The project aimed to support schools in their work against conspiracy theories and extremist beliefs and thus strengthen European values. Two central objectives were pursued: Output 1 (IO1) involves developing a monitoring tool in the form of a questionnaire that can be used at no additional cost to record the spread of extremist beliefs and conspiracy theories and offer appropriate educational programmes. Output 2 (IO2) involves the creation of a curriculum and teaching/learning materials based on current didactic and socio-psychological research. These materials are intended to help teachers recognise conspiracy theories and extremist narratives and develop appropriate didactic interventions. Both outputs were tested and finalised in the project so that they can be used independently by schools after the end of the project. The aim is to empower pupils to participate as citizens in a democratic and European values-based way.
The application for REACT aimed to support teachers in dealing with conspiracy theories and extremist beliefs. Schools have been increasingly confronted with these challenges, particularly as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Studies, such as the Shell Youth Study, show that pupils are susceptible to extremist attitudes and often spread such information via social media (Calmbach et al. 2020). The project aimed to equip teachers with innovative diagnostic methods and concrete teaching-learning materials to counteract these phenomena and thus strengthen a democratic civil society in Europe. Conspiracy beliefs pose a particular didactic challenge, as conspiracy theory ideas cannot be changed in terms of learning theory simply by providing knowledge, as they are embedded in a belief system and linked to identity (Rokeach 1968). The project consortium developed diagnostic and teaching-learning materials based on the latest findings in civic education and research to effectively address the spread of conspiracy theories and teachers' ability to recognise them.