När tryggheten utmanas : En kvalitativ studie om hur samhällskunskapslärare definierar och förhåller sig till kontroversiella frågor i undervisningen

Sammanfattning

This study examines how social studies teachers in grades 7-9 define and approach controversial issues in teaching. The study is based on semi-structured interviews with seven social studies teachers from different municipalities in Sweden. The material was analyzed through thematic analysis using the concepts of agonism and antagonism. The results are divided into four themes: definitions of controversial issues, teaching controversial issues, and challenges in teaching controversial issues. The findings show that controversial issues often concern religion, migration, gender equality, international conflicts, identity, and LGBTQI issues. Teachers describe that teaching controversial issues can contribute to students’ critical thinking, empathy and democratic competences. Fact-based teaching, structured discussions, historical perspective and case-based methods emerge as central teaching strategies. At the same time, the results show several challenges, such as conflicts between students, emotional reactions, lack of time and uncertainty regarding how these issues should be managed in the classroom. The study connects the findings to the school’s democratic mission and the purpose of social studies education. The conclusion shows that teaching controversial issues is an important part of social studies education, but it requires safety, clear structure and didactic awareness.