Nordic sex education: a case of Finland

Abstract

Nordic sex education has been estimated by the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) to represent an advanced model of a comprehensive sex education in Europe. Finland is the only Nordic country where this education has been followed up by two national surveys directed to biology and health education teachers in 1996 and 2006 and by measuring adolescents'sexual knowledge in national sexual health knowledge quizzes in 2000 and 2006. Sex education survey to teachers covered 421 schools in 1996 and 518 schools in 2006. Sexual health knowledge quiz was participated in 2000 by 401 schools and 30241 students and in 2006 by 462 schools and 33819 students. In 2006 responses from teachers and students could be combined in 339 schools. The most important educational objectives of sex education were, based on teachers’responses, to educate students to responsibility and to provide them correct facts. Among boys sex education had much more important role in relation to their knowledge than among girls. Among girls the success in school was more important predictor of the higher level sexual knowledge than hours allocated to sex education in school. The level of students'sexual knowledge was promoted positively by teachers who: wanted to teach natural attitudes and tolerance toward sexuality, who found sexual issues easy to talk, who told students of her/his personal life, and who applied drama and role play methods and students’talks and lectures in the classroom