Primary school pupils' literary landscapes: What do Finnish- and Swedish-speaking pupils read at school?

Abstract

<p>This article explores the literary landscapes of Swedish- and Finnish-speaking primary school pupils,<br />using a large questionnaire for teachers as data collected in the Lukuklaani project. The focus is on<br />the books viewed by teachers as the most popular and motivating among pupils.<br />Books written originally in pupils’ mother tongue are most popular in the lower grades, whereas the<br />popularity of foreign books increases in the upper grades. In Finnish-speaking schools, books written<br />originally in Finland in Finnish are prominent, but the variety of the countries of origin is relatively<br />wide. In Swedish-speaking schools, books written in Sweden are notably prominent, whereas<br />different countries are scantly represented, and books originally written in Finnish are absent.<br />In the light of the study, a gap between Swedish- and Finnish-speaking primary school pupils’ literary<br />landscapes becomes visible, and the goals presented in the national curriculum are only partly<br />fulfilled. These results should be taken seriously when developing literature education in primary<br />schools.<br /></p>