Abstract
The aim of this article is to compare ethics and morality in the school systems in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. What similarities and differences on ethical issues and values are to be found in the five countries? With a background knowledge in the Swedish curriculum, we want to study democracy, multiculturalism and human rights based on other countries’ curricula. Traditional theories and frameworks from literature on ethics and morality, for instance Begley’s frame of theory, and educational policy documents have been studied to understand the concepts in the school system. By using document analysis we have put this together to reach the aim of the study, which has a Nordic perspective, not only a Scandinavian one, which is the most usual ones. The main results are that there are both similarities and differences between the countries, but the Nordic countries regarding ethics and morality have especially to consider the main concepts democracy, multiculturalism and human rights in the school systems. Even if there are many similarities between the Nordic countries when it comes to democracy, multiculturalism and human rights there are differences between the Nordic countries how related concepts have been expressed.
Highlights
During the latest 50 years, about, the Nordic countries have changed from mostly homogenous countries to multicultural countries (Widell & Mlekov, 2013)
Even if there are many similarities between the Nordic countries when it comes to democracy, multiculturalism and human rights there are differences between the Nordic countries how related concepts have been expressed
When it comes to democracy in the Nordic countries the empirical data from the five countries show that the concept equality is mentioned in all of the countries
Summary
During the latest 50 years, about, the Nordic countries have changed from mostly homogenous countries to multicultural countries (Widell & Mlekov, 2013). Changes in the countries’ citizenship have meant an overwhelming mixture in languages spoken, religions, living styles, communication patterns, appearance, psychological and physical achievements (ibid). These changes have had drastic effects on the Nordic countries and have sincerely addressed its peoples, especially in the education sector. It is important to increase our knowledge to cope in an ethic way with colleagues, parents and children having another appearance, who have another accent or behave differently. We must learn to understand their way of understanding us and our behaviour which to them might be seen both as strange and sometimes threatening. Based on background knowledge regarding the Swedish curriculum, we want to study related concepts to ethics and morality based on other countries’ curricula
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