Multicultural Finnish comprehensive school? Multiculturalism in National Core Curriculum for Basic Education between 1990’s and 2010’s
Abstract
In this article, we examine the multicultural content in National Core Curriculum for Basic Education over three decades, assessed at three time points: 1994, 2004 and 2014. The aim of this article is to analyse how multicultural education is manifested on two levels: 1) the societal level (how the relationship between society and multiculturalism is portrayed); and 2) the individual level (how the multicultural pupil is represented). The analysis is conducted using content analysis. We conclude that multiculturalism has changed from an emphasis on internationalism to (ethnic) multiculturalism and, finally, in the 2010s to intersectional multiculturalism. However, the multiculturally competent student is still mainly depicted as an immigrant student, whose ethnic background needs to be taken into consideration.
