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No full textUm höfunda, þýðendur og ritstjóra.
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„Þetta snýst auðvitað alltaf um að búa til kúltúrinn“: Þátttaka foreldra í foreldrafræðslu í leik- og grunnskólum
No full textThe Minister of Education and Children in Iceland, in collaboration with the University of Iceland – School of Education, initiated a developmental project for parental education. This initiative seeks to empower parents and teachers while enhancing collaboration to support children’s development and learning. By integrating structured parenting programmes within kindergartens and elementary schools, the project aims to strengthen basic family services, and promote child and parent welfare. The long-term goal is to build a system where parental education is a foundational element in the Icelandic schools and parenting culture.
Parental education as a formal initiative is relatively new in Iceland, and research on parents’ participation in such programmes remains limited. Teachers report that parents’ engagement in school-organised events, including workshops and meetings, is notably low, despite legal mandates emphasising parents’ responsibilities in their children’s upbringing. Icelandic laws stress the importance of creating a loving, safe, and secure environment for children. This study aims to gather essential information to identify strategies for initiating parental education in Icelandic schools and to explore how to encourage parents to participate in these programmes at both kindergarten and elementary school levels.
To explore these issues, data were collected through 12 group interviews, with four distinct groups: preschool teachers, teachers at young elementary-school level, teachers of older elementary and middle-school children, and school service professionals. These interviews explored their experiences and perspectives, offering practical insights into the challenges and opportunities surrounding parental education. The project attracted significant interest, with participation from 25 kindergartens, 30 elementary schools, and seven school service offices, highlighting the demand for parental education.
Participants overwhelmingly agreed that schools are the most logical and accessible venues for parents to seek education about effective parenting practices. However, many teachers acknowledged lacking the tools and expertise needed to lead these programmes, particularly considering today’s fast-paced and dynamic societal challenges. The discussions also emphasised the value from the fields of teachers’ and other staff’s experiences and daily interactions with parents and children. By involving them in the process, their practical knowledge was prioritised, ensuring that recommendations reflect real-world needs.
The findings reveal three key themes related to fostering parental participation in education programmes: increasing communication with parents, changing cultural habits around parenting, and adopting a more personal approach. Among these, transforming cultural perceptions emerged as the most critical factor. Parental education in Iceland is not yet normalised or widely perceived as a standard family service. Many parents experience stigma or shame when seeking support, highlighting the need for societal changes to reduce these barriers to enhance participation.
Participants also highlighted the challenges associated with parents’ busy schedules and the difficulty of finding suitable times for extended educational programmes. Offering sessions during school hours (9 a.m. – 3 p.m.) was identified as a practical solution, eliminating the need for childcare. Additional incentives, such as providing refreshments, childcare services, or reduced school fees were suggested to boost attendance. For example, one school successfully increased attendance by offering snacks and childcare during sessions, creating a welcoming and convenient environment for parents.
The findings also emphasise the importance of direct, personal communication between schools and parents. Participants noted that individual invitations, such as phone calls or personalised messages, were more effective in encouraging attendance compared to impersonal mass emails or announcements. Building trust and making parents feel genuinely welcome were identified as key factors in driving participation. In one example shared by a teacher, parents felt more inclined to attend when schools actively followed up with them and demonstrated a sincere desire for their involvement.
The broader cultural shift required to normalise parental education involves creating a supportive narrative around it, where seeking education and support is seen as a strength rather than a weakness. The title of this article, ‘It’s All About Making the Culture’, underscores this point. Participants stressed that parental education should become an accepted and expected part of the parenting journey, much like attending prenatal classes or other routine parenting practices.
Ultimately, this study underscores the pivotal role of schools in shaping the culture of parental education in Iceland. By working closely with parents and addressing their practical needs, schools can create a supportive environment where parental education is accessible, meaningful, and valued. The findings from this project offer practical guidance for policymakers and the school community to implement sustainable parental education programmes, ensuring a positive impact on families and, by extension, the wider community. The next step, as indicated by the participants and echoed in this research, is to build on this momentum, normalise parental education, and foster a culture of collaboration between schools and families that supports children’s growth and success.Greinin fjallar um mikilvægi foreldrafræðslu í leik- og grunnskólum og hvernig slík fræðsla getur styrkt foreldra í uppeldishlutverki sínu, aukið farsæld barna og stuðlað að betri tengslum milli skóla og heimila. Rannsóknin byggir á þróunarverkefninu Föruneyti barna, sem var unnið í samstarfi við leik- og grunnskóla og skólaþjónustu sveitarfélaga. Markmið rannsóknarinnar var að kanna sýn kennara og starfsfólks skólaþjónustu til foreldrafræðslu og kortleggja raunhæfar leiðir til að stuðla að þátttöku foreldra. Rannsóknin sýnir að foreldrar þurfa að hafa hvatningu og tækifæri til að sækja fræðslunámskeið. Þátttakendur bentu á að námskeið sem haldin væru á dagvinnutíma eða með stuðningi vinnustaða væru líklegri til að ná til fleiri foreldra. Mikil áhersla var lögð á að nýta leik- og grunnskóla sem vettvang fyrir foreldrafræðslu, þar sem skólar eru í lykilstöðu til að ná til foreldra. Niðurstöður benda til þess að markviss foreldrafræðsla geti orðið að eðlilegum hluta foreldrahlutverksins, ef hún er skipulögð sem hluti af skólastarfi og kynnt með jákvæðum hætti. Rætt var um mikilvægi persónulegrar nálgunar til að ná til foreldra, svo sem með símtölum og beinum samskiptum leiðbeinenda við foreldra til að auka þátttöku þeirra í foreldrafræðslu. Lagt er til að þróa þurfi nýja menningu þar sem foreldrafræðsla er sjálfsagður hluti af skólasamfélaginu. Með þessu má efla samstarf heimila og skóla, byggja upp traust og skapa samfélagslegar forsendur til að stuðla að farsælu uppeldi barna
Staða hinsegin nemenda í grunnskólum Kópavogs: Viðhorf og ábyrgð skólastjórnenda
No full textIceland is known for being a global leader in equality and human rights and has a strong international reputation regarding LGBTQ+ rights. In this LGBTQ+ model country, the school system and schools are also considered the primary tools for social equality. However, recent studies suggest that young LGBTQ+ individuals experience more significant discomfort in school and feel more insecure than their cisgender, heterosexual peers. This study aims to understand the status of LGBTQ+ students in the Icelandic school system and to investigate the institutional approaches for facilitating their inclusion. We chose to examine schools in one municipality, Kópavogur. We interviewed eight school administrators from eight different schools to explore how LGBTQ+ student inclusion is approached and what obstacles hinder it. We examine what in the environment, school culture, and teaching methods is inclusive for LGBTQ+ students, focusing on LGBTQ+ education, and the manifestations of the recent backlash against LGBTQ+ people.
We thematically analysed the interviews following Braun and Clarke (2013, 2021) to answer our research questions: What aspects of the environment, school culture, and teaching practices are inclusive for LGBTQ+ students, and what influences attitudes and culture? To gain a clearer picture of the situation, we also ask: What LGBTQ+ education exists in primary schools, how targeted is it, and how is it implemented? What is the experience of school administrators regarding the impact of backlash against LGBTQ+ people on the learning environment of LGBTQ+ students in schools? What systemic factors promote or hinder the inclusion of LGBTQ+ students? We coded the interviews and developed themes to answer the research questions. The themes discussed in this article are: 1. Flying the Rainbow Flag: Students receive the message that the environment is safe while cisheteronormativity remains dominant. Here, we discuss how actions for LGBTQ+ inclusion are individualised, reactive, and superficial. School practices primarily involve responding to incidents rather than implementing systematic actions aimed at the school’s environment and culture. The only tools they have are sporadic and unstructured LGBTQ+ education along with rainbow decorations, leading schools to risk sending the wrong message to LGBTQ+ students. 2. Systemic Factors that Promote Marginalisation of LGBTQ+ Students are Ignored and the Responsibility Shifted to Peers. This theme highlights how school administrators have limited awareness of the systemic factors, especially neoliberalism and cisheteronormativity, that contribute to the marginalisation and subordination of LGBTQ+ students. In their statements, common notions emerge that Iceland is exemplary regarding LGBTQ+ rights and conditions. This perception does not align with the anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment that all the administrators encounter in their schools. However, the administrators’ response is to locate the problem within a specific group of marginalised students rather than examining the overall school culture.
The results show that school administrators in Kópavogur generally support LGBTQ+ people and want to create a positive and safe school environment for LGBTQ+ students. However, there is a lack of policies and procedures from the municipality, and the schools do not receive enough professional support to tackle the issue in a radical and targeted way. As a result, administrators have few tools to address the anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment present in all schools. Their response is often to individualise a societal problem by pointing to students and parents, often of foreign origin, as the source of anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment within the school. The solution to the problem thus becomes fixing these few ‘bad apples’ instead of examining the underlying attitudes and systems that marginalise LGBTQ+ students. This suggests that while school administrators hold a crucial role as both professional and social leaders in improving the learning environment for LGBTQ+ students, greater involvement from school authorities is necessary to achieve systemic changes in school practices and cultureMarkmið þessarar rannsóknar er að skilja hvernig staða hinsegin nemenda er í grunnskólum í Kópavogi og hvernig námsumhverfi þeirra er háttað. Við skoðum hvað í umhverfi, skólamenningu og kennsluháttum er inngildandi fyrir hinsegin nemendur með áherslu á hinsegin fræðslu, birtingarmyndir bakslagsins gegn hinsegin fólki og kerfislæga þætti sem hvetja til eða standa í vegi fyrir að hinsegin nemendur standi jafnfætis öðrum nemendum. Niðurstöður gefa til kynna að skólastjórnendur í Kópavogi séu jákvæðir í garð hinsegin fólks og vilji gjarnan skapa jákvætt og öruggt skólaumhverfi fyrir hinsegin nemendur. Þó skortir stefnumörkun og verkferla hjá sveitarfélaginu í þessum efnum og skólarnir virðast ekki fá nægan faglegan stuðning til að taka á málinu með róttækum og markvissum hætti. Stjórnendur sjá því fáar leiðir færar til að takast á við andúð gagnvart hinsegin nemendum, sem er til staðar innan allra skólanna. Viðbrögð þeirra eru því gjarnan að einstaklingsgera samfélagslegan vanda með því að benda á nemendur og foreldra, oftast af erlendum uppruna, sem orsök hinsegin andúðar innan skólans. Lausnin verður því að laga þessi fáu „skemmdu epli“ í stað þess að skoða undirliggjandi viðhorf og kerfi sem jaðarsetja hinsegin nemendur. Skólastjórnendur eru í lykilstöðu til að bæta námsumhverfi hinsegin nemenda en niðurstöður benda þó til þess að menntayfirvöld sveitarfélagsins og hins opinbera þurfi að beita sér í ríkari mæli fyrir kerfislægum breytingum á skólavenjum og skólamenningu til að hægt sé að byggja upp hinseginvæna skóla
Ignore, avoid, forgive: Children’s views on peer conflict, and growth and fixed mindsets in friendships
No full textStyðjandi og traust vinatengsl draga úr einmanaleika og ýta undir félagsfærni. Gagnlegt er að skilja hvernig börn hugsa um vináttu og ágreining í vinasamböndum til að unnt sé að hlúa betur að þessari færni. Rannsóknir gefa til kynna að gróskuhugarfar gæti aukið getu barna til að mynda vináttu og leysa ágreining vina. Markmið rannsóknarinnar var að varpa ljósi á sýn og reynslu barna af vináttu og lausn ágreiningsmála. Rannsóknin beindist að grósku- og festuhugarfari og hvernig það skapar leiðir til að takast á við hindranir og árekstra á sem uppbyggilegastan hátt eða ýtir undir frekari árekstra og hindranir. Tekin voru níu rýnihópaviðtöl við samtals 22 börn í fimmta, sjötta og sjöunda bekk. Notast var við markmiðsúrtak. Gögnin voru þemagreind en niðurstöður voru þær að meirihluti barna sem tóku þátt virtist hafa ríkjandi gróskuhugarfar gagnvart vináttu. Ef börn mátu vináttu verðmæta fyrirgáfu þau frekar mistök og báðust fyrirgefningar í kjölfar ágreinings. Festuhugarfar birtist helst í að sum barnanna beittu hefnigirni og refsingum eftir árekstra og slitu vináttu ef ágreiningur var ítrekaður. Þau börn sem nutu ráðgjafar og stuðnings foreldra sýndu meiri færni í að leysa ágreining og virtist gróskuhugarfar ríkara hjá þeim en þeim sem nutu síður leiðsagnar foreldra. Vonast er til að niðurstöðurnar auki skilning á hlutverki hugarfars í vináttu og félagatengslum barna, svo hægt sé að aðstoða þau að mynda og viðhalda vinatengslum og auka með því farsæld sína.It is known that supportive friendships have positive effects on children’s development, well-being, and happiness (Goswami, 2012; Raboteg-Saric & Sakic, 2014), but inevitably, children will at some point encounter obstacles in forming friendships and conflicts related to friendship. Examples include when friends disagree, betray each other’s trust, children are rejected by friends, or they are left out. Children generally avoid disagreements with friends but try, to the best of their ability and development, to resolve conflicts so that both parties are satisfied. Friendships rarely dissolve due to isolated disagreements (Hartup, 1992), but if the disagreement is repeated and persistent, it affects how children perceive the quality of the relationship. In order to support successful friendships and enhance children’s perspective-taking ability and conflict resolution, it is useful to examine how children navigate social situations and obstacles in social interactions. Responses to such circumstances depend on their experiences, environment, and mindset (Dweck, 2016), and attention here is directed towards the role of mindset in these situations. A growth mindset involves the belief that the brain is malleable and that new skills can be acquired through repeated practice (Dweck, 2016). A growth mindset can increase resilience, self-efficacy, and children’s ability to form friendships (Woods et al., 2020). A fixed mindset involves the belief that abilities are innate and immutable, and that mistakes are considered a condemnation. Individuals with a fixed mindset are therefore more likely to give up sooner and avoid trying again (Dweck, 2016). Research has shown that adolescents who view personal traits as malleable are more likely to demonstrate perseverance and socially-positive behaviour when faced with challenges in friendships (Yeager & Miu, 2011; Yeager et al., 2011). The aim of this study, which is a qualitative interview study based on focus group interviews, is to shed light on the experiences and mindsets of 10–12-year-old children regarding conflicts and disagreements in friendships. The focus is on how they understand, think about, and respond to conflicts and disagreements. The study asks how a growth or fixed mindset can create pathways to either confront obstacles and conflicts in a constructive manner or exacerbate further conflicts and obstacles. The study deployed a focus-group research design relying on purposeful sampling. We conducted nine focus group interviews with a total of 22 children, each group containing two or three children. Participants were selected with the aim of obtaining as diverse a group of children as possible, both in terms of friendships, status in peer groups, and background. The children in each focus group had existing friendships with each other. An interview guide was used, containing questions about friendship and conflict resolution, and ethical dilemmas about conflicts (dilemma vignettes) were used to initiate conversations. The interviews were thematically analysed, and three themes are discussed in the article. The first theme is about the benefits and challenges of friendship, the second theme is about responses to mistakes and conflicts, and the third is about support and advice from parents, siblings, friends, and professionals. The results showed that all the children viewed friendship as important for reducing loneliness and enjoying the support of friends, but they had all also had some experience with challenges and conflicts between friends. Ignoring or distancing oneself from situations was a common coping mechanism for conflicts between friends and when facing rejection from friends, which is normal at this age. Children avoid disagreements, seek distance from situations, and do not view occasional disagreements as a reason to end a friendship (Hartup, 1992). Revenge and punishment were particularly evident among children who reported frequent conflicts with peers. Their friendships were likely not as supportive and close as those of others, and research shows that the closer the friendship, the less likely friends are to show anger following conflicts (Murphy & Eisenberg, 2002). The majority of the children who participated seemed to have a dominant growth mindset toward friendships. Children who valued their friendship were more likely to demonstrate a growth mindset, as evidenced by their willingness to forgive mistakes and apologise after conflicts. Children exhibiting a fixed mindset tended to resort to revenge and punishment after conflicts, and were more likely to end friendships after repeated disagreement. Children who received support and constructive advice from their parents and discussed problems with them appeared to be more socially skilled, better at negotiation, and had a stronger growth mindset towards friendships than others. It can be inferred that children who discuss conflicts with parents who view mistakes as learning opportunities receive advice and opportunities to reconcile different perspectives and assistance in empathising with their friends. It is hoped that the results will increase understanding of the role of mindset in children’s friendships and social connections. Parents, and school and leisure professionals, can benefit from this understanding when they support young people in forming and maintaining friendshi
Oral final exams in higher education: benefits, challenges, and student experiences
No full textMunnleg lokapróf eru sjaldgæf í íslensku háskólakerfi þrátt fyrir aldalanga sögu. Sumar rannsóknir benda til þess að þau bjóði upp á dýpri innsýn í þekkingu og hæfni nemenda og geti þannig endurspeglað námsárangur með öðrum hætti en hefðbundin skrifleg próf. Í þessari grein er fjallað um munnleg próf sem matsaðferð í háskólakennslu, skoðaðir bæði kostir þeirra og áskoranir. Áhersla er lögð á upplifun nemenda, streitu og prófkvíða, auk þess sem borinn er saman árangur nemenda í munnlegum og skriflegum prófum. Rannsóknin byggir á spurningakönnun sem lögð var fyrir nemendur í námskeiði í viðskiptafræði við Háskólann á Akureyri, þar sem munnlegt lokapróf var tekið upp í stað hefðbundins skriflegs prófs. Niðurstöður sýna að þrátt fyrir að margir nemendur upplifi kvíða tengdan munnlegum prófum, meta þeir reynsluna yfirleitt jákvæða eftir á. Upplifun nemenda af að þreyta munnlegt próf reyndist marktækt ólík eftir því hvort þeir upplifðu streitu í prófinu eða ekki. Meirihluti þátttakenda taldi að munnlegt próf krefðist dýpri skilnings og þeir hefðu þar af leiðandi undirbúið sig betur fyrir prófið. Gögnin sýna einnig að meðaleinkunnir voru hærri hjá þeim nemendum sem þreyttu munnlegt próf en hjá fyrri árgöngum sem tóku hefðbundið skriflegt próf. Rannsóknin dregur fram mikilvægi þess að styðja nemendur í gegnum nýjar matsaðferðir og að munnleg próf geti stuðlað að réttlátara námsmati. Niðurstöðurnar styðja við fyrri rannsóknir sem benda til þess að munnleg próf geti verið áhrifaríkari leið til að meta dýpri skilning en skrifleg próf og efli mikilvæga hæfni fyrir atvinnulífið.Oral exams have historically played a role in academic assessment, particularly in disciplines such as medicine and languages. Despite their long-standing presence, oral exams remain uncommon in higher education, and this is particularly evident in the Icelandic context, where most final exams are written. The purpose of this study is twofold: first, to examine the academic and pedagogical rationale behind oral examinations, including their advantages and challenges; and second, to explore student experiences with oral final exams in the context of a specific course at the University of Akureyri in Iceland.
The study is based on a change in assessment methods in an undergraduate business course, in which the final written exam was replaced with an oral exam. Data were collected with a survey that was sent to all students who took the oral exam in the fall semester of 2024. Out of 67 students, 39 responded, yielding a response rate of 58%. Statistical analyses were conducted to examine patterns and correlations in the data.
Findings indicate that students initially reported considerable anxiety and stress regarding the oral format. The majority had never taken an oral exam before, which contributed to uncertainty and discomfort. However, once the exam commenced, most students noted that the stress diminished, and the experience was more positive than negative. Students who felt more at ease during the exam rated its execution significantly higher than those who reported feeling anxious. Moreover, students who preferred oral exams to written ones evaluated their experience more positively than those who would have chosen a written format.
Many students indicated that they prepared more thoroughly for the oral exam, aware that they would have to communicate their understanding clearly and respond to follow-up questions. Several students commented that they were able to ‘squeeze out more understanding’ during the exam and that the interactive nature of the assessment enabled them to demonstrate knowledge that might not have emerged in a traditional written format.
Oral exams may provide benefits for students with learning difficulties, such as dyslexia. Traditional written exams can create barriers for students who struggle with reading or writing, whereas verbal assessment allows these students, and others, to demonstrate knowledge in alternative ways. This can contribute to more inclusive and accurate evaluation of learning outcomes. Nevertheless, the study also acknowledges valid concerns regarding fairness, consistency, and potential bias. Each oral exam represents a unique interaction, and despite the use of rubrics and standardised questions, the dialogue between student and examiner may introduce variability.
For instructors, oral exams are considerably more time-consuming to administer, particularly in large classes. In this study, approximately 70 students were assessed over the span of three days, with each exam lasting for 15 minutes. Although the grading was immediate and almost always consistent between the examiner and co-examiner, the resource demands were considerably higher than for written exams. However, the depth of insight gained into student understanding, along with the reduced likelihood of academic dishonesty, were regarded as valuable trade-offs.
The open-ended survey responses offered additional insight. While some students expressed a clear preference for the oral format, others found it challenging to respond on the spot and noted the absence of an opportunity to revisit a question later, as would have been possible in a written exam.
This study contributes to the growing literature on alternative assessment methods in higher education and highlights the potential of oral exams to provide richer and more authentic demonstrations of student learning. It underscores the importance of adequately preparing students for oral assessments, particularly when they are unfamiliar with the format. Offering practice opportunities and clear guidelines may help alleviate anxiety and enhance student outcomes.
In conclusion, oral exams constitute a valuable yet underutilised form of assessment in higher education. Although not without challenges, particularly regarding scalability and perceived fairness, they offer significant benefits for academic rigour, communication skills, and inclusive education. For students with learning difficulties, oral exams may provide a more accurate and empowering means to demonstrate their knowledge. This study encourages educators and institutions to adopt a more diverse range of assessment methods to better align with students’ needs in higher education, in the workplace, and the future
World of Words in Iceland: A validity study of treatment material for multilingualchildren
No full textChildren who grow up in a multilingual language environment are at risk of acquiring only limited skills in the language used within the broader society and the school system. A strong language foundation is a key prerequisite for literacy and proficiency in Icelandic and one of the biggest influencing factors in children’s learning at all levels of the Icelandic school system. While multilingual children generally reach the language skills of their monolingual peers given ample exposure to quality input in each language (Elín Þöll Þórðardóttir, 2011), recent evidence indicates this is not the case for multilingual children in Iceland. Studies on Icelandic proficiency among children and young adults who speak another language at home reveal significant disparities compared to their monolingual Icelandic-speaking peers (Elín Þöll Þórðardóttir, 2021; Hjördís Hafsteinsdóttir et al., 2022; Sigríður Ólafsdóttir et al., 2022). Providing early intervention for multilingual children’s language skills can contribute to positive results in the later stages of school, increased opportunities and better well-being (Hulme et al., 2025; West et al., 2021). The main objective of the study was to investigate the viability of the World of Words (Neuman et al., 2021) intervention within the Icelandic preschool environment. Further, the social validity in implementation of the intervention among preschool staff was investigated. The intervention materials were translated and culturally adapted by the authors of this paper. World of Words is a research-based vocabulary and comprehension Orðaheimurinn – Fýsileikarannsókn á málörvunarefni fyrir fjöltyngd leikskólabörn 14 support for early literacy that integrates rich vocabulary instruction in science-based topics which was developed for use by preschools with English language learners and special education children in the United States. Intervention materials were translated into Icelandic and culturally adapted for the Icelandic context. A viability study was then carried out where use of the materials was tested in two different contexts within two preschools in Reykjavík. All the children (n=15) that participated were 3–4 years old and multilingual. One preschool implemented the soft-scripted, teaching-guided World of Words intervention as well as books (shared reading) and materials related to the themes of the three topics included in the intervention. This programme was named Orðaheimurinn in Icelandic. The other preschool received only the materials and school staff were encouraged to use the materials and their own teaching methods to deliver teaching around the target vocabulary. The results of diary entries and checklists showed that preschool staff using World of Words spent more time working on vocabulary intervention, making the dosage of the intervention greater for this group. Staff from both preschools considered their interventions to have social validity and said they would continue to use the intervention after the research had concluded. Staff found it useful to be able to access interventionplans and materials that could be used during language stimulation sessions and believed that it was useful for children who need more language support, regardless of whether they are monolingual or multilingual. It is concluded that use of this teacher- uided intervention approach for language stimulation is appropriate for the Icelandic preschool environment. Staff’s comments and lessons learned about the intervention and its implementation in Iceland from this viability study will be used to inform future studies.Meginmarkmið þessarar fýsileikarannsóknar var að leggja mat á hvernig málörvunarefnið Orðaheimurinn (World of Words) nýtist í íslensku leikskólaumhverfi. Annars vegar var fastheldni (e. fidelity) athuguð, þ.e. hversu nákvæmlega starfsfólkið fylgdi kennsluleiðbeiningum. Hins vegar var félagslegt réttmæti (e. social validity) skoðað eða mat leikskólastarfsfólks á hvort kennsluefnið hentaði íslensku leikskólaumhverfi. Málörvunarefnið var þýtt úr ensku og staðfært, en það kemur upphaflega frá Bandaríkjunum þar sem það hefur verið ítarlega rannsakað. Prófaðar voru tvær mismunandi útfærslur efnisins í tveimur leikskólum í Reykjavík. Annar leikskólinn fylgdi kennslustýrðri nálgun með nákvæmum leiðbeiningum um framkvæmd og innleiðingu Orðaheimsins. Hinn leikskólinn fékk öll málörvunargögn Orðaheimsins án kennsluleiðbeininga og lagði efnið inn með frjálsri kennsluaðferð. Þátttakendur voru fimmtán 3–4 ára fjöltyngd börn sem og þrír leikskólakennarar og tveir starfsmenn á þremur deildum tveggja leikskóla. Eigindlegum aðferðum var beitt við söfnun og greiningu gagnanna. Tekin voru viðtöl við starfsfólkið, það beðið um að fylla út gátlista og halda dagbók auk þess sem skoðaðar voru upptökur frá íhlutunarstundum. Niðurstöður út frá greiningu dagbókarfærslna og gátlistum, þar sem rýnt var í innlögn og notkun efnisins, leiddu í ljós að þar sem farið var eftir kennslustýrðu nálguninni notaði starfsfólkið málörvunarefni Orðaheimsins mun oftar og markvissar en þar sem frjálsu nálguninni var fylgt. Starfsfólki beggja leikskóla þótti efnið nýtast vel í málörvunarstundum og taldi það henta bæði ein- og fjöltyngdum börnum sem þurfa á aukinni málörvun að halda. Þetta bendir til þess að málörvunarefnið sé félagslega réttmætt, þ.e. að það henti íslensku leikskólaumhverfi og að íhlutun Orðaheimsins geti reynst fjöltyngdum jafnt sem eintyngdum börnum gagnleg. Fýsileikarannsóknir af þessu tagi eru nauðsynlegar til að aðlaga erlent málörvunarefni að íslensku leikskólaumhverfi og sem undirbúningur að viðameiri rannsóknum þar sem gagnsemi íhlutunar er rannsökuð frekar með t.d. samanburðarrannsóknum
Semi-formalized cohabitation and subsequent marital stability in Iceland, 1995-2013
No full textResearch findings usually suggest that premarital cohabitation is associated with increased risk of marital dissolution. In Iceland,cohabitation has been semi-formalized and if people register cohabitation,they acquire certain rights and undertake some obligations. Using data onregistered cohabitation enables us to investigate the proposed associationfrom a somewhat different perspective and to explore any association between a well-established, yet informal policy of registered cohabitationand subsequent risks of marital dissolution. The data allow us to focus oncouples that intend to live together while weeding out couples that merely “drift” into coresidential unions. We use register data in our calculationscovering all women born in Iceland during 1962–1997, their childbearing and union histories. We analyze the data by means of event historytechniques and present the results as relative risks of union dissolution.Our estimates indicate that registered cohabitation in Iceland is associated with lower risk of marital break-ups, and that this finding is robust.We do not detect any changes in the relationship during the study period(1995–2013). We interpret the context-specific findings in support of arguments such as those posed by the trial marriage hypothesis, suggestingthat semi-formalized cohabitation results in lower risks of divorce. Fyrri rannsóknaniðurstöður gefa oftar en ekki til kynnaað tengsl séu á milli sambúðar fyrir hjónaband og aukinnar hættu á skilnaði síðar meir. Á Íslandi geta pör skráð sambúð sína sem hefur í för meðsér að þau öðlast ákveðin réttindi og taka á sig ákveðnar skyldur. Með þvíað nota gögn um skráða sambúð, í stað óopinberrar sambúðar, má rannsaka fyrrgreind tengsl frá öðrum sjónarhóli en tíðkast hefur, ásamt því aðafla þekkingar um tengsl þessa hálf-formlega sambúðarforms og hættu áhjónaskilnaði meðal þeirra para sem ganga síðar í hjónaband. Með þeimhætti er einblínt á pör sem ætla sér að stofna fjölskyldu, samtímis því að pörsem einungis búa í óformlegri sambúð eru síuð út. Notast er við örgögn fráHagstofu Íslands í öllum útreikningum en þau innihalda upplýsingar umbarneigna-, sambúðar- og hjúskaparsögu allra kvenna sem fæddust á Íslandi á árunum 1962–1997. Gögnin eru greind með atburðaferlagreiningu(e. event history analysis) og niðurstöður birtar sem hlutfallsleg áhætta áskilnaði. Niðurstöður benda til þess að ef fólk skráir sambúð fyrir hjónaband sé það í minni hættu á hjónaskilnaði síðar meir, samanborið við pörsem ekki skrá sambúð, að teknu tilliti til annarra breyta sem stýrt er fyrir.Þá er ekki að sjá að breytingar hafi orðið á sambandinu yfir rannsóknartímabilið (1995–2013). Við túlkum niðurstöðurnar sem svo að það megilíta á skráða sambúð sem nokkurs konar tilraunar hjónaband sem grisjarút brothættustu samböndin.
Income mobility within the life-cycle and inequality in Iceland 2000-2023
No full textThis article presents the first comprehensive study of intragenerational income mobility in Iceland, using full-population register data covering the years 2000–2023. While income inequality in Iceland has been extensively documented, much less is known about how individual incomes evolve over time and the extent to which short-term fluctuations translate into longer-term redistribution. I examine both absolute mobility, defined as year-to-year changes in equivalised household income, and relative mobility, defined as changes in individuals’ positions within the income distribution. The results show that a substantial share of the population experiences large annual income shifts: in most years, over one third of individuals see their incomes rise or fall by at least 10 percent. Relative mobility is also considerable, but dominated by short-range movements of one income decile, with relatively little long-range movement. Persistence is strongest at the top and bottom of the distribution, where “stickiness” has increased over time. I also show that much of observed mobility is temporary, with a large share of individuals returning to their original income decile within a few years. Finally, income mobility has only modest equalising effects: averaging incomes across five years lowers the Gini coefficient by less than 10 percent.Í þessari grein er birt fyrsta heildstæða rannsóknin á efnahagslegum hreyfanleika frá ári til árs á Íslandi, byggt á skráargögnum sem ná til allra sem voru með skráða búsetu á Íslandi í heilt ár frá og með árinu 2000, til og með ársins 2023. Þó tekjuójöfnuður hafi verið rannsakaður ítarlega á Íslandi er mun minna vitað um hvernig tekjur einstaklinga þróast yfir tíma og áhrif þess á ójöfnuð í íslensku þjóðfélagi. Í greininni er fjallað um bæði algildan hreyfanleika, skilgreindum sem breytingar á heildartekjum á milli ára, og afstæðan efnahagslegan hreyfanleika, sem vísar til breytinga á stöðu einstaklinga í tekjudreifingunni. Niðurstöðurnar sýna að stór hluti íbúa landsins upplifa umtalsverðar breytingar á tekjum frá einu ári til annars: á flestum árum hækka eða lækka tekjur meira en þriðjungs einstaklinga um að minnsta kosti 10%. Afstæður hreyfanleiki er líka talsverður en einkennist af stuttum tilfærslum, yfirleitt um eitt tíundarbil, en stór stökk eru sjaldgæf. Árin eftir ganga breytingarnar til baka fyrir umtalsverðan hluta fólks. Hreyfanleikinn er mestur í kringum miðju tekjudreifingarinnar og fastheldni efsta tekjubilsins er meira en þeirra neðri. Þá hefur dregið úr efnahagslegum hreyfanleika það sem af er 21. öldinni. Að lokum eru áhrif efnahagslegs hreyfanleika á ójöfnuð á Íslandi hófleg: ef horft er til dreifingu meðaltekna yfir fimm ára tímabil lækkar Gini-stuðullinn um innan við 10% í samanburði við að notast aðeins við tekjuupplýsingar fyrir eitt ár
The Icelandic media coverage of the constitutional assembly election
No full textOn November 27, 2010, the people of Iceland elected 25 individuals to the country’s constitutional assembly. As there were 522 candidates for the 25 seats in the assembly, the media were faced with a new dilemma, i.e. how to ensure impartiality and objectivity in their coverage of the candidates and the subject matter. The present study compares the media coverage of the constitutional assembly election to two other national elections; the general election in the spring of 2009 and the municipal election in the spring of 2010. All news stories in the 13 major print, broadcast and online news outlets in Iceland were coded two weeks prior to each election. The results indicate that the national media almost ignored the constitutional assembly election in comparison to the other elections. There were 632 news stories on the general election, 590 stories on the municipal election but only 165 stories on the constitutional assembly election. The lack of coverage of the candidates for the constitutional assembly seems to reveal that the traditional media, i.e. the print and broadcast media, and the online media did not know how to best serve and inform the public in the democratic process
Vulnerability of pension fund balances
No full textAlthough the Icelandic general labour market pension funds are built on the proviso that pension schemes are fully funded these funds are still grappling with the devastating financial effects of the 2008 economic collapse that rendered most of them in a significant actuarial deficit. The public sector pension funds are based on an employer guarantee that makes up for any lack of funding that historically has been quite significant. We identify the relatively high actuarial discount rate and increasing longevity as two factors that add to the vulnerability of the Icelandic pension system. We present a stochastic model in order to obtain reasonably sound estimates of the effect of revising such key parameters of the actuarial assessments of the pension funds and thus obtain a view of the viability of the Icelandic pension system when confronted with the potential necessity of such parameter shifts. We present results of stochastic simulations of this models made to assess effects of changes in these major financial and demographic assumptions in actuarial evaluations of pension fund balances. Our results suggest that the Icelandic pension funds may be significantly less well funded than is generally perceived