Browsing by Author "Yildirim, Lara"

Tiivistelmä - Referat - Abstract Aims. Diversity and interculturality have always been part of Finnish schools. There is diversity in every Finnish school and classroom in terms of gender, sosio-economic background, religion or values. Intercultural competence has however been increasingly brought up in conversations and curriculums since the increase of immigration in the 1990’s. Previous studies have demonstrated that it is important for teacher education to adapt to the challenges that arise with the changes in society. The fact that this is a topical subject, especially in the metropolitan area of Helsinki, was a key reason for choosing this as my research topic along with the experiences I gained from voluntary studies on diversity in education in the University of Helsinki. The aim of this research paper was to understand what are class teacher students’ thoughts on intercultural competence and how their studies support their competence in this field. Methods. I interviewed six masters’ students. In addition, 23 masters’ degree students and students in their first year responded to my survey. The material was gathered from two mandatory courses in the fall of 2020 and analysed in a qualitive theory-driven method. Results ja conclusion. The students turned out to be eager to develop their intercultural competence and considered this competence crucial in their future work as teachers for many different reasons. The competence was seen as something that cuts across every aspect of being a teacher and is needed especially when interacting with parents and when planning and executing teaching. First year students thought that they would need the competence in situations between pupils. All of the masters’ degree students felt that the role of intercultural competence in their studies had been minor. Students that had chosen voluntary studies in multicultural education named the voluntary studies and their own interests as the main reasons for the development of their intercultural competence. Based on this study it seems that it depends on the lecturer whether or not these topics are included in the contents of courses. It would be important to highlight intercultural competence and the societal role of teaching in class teacher education.