Browsing by Author "Aura, Pernilla"

All schools in Finland are required by law to ensure equality of treatment on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and other individual characteristics. Previous studies have shown that young people who do not conform to heteronormative expectations are more likely to have mental health problems compared to their peers and are more likely to feel that school is an unsafe environment. Teachers, for their part, often feel that they do not have enough knowledge about how different sexualities and gender identities should be taken into account in their practical dealings with students. Previous studies have primarily focused on the school experiences of teenagers and young adults rather than on the experiences of younger students. The purpose of this study is to examine the views of seventh-grade students regarding the sex education they have received from first grade onwards, and how teachers accommodate gender diversity in their teaching. The study was based on semi-structured interviews with four native Swedish-speaking seventh-grade students from southern Finland. The data was analysed using thematic analysis. The results showed that all the students who participated in the study felt that sexuality and gender identity were not properly discussed in grades 1 through 6. By contrast, they felt that the information they were given about puberty and reproduction in grades 5 through 6 was sufficient. The analysis also suggests that although the students felt that some of the teachers were clearly concerned with advancing gender equality, the atmosphere in the school in general was still quite heteronormative. All the students who participated in the study felt that more sex education was needed, and that there should be greater discussion of gender diversity, preferably even before fifth grade. In their view, this would help foster a more respectful and inclusive atmosphere at school. In future studies, it would be of interest to find out more about what kind of support teachers would benefit from to develop sex education, and what would help them to accommondate gender diversity in their teaching.