Teachers' obligations to address threats to students' well-being in Finland: educational and legal insights into preservice teachers' conceptions
: Salo, Anne-Elina; Valtonen, Virve; Kajamies, Anu; Vauras, Marja
Publisher: University of Aberdeen
: 2025
Education in the North
: 32
: 3
: 39
: 59
: 0424-5512
: 2398-0184
DOI: https://doi.org/10.26203/853w-3a20
: https://www.abdn.ac.uk/education/research/eitn/journal/archive/68/788/
: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/508274434
Students’ diverse needs and right to receive support encompass not only academic dimensions but also their broader well-being. This study aims to provide educational and legal insights into how strongly, and for what reasons, preservice class teachers (PSTs) in Finland perceive teachers to be obligated to address threats to students’ well-being. To this end, a legal perspective was incorporated into the Diverse Situations and Social Inclusion questionnaire. A mixed-method analysis was conducted (N = 114), comprising 1) Likert-scale ratings on the degree of teachers’ obligations in diverse situations threatening students’ well-being, and 2) Responses to an open-ended question about the basis of these obligations. The majority of the PSTs held that teachers were strongly obligated to address threats to well-being, particularly bullying. The most referred themes of the basis of teachers’ obligations were ‘teachers’ tasks or roles’ and ‘children’s needs’, while the themes ‘children’s rights’ and ‘written frameworks governing teachers’ work’ were more seldom mentioned. For class teacher education to cultivate PSTs’ expertise to realize children’s rights, it is vital to enhance their knowledge of these rights and written frameworks and to help them combine this knowledge with their pedagogical skills to build inclusive school communities.
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This study is part of the EduRESCUE—the resilient schools and education system consortium (#345196 and #345265), funded by the Strategic Research Council (SRC) established within the Academy of Finland. The first two authors were also supported by the SRC funded Right to Belong: Tackling Loneliness and Ostracism during Childhood and Youth (#352648 and #353392) which is part of EDUCA Education for the future Flagship (#358924) funded by the Research Council of Finland.