Biography

Biography Wiel Veugelers

Professor Dr. Wiel Veugelers has been professor of education at the University for Humanistic Studies in Utrecht (the Netherlands). He studied developmental psychology at the University of Amsterdam. From 1979 till 2015 he was working as associate professor at the Graduate School of Teaching and Learning of the University of Amsterdam. Since 2002 he has a chair as Professor of education at the University of Humanistic Studies in Utrecht, in particular in the area of moral education and citizenship education from a humanist perspective. Since 2019 he is emeritus professor.

His research and teaching is in the areas of citizenship education, moral development, teachers’ pedagogical professionalism, educational policy, educational change, networking between educational institutions, identity and citizenship development, and youth studies.

He has been supervising major research projects and 17 PhD studies in the areas of moral development, citizenship education, multicultural education, educational change, cooperation of educational institutes, and youth development. He has received in the Netherlands research grants of the Dutch Organization for Scientific Research (NWO); The Ministries of Education, Law and Social Affairs; the National Pedagogical Centers, The National Curriculum Development Institute, etc.

He has been coordinating several international academic networks:

  • The network ‘Education for Democratic Intercultural Citizenship’ (EDIC) in which eight European universities (Helsinki, Tallinn, Bath, Prague, Barcelona, Thessaloniki, Humanistic Studies Utrecht) worked together in education and research. This network has been funded by the European Erasmus Programme (2013-2019). 
  • International Networks for Democratic Education (INDE) in which worldwide ten school-university networks worked together (Veugelers & O’Hair, 2005).

He has been programme-chair (2006) and chair (2014-2017) of the AERA SIG Moral Development and Education He was founder (1996) and president (1996-2004) of the EARLI SIG Moral and Democratic Education, was president of the Division Education and Society of the Dutch Educational Research Association (VOR) and a member of the board of the Dutch Educational Research Association (2012-2020)

He is editor and founder (2008) of the book series ‘Moral Development and Citizenship Education’ of SensePublishers, now Brill. He is associate editor of the Journal of Moral Education and member of the editorial boards of the journals Compare, International Journal of Leadership in Education, Pedagogiek, Akademeia, ECCOS, Revista Lusofona Educacao. He has published more than 100 articles in peer reviewed international academic journals and chapters in books.

In the Netherlands he has been scientific advisor for citizenship and citizenship education of the Dutch Institute for Curriculum Development (SLO), the National Pedagogical Centre (LPC) and the Organization of Public Schools (VOO). He has done several evaluation and review studies on research of citizenship education, active participation of citizens, and local citizenship for the Dutch Council of Scientific Research (NWO, 1999; 2003; 2008) and the Dutch Government (2004; 2011). He has been a member of the expert group of indicators for citizenship and citizenship education of the European Commission. Since 2012 he is a member of the international programme advisory board of the IEA study on citizenship education (ICCS).

He participated in several funded projects by the European Union:

  • ‘Active Citizenship in the European Union’ led by the University of London/Southampton (Dr. Hoskins) (2011-2012).
  • In the ALFA programme the project RIAIPE3 about universities and society in Europe and Latin America (2011-2013), coordinated by University of Lusofona Lisbon (2011-2013).
  • The FP7 project Parrise on science and society, coordinated by Utrecht University (2014- 2017).

He was the project leader of the following projects funded by the European Union:

  • Erasmus strategic network ‘Education for Democratic Intercultural Citizenship (2016-2019).
  • Research for CULT committee European Parliament ‘Teaching Common Values in Europe’ (2016-2017).
  • European Parliamentary Research Service ‘Implementation of Citizenship Actions in the European Union’ (2020-2021).

He has been invited as speaker in academic conferences and universities in most countries of Europe, in many conferences in the USA, and in academic conferences and universities in Africa, Latin America and Asia. He was a visiting professor in 12 universities worldwide.

His books in English are:

  • ‘Teaching in Moral and Democratic Education’ (Peter Lang, 2003), With Fritz Oser.
  • ‘Network Learning for Educational Change’ (Open University Press, 2005), With Mary-John O’Hair’.
  • ‘Getting Involved. Global Citizenship Development and Sources of Moral Values’ (SensePublishers, 2008), With Fritz Oser.
  • ‘Education and Humanism’ (SensePublishers, 2011). 
  • ‘Education for Democratic Intercultural Citizenship’ (Brill, 2019).
  • ‘Moral and Political Dimensions of Critical-Democratic Citizenship Education’ (Brill, 2023).

His work has been translated in 8 other foreign languages. A book in Bahasa Indonesia has been published in 2023 ‘Teori dan Praktik Pendidikan Kewarganegaran’ (Penerbit Ombak). With Samsuri.  

He received the following international awards:

  • Maslovaty Book Award by the SIG Moral and Democratic Education of the European Association of Learning and Instruction (EARLI), 2011, Exeter 2011. For the book ‘Education and Humanism. 
  • Kuhmerker Career Award by the Association of Moral Education, Santos 2015.
  • Book Award by the SIG Moral Development and Citizenship Education of the American Education Research Association (AERA). San Francisco, 2020. For the book ‘Education for Democratic Intercultural Citizenship’.
  • Book Award by the SIG Moral Development and Citizenship Education of the American Education Research Association (AERA). Philadelphia, 2024. For the book ‘Moral and Political Dimensions of Critical-Democratic Citizenship Education’.