Multiculturalism and religious education in the nursery: a Finnish approach

This article examines Finnish nursery teachers' concepts of how the increasingly multicultural nature of society has influenced religious education in nurseries. The data are based on a survey conducted in autumn 1999 (N=306) in two districts in the Helsinki area. The nursery teachers' answers were analysed by content analysis. The teachers focused on the following aspects, which are listed here in the order of their frequencies: (1) The religious backgrounds of the children and their families are taken into account more often than previously; (2) The problems which arise when religious education is actually applied in everyday life; (3) The change to multicultural society has caused a reduction in religious education; (4) Religious education has become multifaceted and rich in meaning; (5) The change to a multicultural society has not caused significant changes in religious education; (6) Religious education which focuses on the individual religions of the pupils has been strengthened; (7) Other aspects.