That is the central question in a new study by Charlot Cassar, Ida Oosterheert, and Paulien Meijer, recently published in Teaching and Teacher Education.
Framing matters more than topic
The researchers analysed how 60 primary and secondary school teachers from 13 European countries justified their decision to engage with an unexpected controversial situation as it arose in the classroom. A striking finding: teachers' justifications depended less on the topic itself than on how they interpreted the situation in the moment and what they perceived to be at stake.
Five forms of justification
The analysis identified five recurring forms of justification. Teachers chose to intervene in order to protect students and prevent harm, to set moral boundaries, to challenge prejudice and stereotyping, to contribute to democratic and critical formation, or out of a sense of educational legitimacy and professional responsibility. In all cases, teachers' reasoning was directed not only at the immediate classroom dynamics, but also at broader consequences: what will students take with them beyond the classroom? What will they reproduce, accept, or perhaps come to question?
Professional judgement under uncertainty
The study reveals the complexity of teachers' professional judgement in brief, unplanned moments. By inviting teachers to reflect on their decisions in a structured way after the fact, the researchers made this reasoning process visible — and open to discussion.
About the authors
Charlot Cassar is a PhD candidate at the Radboud Docenten Academie, focusing on teachers' professional judgement in ethically consequential situations.
Ida Oosterheert is an associate professor at the Radboud Docenten Academie and conducts research on teacher learning and professional development.
Paulien Meijer is Professor of Teacher Learning and Development at the Radboud Docenten Academie and researches, among other topics, teachers' professional identity and their responses to complex classroom situations.
The full article is available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2026.105702