Approaches of social studies educators to controversial political issues discussion method

Purpose: Controversial political issues refer to issues that cause significant disagreement among a group of people, issues that divide public opinion, or issues that different groups operating in the public sphere approach in different ways. The aim of this study is to determine social studies educators' approaches to controversial political issues and their views on the use of controversial political issues in social studies education. In this context, answers were sought to questions about what social studies educators think about the use of controversial political issues in education and what kind of competencies they have in using these issues for educational purposes. Method: The study is designed as basic qualitative research. In the study, a semi-structured interview form, which is one of the frequently used data collection tools in qualitative research, was used. The questions in the interview form were developed by the researcher and prepared after receiving expert opinion following the pilot application. Data were collected from a total of 24 social studies educators, 12 male and 12 female, who graduated from social studies teaching, through the semi-structured interview form, and the responses were transcribed. Content analysis technique was used in data analysis. While analysing the data, codes, categories, and themes were organized in a recurring process, presented to expert opinion to ensure the internal validity of the study, and efforts were made to increase reliability or consistency. In the selection of the data source, only individuals who graduated from social studies teaching and have not yet started their duty or have done short-term teaching were selected. Results: According to the findings of the study, social studies educators have expressed positive views on the use of controversial political issues in the educational process. They have stated that the use of controversial political issues in the educational process has many educational and societal benefits. However, they do not see them-selves as sufficient in teaching current controversial political issues. They attribute these insufficiencies to their lack of professional experience and the quality of undergraduate education. Few educators have heard of the concept of controversial political issues, but they have declared that they understand what is meant by the concept. Social studies educators, who state that controversial issues have many educational benefits, especially in terms of higher-level thinking skills, have reported that teacher skills are important in the education and teaching of these issues. One of the findings of the research is the impact of social media on controversial issues. They have stated that social media generally has a negative impact on controversial political issues. Conclusion and Suggestions: According to the results of the study, social studies educators have a positive view on the use of controversial political issues in social studies education, but they do not see themselves as sufficient in teaching these issues. The reasons for the insufficiencies of social studies educators are the inefficiency of professional practice courses taken in undergraduate education, inability to follow the agenda, and lack of professional experience. There are many educational benefits of controversial political issues. These benefits are listed as awareness of political issues, teaching of rights, citizenship skills, democratic skills, and the development of higherlevel thinking skills. Controversial political issues can cause some problems in the classroom environment. Polarizations, tensions in the classroom, fights, misunderstandings, difficulties in classroom management are some of these problems. It has been revealed that teacher competencies are important in solving these problems. In addition to being a good administrator, teachers should have sufficient equipment, set rules in advance, and display a neutral attitude. One of the results of the research is the impact of social media on students. The numerous incorrect and biased content on social media has negatively affected students and the educational process. Keywords: Controversial political issues discussion method, Citizenship education, Democracy education, Social studies education.