Arto Kallioniemi

Encountering Worldviews: Pupil Perspectives on Integrative Worldview Education in a Finnish Secondary School Context

ABSTRACT The aim of this article is to explore pupils’ views on integrative worldview education that encompasses pupils from both religious and non-religious backgrounds.1 The research material consists of surveys (n = 174) and pupil interviews (n = 40), which are analyzed with a mixed methods approach. The theoretical basis of this study are the concepts of worldview, safe place, dialogue and lived religion. The results of this study indicate that pupils find the integrative religious education class a safe place to learn about worldviews and encounter others. This study suggests that the removal of pupils’ physical separation on the basis of worldview has a significant positive impact on the experiences of adolescents.

Discussing School Celebrations from an Intercultural Perspective--A Study in the Finnish Context.

The increased diversity in pupils’ cultural and ethnic backgrounds in schools creates urgent demands for the organization of school celebrations in many countries. Celebrations represent the cultural values of the society and it is important to find out how various traditions are expressed in them. This study examines teachers’ and other educational staff members’ perceptions of Finnish culture, Lutheran religiosity, and intercultural education relating to Christmas, Independence Day, and end-of-term celebrations in Finnish schools. The data of this paper consists of 12 thematic interviews, and participation in two school festivals. The interview data were analyzed qualitatively using content analysis. The analysis of this study shows that festivals are perceived as important parts of education and they can help to create a sense of national or cultural community. However, the intercultural potential of school celebrations is often not put to its full use. There exists an urgent need to create new ways of carrying out celebrations in multicultural school communities so that they would be meaningful for all students.

Pupils’ views of religious education in a pluralistic educational context

This article examines Finnish pupils’ views of religious education (RE) in a pluralistic educational context. The focus is on pupils’ views of the aims and different approaches to RE in a multi-faith school. The study utilised a mixed method approach, combining quantitative and qualitative data. It employed a survey (n=1301) and interviews (n=38) of pupils from grade levels 3, 6, and 9 (age groups 9–10, 12–13, 15–16) in Finnish comprehensive schools located in Helsinki and Pori. This article focuses on the data sets from the sixth and ninth grades. Besides the overall description of the pupils’ views, the influence of gender, age group and the place or residence were examined. Many differences were found between the genders, age groups and between the pupils living in the more diverse capital city and those growing up in a smaller and less diverse town context. In presenting the findings, statistical analyses are presented together with some interview extracts.

Secular Ethics Education as an Alternative to Religious Education--Finnish Teachers' Views.

Abstract This study provides a Finnish perspective to international discussions on religious and worldviews education through the subject of secular ethics. This subject has been offered in Finland since 1985 throughout comprehensive schools and is primarily directed at students who are non-affiliated. Secular ethics education has scarcely been researched and is here investigated through secular ethics teachers’ views. The results highlight key characteristics of the subject, which in teachers’ views single out the subject from religious education classes. Key characteristics include gaining multiple perspectives on religions and worldviews, focusing on interactive, social and critical skills, and focusing on students’ personal identities and growth as human beings. In addition, specific challenges and possibilities of the subject of secular ethics arise, which may be taken into consideration in developing a future integrative subject of worldview education in Finland.

Pedagogical Transaction in Religious Education: Diversified Society and John Dewey's Philosophy of Education.

Abstract The focus of the article is on how a new approach to religious education (RE) in diversified societies can be constructed on the basis of the theory of pedagogical transaction presented by John Dewey. Reflections of developing RE are very current in Western secularized societies. We believe that Deweys pragmatist philosophy of education and philosophy of religion are still highly relevant to RE. The article consists of three sections: (1) contemporary discussions of RE, (2) reflections on Deweys philosophy of religion, especially religious experience, and (3) the implementations of Deweys theory to RE. We conclude by applying pedagogical transaction theory to current challenges in order to design new models of RE in diversified societies. Accordingly, we construct a theory of RE for democratic, multifaith societies that are based on mutual understanding, respect, and recognition of active citizens living in diversified society.

Examining Religious Education in Finland from a Human Rights Perspective

Religious Education (hereinafter RE) has a strong potential for promoting human rights. Consequently, it is essential to consider the human rights perspective when pondering the aims, content, and practical organisation of RE. Additionally, the issue of human rights is vital in considerations related to the place of religion in the public sphere, such as the various contexts of institutional education: kindergartens, preschools and schools. Moreover, it is important from the perspective of religious minorities in particular to consider the negotiations and clashes of values encountered by children and young people whose family socialisation differs significantly from the dominant value hegemony in the social context of schools (Kuusisto 2010, 2011a). Different interpretations of religious freedom and the right to religious education are important considerations for RE. However, the complex interplay of ‘public’ and ‘private’ must be reconsidered when analysing human rights issues related to religion. Furthermore, the framework of a child’s right to religion versus that of parents’ right to education according to worldview must be scrutinised.

Preparing for the world of diverse worldviews: parental and school stakeholder views on integrative worldview education in a Finnish context

Abstract The aim of this paper is to explore integrative worldview education as a platform for learning from worldviews in a diverse cultural context. This is done by exploring integrative worldview education in a Finnish secondary school context by examining the views of school stakeholders. The stakeholders examined in this article consist of 174 parents of the pupils and a total of six teachers and head teachers from two different lower secondary schools in Helsinki. We use the concept of learning from worldviews to examine the possibilities of the integrative classroom to facilitate learning from both personal and organised worldviews. The results indicate that the stakeholders view integrative worldview education as an important tool for widening the worldview of the pupil. Although the stakeholders view the sensitivity of the teacher as paramount in teaching an integrative classroom, integrative worldview education is also seen as important in offering tools for forging mutual understandings in an ever more complex world of worldviews.

Supporting Minority Belonging: Finnish Minority RE Teacher Perspectives on the Significance of RE

The comprehensive school in Finland offers religious education (RE) according to the religious belonging of students. The current system of RE is under debate partly with respect to how education aims at supporting students’ identities. This study investigates minority RE teachers’ views on the significance of RE. Teachers’ perspectives are sought through an interview study of 23 minority teachers in the comprehensive school Grades 1–6. The results show how teachers view RE as importantly supporting minority religious belonging. The presence of strong elements of socialization into religious tradition stand out as problematic in regards to the general curricular aims of the comprehensive school.

Adult Senior Secondary School Students’ Concepts concerning Religious Education from a Qualitative Perspective

This article continues my previous quantitative study in the Summer 2002 issue of this journal (Kallioniemi 2002). The aim is to investigate adult senior secondary school students’ concepts concerning religious education from a qualitative perspective. The study uses a phenomenography approach, which is based on focused theme interviews. All together 18 students were interviewed, 12 female and 6 male. The ages of students ranged from 17 to 70. After the interviews various categories were constructed. These were: 1. religious education as a subject of cultural knowledge; 2. religious education as a deeper view of life; and 3. religious education as an instrumental subject. Taken together with the previous article, this article formulates a methodological triangulation for studying the same topic from different approaches.

How Is Interreligious Sensitivity Related to Finnish Pupils' Religiousness Profiles?.

This paper examines, through a non-probability sample of 451 Finnish lower secondary-school pupils belonging to the 15- to 16-year-old age group, how interreligious sensitivity is related to religiousness profiles of Finnish youth. The data were gathered in two geographical locations: Helsinki, Finland’s capital, and a smaller municipality in the western part of Finland. The pupils’ self-reported attitudes to interreligious sensitivity were measured using the Interreligious Sensitivity Scale Questionnaire IRRSSQ. The four religiousness profiles identified were strongly religious, culturally religious, personally religious and non-religious. The profiles were related to pupils’ interreligious sensitivity. The non-religious group’s interreligious sensitivity differed from the other profiles, as these pupils were more in denial and less at the level of acceptance. The results of the study are discussed in the context of the Finnish religious landscape.