Christian Schools in Finland : Case Study on Religious Minority Identity of Adventist Pupils

1. Christian Schools in Finland: Case Study on Religious Minority Identity of Adventist Pupils Arniika Kuusisto Researcher SoCa BeSS Project University of Helsinki, Finland

2. Independent Schools in Finland • 98-99% of comprehensive schools in Finland are run by local municipalities; only 2% of Finnish children attend an independent school (Karvonen et al 2004, 3; Rask 2000). • Private schools [including Christian schools] have a supplementing role in the educational system. Their curricula is based in the National Curriculum. (Rask 2000)

3. RE in Finnish Mainstream Schools • RE is a part of the National Curriculum, and is thus taught in the mainstream schools. • According to the religious background of the home, pupils can participate in Evangelical-Lutheran, Orthodox, Catholic, Islam, Adventist, Bahá’í, or The Christian Community RE; or in Life Questions & Ethics lessons. • School needs to arrange these minority religion lessons, if the parents of at least three pupils ask for it.

4. History of Christian Schools in Finland • Oldest Christian school was established by the Adventist Church in 1932 in Piikkiö • First interdenominational school founded in Helsinki 1987 (Helsinki Christian School) • National Association for Christian Education (Kristillisen kasvatuksen keskus) works for supporting the setting up process of Christian schools and kindergartens

5. Christian Educational Institutions in Finland • Currently twelve Christian comprehensive schools and 14 kindergartens • Upper secondary school education in Helsinki (programme started 2005) and Toivonlinna (Piikkiö) Christian Schools • Christian vocational institutions: - Diaconia polytechnic (DIAK) with 8 units around the country and student population of 3000 - Approximately 20 Christian ”Folk High Schools”

6. Location of Christian Comprehensive Schools in Finland • Espoo • Helsinki (2 schools) • Jyväskylä • Kerava • Kopu (Nummela) • Kuopio • Pori • Siikasalmi (Liperi) • Tampere • Toivonlinna (Piikkiö) • Turku

7. Establishing Independent Schools • In order to set up a new school (e.g. a Christian one), there has to be an “evident need” for the proposed institution - needs to offer some type of education that is not already provided by the local council - needs to attract enough pupils, and - have suitable settings, equipment, teaching staff, and assured finances. • Proposed schools need to be authorized by Ministry of Education in order to receive official status and funding

8. Maintenance of Christian Schools • Currently the schools are maintained by either a local Christian school foundation, or the Adventist Church (Suomen Adventtikirkko). • Subsidiary school status in the educational system means 90% or 100% governmental funding for the schools • At least one of the schools operates without the official status (’home-schooling status’ for pupils) • National Association for Christian Education serves as a network organization

9. Curriculum in Christian Schools • Often developed in co-operation with other Christian Schools. Based on the National Curriculum. • As Adventist RE has its own official status, the SDA schools’ RE curriculum differs from the others. However, also those schools are increasingly interdenominational, which has been taken into account in the curriculum work. • Congregational boundaries are diminishing. Pupils accepted from any religious background. (Laakkonen 2005)

10. Christian Schools’ Curriculum: Extract ”The unifying factor in the curriculum is Christian worldview, which aims to bring up the connection between the different parts of the given information. In teaching different subjects, the current scientific assumptions are acknowledged and brought together in the holistic view including the nurturing of Christian educational tradition. In comparison to [mainstream] comprehensive school, the subject matter is, within the framework of national guidelines, distinctive; teaching methods are nore or less the same; and the perception of knowledge and learning equivalent to those in the national curriculum. The notion of human being derives from Christian values.” (National Association for Christian Education 2005)

11. Case study: Adventist pupils’ experiences on denominational vs. mainstream schools • Overall research project examines adolescents’ religious identity and social capital; case study in Adventist context • Mixed Methodology: both quantitative (surveys) and qualitative (interviews, fieldwork) methods used

12. Objective: To find out whether there are differences in the strength of the teenagers’ religious minority identity depending on whether the school they attend is a denominational school or a mainstream one

13. Terminology • Religious minority identity; experienced affiliation and a self-image consisting of the perceptions that people [here: youth] have concerning themselves as members of a particular religious minority denomination, in this case the Adventist Church.

14. Previous Research on Minority Identity and School Social Context • Umaña-Taylor (2004) examined ethnic minority identity and self-esteem among Mexican-origin young people; significant relationship between ethnic identity and self-esteem, ethnic identity and self-esteem not context-specific but remain significant regardless of the school social context. • Results differ from previous research (e.g. Phinney 1992) on White adolescents, among whom the relationship between ethnic identity and self-esteem was only found in contexts where the White youth did not represent a numerical majority.

15. Data Gathering

16. School Social Context • Direct, multiple choice question “Which school do you go to?”, and • Another question asking them to classify their school to e.g. a) A school maintained by the Adventist Church.  Adventist schools were attended by 46% (n=43) of these teenagers, whereas 54% (n=51) attended mainstream institutions

17. Measures of Religious Minority Identity • A rather extensively modified version of Phinney’s (1992/2004) Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM), also utilized by Umaña-Taylor (2004). • A direct, self-reported statement “The fact that I am an Adventist is an important part of my identity” • A 9-statement measure of Adventist identity was tested here. Commitment was used as an indicator, and the religious identity was divided to three domains of religious identity: a) social (e.g. “I feel a sense of belonging when I take part in denominational activities”) b) cultural (e.g. “I feel I’m growing out of Adventism”), and c) spiritual (e.g. “I trust in God’s guidance in my own life”) identity commitment spheres.

18. Preliminary Results on Religious Minority Identity • On the scale 1-4, four presenting the maximum in experienced Adventist identity, the overall mean score was 2.85 (SD=.50) • Direct statement was agreed with by 80% of the young people. Mean score 3.12. Significant correlation (.61**) between direct statement and the MEIM based measure. • Mean value of Social Identity Commitment 3.09, Cultural Identity Commitment 2.89, and Spiritual Identity Commitment 3.10. • Social identity commitment correlated with the successive Adventist generation represented (.338**), as well as the levels of cultural (.531**) and spiritual (.456**) identity commitment domains. Cultural and spiritual identity commitment levels also share a statistically significant relationship (.665**). • In this analysis, age, gender and self-esteem were not found to have a significant affect on Adventist identity commitment.

19. Religious Minority Identity and School Social Context • The answers to the direct Adventist identity statement (.10) and the measure based on MEIM (.16) did not correlate significantly with the social context of the attended school. • Neither did the cultural or spiritual domains of religious identity commitment. • The teenagers’ social identity commitment, however, did produce statistically significant, although not very strong correlation with the social context of the attended school (.395**).

20. Conclusions • Preliminary results suggest that religious minority identity is rather important to the Adventist youth in Finland. • Religious minority identity of these Adventist teenagers does not seem to be very context-specific, but is relatively independent of the social context of the school they attend. • The measure with more precisely specified identity commitment domains introduces some differences between the domains and their relationship with school social context; although the correlation is not very strong, there is a statistically significant relationship between the social identity commitment domain and the social context of the attended school. • Although this finding is hardly surprising, it does have important implications about the precision of the measure, as this relationship did not come up when using the measure based on MEIM.

21. Q: How do you think the type of schools you have attended affected your values and everyday life? When I’m in a normal school I’m not so much of a believer anymore, but I’ve seen what that life is like! (Boy, age 15) Strongly. A mainstream school affects a lot because I adjust very much to the habits of my non-believer friends (in my heart I am an Adventist). (Girl, age 15) I’ve been in an Adventist school since fifth grade until Year 9, then I’ve felt that I’m closer to God and more relaxed and worrying less about many things, the school has strengthened my values. (Girl, age 17) In [an Adventist school] it has probably been easier to ponder one’s own values at peace, and there have been folks with tolerance for differing opinions, yet with similar minds. (Girl, age 19) In a mainstream school it is difficult to be a believer, but in [an Adventist school] one is part of the group. (Girl, age 17) I’ve been in a faith school throughout comprehensive school. It has had a really big and positive impact on my life. (Boy, age 16)

22. Thank you! Arniika Kuusisto SoCa BeSS Research Project University of Helsinki, Finland arniika.kuusisto@helsinki.fi