Browsing by Subject "lapsen oikeudet"

The purpose of this thesis is to find out how human rights education is present in Finnish elementary schools. What do teachers know about human rights education and how it's tied to the elementary school and teachers' professionalism? My hypothesis is that human rights education exists in elementary schools but it is not well-known. There are no previous studies done of this subject. Closest is Mia Matilainen's doctoral dissertation from 2011, where she examines human rights education in high schools. The research is done by using the interview method. I interviewed six elementary school teachers form four different schools and 3 different municipalities. Two of the schools were comprehensive schools. In addition to the teachers, I interviewed two human rights specialists from two different organizations. The interview material is analyzed by using content analysis. The this thesis includes several direct quotes to give it a more down to earth feel, and also to stay in touch with the interview method used. Human rights education was a foreign concept to the teachers I interviewed. However, they thought that with the current elementary school curriculum (in 2016), human rights education will become more familiar and its meaning will become more important. Human rights education was seen as being a part of current subject contents, such as religion, ethics and history. Handling every day issues such as conflicts and bullying were seen as part of human rights education also. Its presence was seen in class rooms, but there is room for improvement in within the school culture, especially when it comes to getting people involved. Teacher's own values were seen as a key element in human rights education. Teacher's role in Finnish schools is still very autonomous, and that it's up to individual teachers how human rights education fits in with the everyday school life. This means that human rights education and taking part in it varies within schools.