Navigating controversial issues in university English as a foreign language (EFL) classes Student voices and teacher strategies
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In this era of global interconnectedness and unpredictability, education must equip students to become engaged, globally competent citizens, who can navigate complex controversial problems, such as migration, climate change, wars, polarisation, racism and extremism. As the global lingua franca, English is increasingly used to address topics of a contentious nature. English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers have a unique opportunity and responsibility to create a safe environment to effectively nurture their students’ social-emotional and critical thinking skills. By incorporating debates and discussions on controversial topics in their classes, teachers can enable their students to develop their language, citizenship, and social-emotional skills simultaneously. The paper aims to explore English as a foreign language students and teacher trainees’ views on controversial discussions in their university classes and reveal the factors enabling them to express their views on contentious topics. Using semi-structured interviews, 20 students attending the author’s language development courses centred around controversial issues were asked about their experiences, their willingness to participate in discussions on controversial issues, and the aspects influencing their contribution. The findings reveal that while participants unanimously value discussing controversial topics, their engagement and willingness to express their views varies based on these key factors: classroom relationships and the environment, rapport with their teachers, the opinion climate, instructional design and their background knowledge about the topic. The results suggest specific strategies for both pre-service teacher training programmes and in-service professional development, particularly in developing safe discussion frameworks and selecting appropriate pedagogical approaches for controversial topics.
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