Teaching controversial issues and citizenship education at university. Obstacles and drivers of change in university teacher training

Abstract

Education faces the challenge of training a citizenry capable of responding to current problems. In this paper, we present a multiple case study with nine university teachers in training. The research seeks to determine the itineraries of change when including controversial issues to work on citizenship education in their classes. By means of a content analysis technique, we identify the conceptions on teaching practices, before and after the training received. The results point to a lower resistance to changing the methodological model and introducing strategies based on critical reflection than to transforming the goals and contents.