What about the arts! A scoping review on previous research on art forms in L1 and literature education in finland 

Description

This paper addresses how the school subject of first language (L1) and literature in Finland has been considered an art subject. The multidisciplinary subject has a broad mission in school and its nature as an art subject has tended to be overshadowed by, for example, a strong focus on literacy skills (e.g., Green & Erixon, 2020). The aim of this paper is to identify and review previous research on art forms in the L1 subject, both in primary and secondary education, in Finland during the 21st century. The research questions are: (1) When, where and in which languages ​​has previous research on art forms in the L1 and literature subject been published? (2) Which art forms and research interests within the subject have been studied in previous research? (3) Has previous research discussed the subject as an art subject and if so how? The review is methodologically conducted as a scoping review (Arksey & O’Malley, 2005), aiming to create a synthesis of the extent, scope, and nature of previous research on art forms in the L1 and literature subject. This review study encompasses 60 studies, with half of them published recently in the 2020s. The results indicate, unsurprisingly, a main interest in literature, both individually and in combination with other art forms (e.g., drama, dance, and film), and that the interest in studying literature in the context of L1 has increased remarkably during the last five years. Other art forms identified among the reviewed studies are drama, film, and creative writing. The review also identified art forms that are not mentioned in the national core curricula for the L1 and literature subject, such as dance, which suggests a tendency towards a more interdisciplinary approach. Another main result is that the subject has rarely been explicitly discussed as an art subject, but the established place and role of literature suggests an implicit assumption of the subject’s artistic nature. Based on the review’s findings, there seems to be a positive momentum, with an increasing research interest in the subject's art forms and, by extension, the subject as an art subject within the framework of Finnish research. As such, the subject appears to be an unarticulated art subject. This study contributes to Nordic educational research by discussing the artistic dimensions of the L1 subject, aligning with similar ongoing discussions in other Nordic countries. It underscores the need for further exploration of how the L1 subject is and should be articulated as an art subject.

Period	6 Mar 2025
Event title	NERA: Nordic Educational Research Association
Event type	Conference
Degree of Recognition	International