editorial board members, with final publication decisions made by the journal's Editor-in-Chief
Prof. Tonia De Giuseppe based on reviewer feedback and alignment with the journal's thematic focus.
All inquiries should be directed to the attention of:Prof. Tonia De Giuseppe
Editor-in-Chief
International Journal of Digital Literacy and Digital Competence (IJDLDC)
E-mail:
t.degiuseppe@unifortunato.eu
Giuseppina Rita Jose Mangione
Coordinating Ambassador
International Journal of Digital Literacy and Digital Competence (IJDLDC)
Thematic Article Collection: Rewriting the Grammar of Schooling: Educational Metamorphosis Across Contexts, Citizenship, Curriculum, and Connections
E-mail:
g.mangione@indire.it