What do I say Now?”
Teacher vulnerability and professional judgment in civic adult education
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11425433 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Frej Westberg (0000-0002-6663-6592, Linköping University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-20 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-16 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Lifelong Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0260-1370 • E-ISSN: 1464-519X |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/02601370.2026.2618256 |
| OpenAlex | W7124436930 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 33 |
This study explores how teachers navigate the emotional, moral, and professional challenges that arise when spontaneous controversial issues (SCIs) surface in adult education. Drawing on interviews with 24 teachers in Swedish Municipal Adult Education (MAE), a thematic narrative analysis identified a recurring experience of ‘being at a loss’ when responding to unexpected classroom controversies. To illustrate this, a detailed narrative of Linda, an experienced Swedish for Immigrants (SFI) teacher, shows how experiences of teacher vulnerability and uncertainty are inherent in such moments. Her stories, centred on spontaneous classroom discussions of COVID-19 and Iran’s veiling laws, show how professional judgment and decision-making emerge from a liminal ‘in-between’ space where personal values, professional beliefs, and institutional discourses intersect. The analysis reframes ‘gatekeeping’ when addressing SCIs as an ethico-political practice of professional judgment within conditions of uncertainty and vulnerability. Accordingly, rather than treating teacher vulnerability and SCIs as problems to be solved, the study argues that narrative case-reflection on such liminal spaces offers opportunities for civic adult education to cultivate teachers’ capacity for wise professional judgment about ‘what matters’ in educational life
Adult education · Adult Learning · Citizenship education · Professional development · Qualitative research · Vulnerability (computing · Adult and Continuing Education Topics · Critical and Liberation Pedagogy · Global Educational Policies and Reforms
Controversy in the Classroom
Beautiful Risk of Education
Who I am in how I teach is the message
Teacher Vulnerability
Sensitive and controversial issues in the classroom
The role of beliefs in teacher agency
Controversial issues ‐ teachers' attitudes and practices in the context of citizenship education
Navigating Multiple Perspectives in Discussing Controversial Topics
The classroom in turmoil
The Political Classroom
Individualising processes in adult education research
Rethinking the demands for ‘preferred’ teacher professional identities
Teaching Controversial Issues
Teachers stepping up their game in the face of extreme statements
Addressing spontaneous controversial issues in adult education
Civic lifelong education
Adult education, lifelong learning and citizenship
Discussing Controversial Issues
Why ‘What Works’ Still Won’t Work
Navigating Sites for Narrative Inquiry
Emotions and Teacher Identity
The Narrative Construction of Reality
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |