Teaching controversial issues in schools is essential for enabling citizens to participate in societal and political debates. This article presents the concept and structure of a teacher education course aimed at preparing pre-service teachers to handle controversy across school subjects. By analyzing reflection essays and survey data, the study reveals that while the course seemed to increase participants’ level of confidence when addressing controversial issues, they still desired clearer guidelines and often sought simplistic solutions to complex dilemmas. These findings emphasize the need for a balance between theoretical reflection and practical learning in teacher education and highlight the potential benefits of expert guidance on controversial issues. The research can thus contribute to a nuanced understanding of the hurdles within the process of reflective teacher professionalization and support the continuous evolution of teacher education programs with the goal of preparing pre-service teachers better for the complexities of contemporary educational settings.
Kindlinger et al. (Sun,) studied this question.