Controversial issues are complex, shaped by diverse interests, and often give rise to conflicting perspectives. Their deeply embedded societal and personal values make them emotionally charged, fueling passionate debates (Claire & Holden, 2007). An issue becomes even more contentious when available evidence is insufficient or contradictory, or when diverse personal and professional experiences lead to irreconcilable viewpoints (McLaughlin, 2003, as cited in Levison, 2006). Inclusive education (IE) is one such issue. It encompasses a range of viewpoints that frequently result in conflicting interpretations, values, and goals (Kozleski et al., 2011; Hornby, 2015), sustaining ongoing debates about its implementation and impact. Moreover, research in this area has yet to settle these discussions, as it often oversimplifies complex questions, leading to contradictory findings and a lack of actionable solutions (Norwich, 2022). Because IE is inextricably linked to issues of power, it inevitably provokes strong emotions. This raises an important question: How can we prepare future education professionals to work within a context marked by controversy?

One promising approach lies in the concept of multiperspectivity, which has been widely used in history education to engage students with complex, value-laden, and controversial topics (Vasiljuk et al., 2022; Wansink et al., 2023). This principle involves presenting diverse viewpoints on a phenomenon and encouraging students to critically examine events from multiple perspectives (Stradling, 2003; Vasiljuk et al., 2022). By legitimizing differing perspectives, multiperspectivity creates space for meaningful dialogue (Todd & Säström, 2008). Research suggests that this approach helps students manage uncertainty, deepen their self-awareness, become less judgmental of opposing viewpoints, develop empathy, and enhance critical thinking skills (Wansink et al., 2023; Vasiljuk et al., 2022). Building on this idea, we explored whether multiperspectivity could serve as a didactic principle in preparing future professionals for inclusive education. Specifically, we asked: Can this approach be effectively transferred from history education to the training of future inclusive education professionals? If so, what competencies might emerge from its application in this context?

To investigate these questions, we integrated the principle of multiperspectivity into the design of the course Additional Support in Educational Contexts, offered to future educational professionals—final-year undergraduate psychology and pedagogy students, as well as first-year MA subject teachers—at the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade. The course is structured into three modules, each designed to foster critical engagement with diverse perspectives on inclusive education. The first module provides a historical overview of IE, introducing disability models as frameworks for policy and practice development and analysis, with a focus on the psychosocial model. Exploration of diverse perspectives on IE across health care, social care, and education through field visits and guest lectures, showcasing both medical and psychosocial approaches, takes place in the second module. Finally, the third module consolidates students' understanding of support mechanisms, emphasizing individual education plan development through case studies, concluding with policy analysis and a mapping exercise on educational pathways of students with special educational needs. The course incorporates multiperspectivity by engaging diverse stakeholders, each offering their insights on IE, with the aim to enable students to critically reflect on these varied perspectives, and discuss their impact on IE policy and practice.

The present study examined students’ perceptions on whether and how multiperspectivity supports the development of competencies in future school professionals.

Data collection was part of the course evaluation. A total of 19 students who attended the course completed an online questionnaire with open-ended questions. Among the participants, 13 were psychology students, three were pedagogy students, and three were enrolled in a teacher education program. All but one student were female. The first section of the questionnaire used the critical incident technique (Butterfield et al., 2005), prompting students to describe up to three key events from the course that had a significant impact on their learning. For each event, they were asked to explain why they chose it and what they learned from it. They were instructed to describe each event as a story, including a beginning, middle, and end, as well as characters and a description of their actions, emotions, thoughts, and motivations. The second section focused on multiperspectivity, asking students to identify instances where they recognized it in the course, its impact on their learning, and the benefits and drawbacks of this approach in preparing future education professionals for IE. Data was collected after the final exam as part of the course evaluation procedures, ensuring that it did not influence grades. Participation was optional and followed ethical guidelines for qualitative research. The data from the questionnaire were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2020). An interpretivist perspective guided our focus on participants' interpretations of their learning experiences. The entire responses were used as the unit of analysis to preserve contextual depth. The second and third authors independently read and coded participants' responses before refining the initial codes through discussion. The first author coded a subset of the data to ensure trustworthiness, and any discrepancies were resolved collaboratively. Through iterative discussions, four overarching themes were identified that described how students perceive the role of multiperspectivity in developing their competencies for IE. These themes were supported by participants' quotes to contextualize the findings. Coding was done using MAXQDA Analytics Pro software (Version 24.2.0).

The analysis revealed that the course, which applies the principle of multiperspectivity, offered transformative learning experiences often followed by intense emotional responses. Analysis identified four themes (T) that highlight multiperspectivity's potential in shaping the competencies needed by future educational professionals working in IE. The results indicate that (T1) multiperspectivity helps students become aware of different perspectives on IE, recognizing how these perspectives reflect diverse cultural, institutional, and personal backgrounds. By considering multiple perspectives, students moved beyond a simplistic binary understanding of IE—either inclusive or not—toward a more nuanced, multidimensional view. This enabled them to evaluate different arguments and form opinions regarding IE through critical analysis. Further, (T2) multiperspectivity humanized IE actors by showcasing their experiences, moving beyond abstract concepts to real lives and helping students transform their assumptions. Additionally, (T3) students' narratives suggest that multiperspectivity fosters an understanding of IE as a collaborative effort, highlighting the roles and contributions of diverse actors, and emphasizing empathy, respect, and relational agency in providing effective support for students. Finally, (T4) this approach helps students gain a nuanced understanding of their professional role, encouraging reflection on their contributions within the interconnected network of IE actors. However, we should be cautious, as exposure to diverse perspectives may sometimes reinforce students' pre-existing views, some of which may conflict with the core principles of IE. Taken together, our findings suggest that multiperspectivity can support the development of professionals who work reflectively and collaboratively to create school environments where all learners are supported and diversity is valued (EADSNE, 2012).

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