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Áhrif ensku á málkunnáttu unglinga sem hafa lært íslensku sem fyrsta eða annað mál
No full textAs a result of increased use of English in Iceland, many children whose mothertongue (L1) is Icelandic learn it to some extent in a bilingual context, and children for whom Icelandic is their second language (L2) learn it as one of three languages. This environment could lead to opportunity for multilingualism; however, in light of research showing low Icelandic levels among L2 children, the impact of English warrants examination. This article reviews three studies focusing on the Icelandic and English proficiency of L1 and L2 adolescents, theirviews towards these languages, and whether they speak them with a foreign accent. The English proficiency of the groups was similar. For the L1 group, English complemented a strong Icelandic proficiency. For the L2 group, however, proficiency was below age expectations in all their languages, with large individual variability. The results suggest that L2 adolescents are very interested in learning Icelandic, but have insufficient opportunity to do so.Keywords: bilingualism, trilingualism, multilingualism, motivation, foreign accentAukin enskunotkun á Íslandi veldur því að mörg börn sem tala íslensku sem móðurmál (M1) læra hana að einhverju leyti við tvítyngisaðstæður og börn sem tala íslensku sem annað mál (M2) sem eitt af þremur málum. Þessar aðstæður gætu skapað tækifæri til fjöltyngis, en í ljósi þess að íslenskukunnátta M2 hópa hefur mælst lág er vert að kanna hvort enska hafi þar áhrif á. Í greininni er sagt frá þremur rannsóknum sem beindust að íslensku- og enskukunnáttu M1 og M2 unglinga, hvaða viðhorf þau hafi til þessara tungumála og hvort þau tali þau með erlendum hreim. Enskukunnátta beggja hópa var svipuð. Hjá M1 hópnum bættist enska við sterka íslenskukunnáttu. Hjá M2 hópnum var kunnátta hins vegar undir aldursvæntingum á öllum tungumálum þeirra og breytileiki mjög mikill milli einstaklinga. Niðurstöðurnar benda til þess að M2 unglingar hafi mikinn áhuga á að læra íslensku en ónóg tækifæri til þess.Lykilorð: tvítyngi, þrítyngi, fjöltyngi, viðhorf, erlendur hreimu
Samræðufélagar: Aðferð sem styður við íslenskunám fjöltyngdra nemenda
No full textThe number of students whose mother tongue is not Icelandic has grown significantly in Icelandic primary schools in the past few years. Thus, in 2020, 13 % of primary school pupils were native speakers of another language. It has been a challenge for teachers to meet the needs of those pupils, and there are indications of insufficient knowledge and resources to respond appropriately to their circumstances. Research into the children’s skills in Icelandic shows slow progress during primary school, leaving them well behind their monolingual peers. Language is the key to human interaction, and one must be able to master the local language to fully function as a community member. Children who perform weakly in the language concerned find it harder to be accepted by their peers than those with well-developed language skills. This fact may have long-term consequences for their social status. Vocabulary, one of the mainstays of language development, can be divided into basic and advanced. The basic variety consists of words used in everyday communication, whereas advanced vocabulary is more specialised, complex, and appropriate to formal circumstances.Most people acquire a basic vocabulary in one or two years, but it takes considerably longer (six to ten years) to master the more advanced level. Conversation plays a major role in language acquisition. Through conversation, vocabulary and usage are learnt with support from a conversation partner. During conversations, a speaker can adjust his language use to his counterpart, choose suitable vocabulary and phrasing and explain further if needed. Children’s conversations with adults are a major source of their language acquisition and can also support the acquisition of a second language at any age. School is the main source of Icelandic for children learning it as a second language. It is vital to ensure that they are provided with conversation opportunities in school with both their peers and grown-ups. Teaching methods must nourish children’s interest in words and stimulate curiosity, helping them to maintain a lively interest in their studies.This article describes an intervention research project where the study material Talking Partners was used with a group of 7–8 year old children learning Icelandic as a second language. The aim was to assess the suitability of the study material for strengthening the vocabulary, comprehension and expression skills of non-native children learning Icelandic. Does the method of Talking Partners positively impact the vocabulary and communication skills of children of foreign origin?Three children in Year 2 were selected for the project because one foreign language was spoken in the children’s home, and they had been born in Iceland or had arrived here before the age of four. The children were given the code names Ari, Ágúst and Birta.The intervention comprised instruction using the teaching material Talking Partners in a group of three pupils for ten weeks. The teacher met with the group three times a week for 30–35 minutes. The researcher planned the three future lessons each week. Tasks were chosen based on the pupils’ age and the available knowledge of their Icelandic skills. Special emphasis was placed on practising conversations, listening, vocabulary and selected grammar aspects.Two language development tests were used to assess the children’s status and progress before and after the intervention; 1) Ísl-PPVT; a vocabulary test based on the English version PPVT-4 which assesses passive vocabulary; and 2) The Renfrew Action Picture Test; a language development test designed to meet the need for a standardised test measuring pupils’ communication, vocabulary, and grammar. The teacher also kept a journal during the intervention, recording each test period.The overall result was that working with the group was a success; all were active, with the teacher’s support, repeating words he used and seeking pictorial assistance. One student sometimes had problems with concentration and conduct, including listening and obeying rules.The children improved by 8–19 points in the Icel-PPVT test, which is similar to a year’s progress for monolingual children. Icelandic references do not exist for the Renfrew test, but an age comparison with English-speaking children indicates that the children’s performances before intervention resembled 4 or 5-year-olds. After the intervention, however, Ágúst and Birna performed similarly to 7 or 8-year-old children, whereas Ari’s performance was around the level of 5 year-olds.The methods used in Talking Partners had a positive impact on the children’s vocabulary and communication. All three of them made progress to different degrees in both areas. All improved their performance in Icelandic, suggesting that the study material Talking Partners could be a suitable learning medium for these pupils.Fjöltyngdum nemendum af erlendum uppruna hefur fjölgað mikið í íslenskum grunnskólum á undanförnum árum. Margt bendir til þess að efla þurfi kennslu þessara nemenda til að þeir nái nægilega góðum tökum á íslensku. Í þessari grein er sagt frá íhlutunarrannsókn með kennsluaðferð sem byggist á samræðum. Aðferðin á uppruna sinn í Bretlandi og kallast þar Talking Partners en hefur fengið heitið Samræðufélagar í íslenskri þýðingu. Þrír fjöltyngdir nemendur í 2. bekk fengu tíu vikna kennslu með aðferðinni. Íslenskur orðaforði og málnotkun nemendanna voru metin fyrir og eftir íhlutun. Nemendurnir sem fengu kennslu með aðferðinni sýndu góðar framfarir í orðaforða og málnotkun og samanburður við viðmið fyrir eintyngd börn á sama aldri sýndi að framfarirnar voru meiri en almennt má gera ráð fyrir að verði á ekki lengri tíma. Niðurstöðurnar gefa því von um að þessi kennsluaðferð sé árangursrík og kennsluefnið Samræðufélagar geti nýst vel í íslenskum skólum
Í góðu tómi: Um rætur orðsins skóli
No full textIn this article, I examine the concept of scholê from which the word school is derived but is usually translated as leisure. I begin by exploring the deep significance of this concept in ancient Greek philosophy, particularly in the thought of Plato and Aristotle. According to Aristotle, happiness depends on leisure, and we are busy that we may have leisure. In Plato’s Theatetus, scholê or leisure, is almost synonymous with freedom and ascholia or lack of leisure is closely tied to servitude and hampered growth. The philosophers, who have leisure, own their time and talk in peace and quiet, days on end, if necessary, in pursuit of the truth. On the other hand, those who lack leisure are always in a hurry and speak with one eye on the clock. The multiple stresses and demands of practical life from young age make them afraid and prone to flattery and playing fast and loose with the truth, which prevents them from making a free and straight growth. The importance of leisure in Plato’s thought is therefore linked to his vision of human nature and growth, which depends on “an examined life”, a life that is leisurely enough to make “discussion on virtue”, i.e. on what is most real and most important in life its main impetus and focus. In this connection, I also discuss the close relationship in Plato’s thought between leisure and freedom. Plato’s conception of freedom is closely related to his conception of human growth and development, and I make some etymological observations which can cast light on that connection. Next, I examine how, according to Plato, Pascal and other philosophers, ascholia or lack of leisure, manifests in human life, how it affects it, and how it is connected to “nature and nurture”. In the Phaedo, the body is identified as the cause of confusion, nonsense, fear, desires and all sorts of illusions. Thus, all manners of distractions which prevent us from seeing the truth are ingrained in the human condition, according to Plato. I compare and contrast this “bodily” approach to the condition of ascholia with other approaches, such as Pascal’s thoughts on diversions and distractions in his Pensées. Famously, Pascal asserts that humanity’s unhappiness arises because people cannot stay quietly in their own chamber. Even though many proclaim their desire for calm and quiet, most men cannot bear it because they would be forced to confront their own wretchedness, frailty, and mortality. For most human beings, diversions are, therefore, a means of escape from the deprivation of the human condition. However, diversions and distractions can have another and opposite source. According to a long tradition of thought on the sin of acedia, people easily become restless, not because they cannot bear the wretchedness of their life but because they can’t bear the thought of the nobleness of their own nature and the heavy burden of responsibility that implies. I end my discussion on diversion in human life by commenting on an increasing literature on the “attention economy” and the systematic, lucrative and highly technologically advanced means used today to capture and keep people’s attention.
I turn next to the discussion of leisure with what Plato, Aristotle and other philosophers have regarded as the pinnacle of human happiness, i.e. contemplation. I make use of Josef Pieper’s and David McPherson’s discussion on leisure and the Sabbath. Both authors conceive of contemplation as contemplative or appreciative attention to what has intrinsic worth. Therefore, leisure and the Sabbath involve a contemplative attitude, i.e., an appreciative and affirming stance toward the world, a celebration of life and the fact of existence. I end the article by discussing briefly what implications, if any, my discussion on scholê has for ideas about the nature and aims of schools in the modern world. On the one hand, I point out that critical thinking depends on our ability to „stop and think“ – a phrase I borrow from Hannah Arendt and understand directly related to Plato’s thought on the link between leisure and the examined life. Therefore, classical conceptions of leisure should be of great concern for schools aiming to teach students critical thinking. On the other hand, I end my discussion on the implications of scholê for education in modernity by posing and commenting on the question of whether modern schools are at all equipped to be the sanctuary for leisure, freedom, and appreciative attention to which this ancient word points.Í greininni er fjallað um rætur orðsins skóli í forn-gríska orðinu skole. Rætt er um hugmyndir forn-grísku heimspekinganna Platons og Aristótelesar um skole en einnig eru skoðaðar hugmyndir heimspekinga nær okkur í tíma þar að lútandi. Skole er jafnan þýtt sem tóm, tómstund, næði, eða eitthvað álíka. Grafist er fyrir um hvaða merkingu orðið hefur til dæmis í tveimur samræðum Platons, Þeætetusi og Faídóni, og reynt að varpa ljósi á hvers vegna það er mikilvægt í forn-grískri heimspeki. Þar er einkum fjallað um tengsl skole við sannleiksleitina, líf yfirvegunar eða rannsóknar, og við frelsið. Þá er vikið að andstæðu skole, askolía eða „ekkert tóm“ eins og orðið hefur verið þýtt á íslensku, en mætti líka stundum þýða sem vinna, annríki eða eitthvað álíka. Hér er umræðan víkkuð út og hugmyndir Platons um tengsl askolía við líkamleika okkar meðal annars settar í samhengi við umræðu franska heimspekingsins Blaises Pascal um tilhneigingu mannfólksins til að lifa lífi truflunar í þeim tilgangi að flýja grundvallarhlutskipti sitt, við hugmyndir um löstinn eða syndina acedia, að ógleymdri umfjöllun ýmissa nútímahöfunda um alltumlykjandi truflunaráhrif nútímatækni og tæknimenningar. Loks eru tekin til skoðunar tengsl tóms eða næðis við það sem Platon og Aristóteles töldu hátind mannlegrar farsældar og virkni, en það er hugleiðing. Hugmyndir Josefs Pieper og Davids McPhersons eru notaðar til að varpa ljósi á þessi tengsl, en þeir benda á að hugleiðing feli í sér að gefa því gaum sem mestu varðar, veita því athygli sem hefur gildi í sjálfu sér. Greininni lýkur á stuttri umfjöllun um mögulegan lærdóm um nútímaskóla sem draga megi af þessari athugun. Er þar annars vegar vikið að tengslum næðis og gagnrýninnar hugsunar. Hins vegar er sú spurning rædd hvort skólar nútímans geti yfirhöfuð verið sá griðastaður næðis, frelsis og athygli á því sem er dýrmætt í sjálfu sér og skole felur í sér
Prófadrifin kennsla og umhyggja fyrir stærðfræðinámi
No full textIn Icelandic secondary schools, students take frequent tests and submit homework for which they are graded. The tests have a significant impact on teaching and learning because students are often very busy succeeding on exams, and teachers spend considerable time and energy preparing exams, preparing students for exams and reviewing exams (Hafdís Ingvarsdóttir, 2018; Laufey Petrea Magnúsdóttir, 2015). I discuss this test-driven teaching method based on the philosophical perspective of care for mathematics learning (Watson, 2021). That perspective combines two ideas about mathematics teaching: caring for students and caring for mathematics. I also explicitly include the dimension of caring for the community in this concept.
Caring for students is conceptualised in the philosophical tradition of care ethics (Held, 2006; Noddings, 2012) while caring for mathematics is a notion borrowed from the research tradition in mathematics education (Hackenberg, 2005; Mason, 2009; Mason & Hanna, 2016; Watson, 2021). Caring for students entails listening to them to understand their experiences and the needs they express. It includes feeling a pull to meet the student’s needs, and then the teacher must respond to the students. They can then try to meet the expressed needs, but sometimes, the teacher may have reason not to. For example, the teacher may not want to help students avoid tackling mathematical challenges. In every case, the caring teacher must cultivate a caring relationship through a continued dialogue. Caring for mathematics involves respecting and promoting the values and norms of the discipline, seeing it as a meaning-making and truth-seeking process of conjecturing and convincing one’s self and others through reasoning. In addition, I argue that care for mathematics learning cannot be isolated from its context inside the educational system, where the instrumental value of academic certificates and credentials (especially those related to mathematics) may overshadow the use value of the disciplines (Williams, 2012).
After discussing the available research on test-driven mathematics teaching in Icelandic upper-secondary schools, I introduce and explain the perspective of care for mathematics learning. I discuss the research method based on research from the inside (Mason 1998, 2002) and reflective analysis based on care for mathematics learning. Research from the inside includes collecting brief but vivid accounts of incidents upon which I reflect.
I present eight short accounts of incidents related to tests and grading from my mathematics teaching in Icelandic high schools, which I interpret through the lens of care for mathematics learning. Some of the accounts depict students’ deep concern with the instrumental value of mathematics, leading their attention away from enjoyment and engagement with mathematics toward efforts to minimise the risk of low grades or failure. Some accounts illustrate my concern for my relationships with students and the emotional weight of these relationships, including disappointment with having failed to connect students with mathematics. Some accounts highlight my and other teachers’ concern over accountability and the integrity of the grading systems. The accounts thus shed light on what caring for mathematics education entails and the possibilities for practising such care in test-driven teaching.
The accounts highlight a triple tension that mathematics teachers face if they want to pursue care for mathematics learning. First, they must try to meet the needs expressed by students and cultivate relationships with them. Second, they seek to honour mathematics values and immerse students in exploring, truth-seeking and reasoning. Third, they strive to meet the requirements of the school system and society for measurable results from the teaching. An analysis of the accounts through the care for mathematics learning lens shows that test-driven teaching undermined my and my students’ care for mathematics learning. I conclude that test-driven teaching does not reflect care for the wider society.Í íslenskum framhaldsskólum taka nemendur iðulega mörg próf í sínum stærðfræðiáföngum, bæði hlutapróf og lokapróf, auk þess sem þeir skila öðrum verkefnum sem gilda til lokaeinkunnar. Nemendur og kennarar eru oft mjög uppteknir af þessu prófahaldi. Nemendur hafa áhyggjur af árangri sínum á prófum og kennarar verja miklum tíma í að undirbúa og fara yfir próf. Ég ræði og greini slíka prófadrifna stærðfræðikennslu frá heimspekilegu sjónarhorni sem nefnist umhyggja fyrir stærðfræðinámi. Það sjónarhorn byggir á að leiða saman hugmyndir um stærðfræðikennslu sem umhyggju fyrir nemendum og umhyggju fyrir stærðfræði, auk umhyggju fyrir samfélaginu í heild. Markmið rannsóknarinnar er að setja fram og nota slíkt siðferðislegt sjónarhorn til að gagnrýna námsmatvenjur í stærðfræðikennslu. Ég set fram og túlka átta stuttar atvikasögur úr eigin stærðfræðikennslu í íslenskum framhaldsskólum sem tengjast prófum og einkunnagjöf. Sögurnar varpa ljósi á hvað umhyggja fyrir stærðfræðinámi felur í sér og hvaða möguleikar eru til að iðka slíka umhyggju í prófadrifinni kennslu. Sögurnar draga einnig fram „þrefalda togstreitu“ sem stærðfræðikennarar þurfa að takast á við í starfi sínu: Í fyrsta lagi að reyna að mæta þeim þörfum sem nemendur tjá og rækta tengsl við þá, í öðru lagi að hafa í heiðri gildi stærðfræðinnar um sannleiksleit og röksemdafærslur og í þriðja lagi að uppfylla kröfur skólakerfisins og samfélagsins um mælanlegan árangur af kennslunni. Niðurstöður mínar eru að prófadrifin kennsla hafa grafið undan umhyggju minni og nemenda minna fyrir stærðfræðinámi
„Skemmtilegasta kennslan er þegar einhver svona ,aksjón\u27 er í gangi“: Eyrún Óskarsdóttir grunnskólakennari
No full textCreativity is one of the six pillars on which Iceland’s national curriculum is based. It should be visible in all studies from pre-school to upper secondary school (Ministry of Education and Culture, 2011). The creative pillar is considered a key factor that touches and intertwines with the other basic pillars in various ways. Creativity is defined in the Icelandic National Curriculum (Mennta- og menningarmálaráðuneyti, 2011, p. 24) as “Creation involves forming tasks and communicating them, to make something, make something new or different from what the individual knows or has done before”. The creative element is thus not only focused on arts and crafts but should be visible throughout all learning and teaching.
Research has shown that creative pedagogy and teaching methods are characterised by seven interconnected elements: presenting and exploring new ideas, encouraging autonomy and independence, play/joy, solution-seeking, willingness and permission to take risks, building on collaboration, and the seventh element is the creation of the teacher (Cremin & Chappell, 2021).
Eyrún is an elementary school teacher who has worked in various schools in various parts of Iceland, from a small rural school to one of the larger schools in the capital area. She is a visual art teacher who has seldom taught arts exclusively. Her teaching experience is in general classroom teaching at the primary school level.
The purpose of this study is to understand how teachers can be creative in their work. The aim is to examine a single case narrative to gain insight into a creative teacher’s teaching methods and practices. This is a narrative study with data consisting of interviews, communication, and Eyrún’s journal entries. The narrative is a tool for looking beneath the surface for insights into practices.
The results reveal that Eyrún strives to be creative. She employs diverse teaching methods. She believes that when students are interested and enjoy what they do, they are more active participants in their studies. Through creative projects, Eyrún aims to develop the students’ creative abilities. She gives students time and space to create, focusing on spotting their resources through that work. She guides and supports students in the creative process and sets the framework for them within which they work (Jeffrey & Craft, 2006; Svanborg R. Jónsdóttir & M. Allyson Macdonald, 2019).
Eyrún emphasises creative learning through the active and creative participation of students. She is bored with teaching, where the students are passive recipients and learn through the teacher’s authority. In her eyes, creativity is a disciplinary tool because students are more active when given the freedom to be creative and encouraged to have joy and interest. Discipline problems become less noticeable (Hafdís Guðjónsdóttir & Edda Óskarsdóttir, 2016).
Through Eyrún’s narrative, we see the courage and daring it takes to try new approaches to teaching and embark on large thematic or creative projects (Beghetto, 2018; Cremin & Chappell, 2021; Freire, 2005). It is imperative to know the student group and their resources (Hafdís Guðjónsdóttir & Edda Óskarsdóttir, 2016) to be responsive and emphasise the flow or process of creation over the final product. The results show that place-based or thematic learning and subject integration are ways to connect students to their environment and support them in connecting nature, society and the subjects taught at school (Gruenewald, 2003; Ingólfur Ásgeir Jóhannesson, 2020; Sigrún Björk Cortes et al., 2016).Sköpun er einn af sex grunnþáttum menntunar hér á landi og hefur þeirri hæfni verið ætlað aukið rými í skólastarfi á undanförnum árum. Tilgangur rannsóknarinnar var að öðlast skilning á hvað einkennir skapandi kennslufræði. Leitað var svara við spurningunni um hvað megi læra um skapandi kennslufræði af grunnskólakennaranum Eyrúnu Óskarsdóttur. Eyrún hefur starfað í ólíkum skólum á ýmsum stöðum á landinu, allt frá fámennum sveitaskóla upp í einn af fjölmennustu skólum höfuðborgarsvæðisins. Sérsvið hennar er myndmennt en hana hefur hún sjaldnast kennt eingöngu heldur hefur hún oftast verið í almennri kennslu og þá aðallega á yngsta stigi eða miðstigi grunnskólans. Eyrún er systir mín og ég hef fylgst með henni og dáðst að sköpunarkrafti hennar frá því að ég man eftir mér.
Við rannsóknina var beitt frásagnarrýni og gögnin samanstanda af viðtölum og samskiptum okkar, dagbókum Eyrúnar og rituðum frásögnum hennar úr starfi. Niðurstöður leiða í ljós að það sem einkennir kennslufræði Eyrúnar er áhersla á gleði og sköpun sem ferli frekar en sem lokaafurð. Hún leitast við að vera skapandi og nýta fjölbreyttar aðferðir í kennslu til að gera námið áhugaverðara og ánægjulegra fyrir nemendur. Eyrún nýtir þemanám, samþættingu og tengingu við umhverfið eða reynsluheim nemenda til að efla virka þátttöku þeirra í námi
Framhaldsskólanemar á tímum heimsfaraldurs: Námsupplifun ólíkra nemendahópa
No full textThe COVID-19 outbreak, which began in the spring of 2020, had a profound impact on education around the world. Schools were closed in the middle of March, and teachers and students had to work from home. In autumn 2020, schoolwork was initially restarted either in the classroom or in a mixture of classroom and remote teaching; however, school buildings were again closed to students after only a few weeks. During those unstable times, the government clearly focused on keeping schools open, not least to protect vulnerable groups (Guðrún Ragnarsdóttir & Storgaard, 2023) thought to be more affected by the pandemic’s adverse effects (UNESCO, 2020b, 2021b).
Upper-secondary schools in Iceland offer a variety of study programmes developed for different levels of qualification, and, likewise, upper-secondary students themselves are a diverse group with different needs who were affected by the pandemic in different ways and to different degrees. Some studies have revealed that students experienced severe anxiety related to the pandemic (Ningsih et al., 2020; Thahir et al., 2021), whereas other studies have shown a decrease in anxiety among students during the pandemic (Ferraro et al., 2020). In the United States, the pandemic widened achievement gaps, increased dropout rates, and impacted students’ well-being (Dorn et al., 2021), and the same might have been the case elsewhere. It remains unclear how students coped with resuming their studies in school buildings and how they experienced returning to the status quo.
This study aimed to examine the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on the education and well-being of upper-secondary school students in Iceland a year after the start of critical disruptions in their education. The study examined the effects on different groups of students to identify which groups felt the most negative effects of the pandemic.
An online questionnaire was administered to students in four upper-secondary schools during spring semester 2021. Three were comprehensive schools, which offer both academic tracks and vocational training, whereas the fourth was a traditional academic school (i.e., grammar school). Of the 1306 participants, 55% were women, 59% were on an academic track, 20% were in vocational training, and 16% were in general uppersecondary education (i.e., offered only in comprehensive schools) due to not meeting the academic requirements for the first two tracks. Participants answered questions about the conditions that they believed affected their learning (e.g., ADHD, dyslexia, anxiety, depression, social anxiety, and physical disability). Subsequent questions were asked about their feelings about returning to traditional learning when schools finally reopened, whether their academic performance was affected by online studies, and whether they experienced more or less anxiety and loneliness in distance education than in traditional classrooms.
The findings reveal the pandemic’s different effects on different groups of students. More women than men reported feeling anxious during distance learning relative to studying in the classroom, and students whose parents had attended college were more likely to report feeling anxious than other students. Distance learning increased loneliness for approximately half of the students surveyed. The loneliness increased significantly more for women than men, but it increased less for students with dyslexia and students whose native language was not Icelandic, relative to other students. More than half of the students, especially ones whose mother tongue was Icelandic or whose parents had college degrees, thought it would be good to return to school; however, students with anxiety, social phobia, depression, or dyslexia were less likely to think so. The findings show that a particular group of students—ones with university-educated parents, with Icelandic as their mother tongue, and without social phobia, depression, anxiety, or dyslexia that interferes with their studies—felt better in traditional education. Those findings prompt important questions about upper-secondary students who do not seem to fit into the conventional secondary education system. Providing that group of students with extra support is critical now that schoolwork has returned to its previous state.Markmið þessarar rannsóknar var að kanna áhrif COVID-19-faraldursins á íslenska framhaldsskólanemendur en miklar áhyggjur hafa verið af áhrifum faraldursins á nám og líðan ungs fólks. Vorið 2021 var spurningalisti lagður fyrir nemendur (N = 1.306) í fjórum framhaldsskólum. Leitast var eftir því að skoða hvaða hópar fyndu mest fyrir áhrifum faraldursins og hverjum fyndist erfitt að hefja aftur hefðbundið nám innan veggja skólans. Kannað var hvort munur væri á nemendum eftir kyni, móðurmáli og menntun foreldra og hvort þeir teldu sig kljást við þætti sem trufluðu þá í námi. Niðurstöðurnar sýna mismunandi áhrif faraldursins eftir hópum. Konur sögðu frekar en karlar að kvíði hefði aukist í fjarkennslu og nemendur sem áttu háskólamenntaða foreldra voru frekar á því að kvíðinn hefði aukist. Um helmingur var meira einmana í fjarkennslu, konur marktækt frekar en karlar, en nemendur með lesblindu og þeir sem áttu ekki íslensku að móðurmáli voru síður einmana en samnemendur. Ríflega helmingi fannst gott að mæta aftur í skólann og þá frekar þeim sem áttu íslensku að móðurmáli og þeim sem áttu foreldra með háskólamenntun. Nemendur sem upplifðu truflun á námi vegna kvíða, félagsfælni, þunglyndi eða lesblindu voru síður á því að gott væri að mæta aftur í skólann. Niðurstöðurnar benda til þess að ákveðinn hópur finni sig best í hefðbundnu staðnámi, það er nemendur sem eiga háskólamenntaða foreldra, eiga íslensku að móðurmáli og kljást ekki við félagsfælni, þunglyndi, kvíða eða lesblindu sem hefur truflandi áhrif á nám þeirra. Þetta vekur upp áleitnar spurningar um stöðu þeirra sem ekki virðast finna sig í hefðbundnu framhaldsskólanámi. Brýnt er að hlúa sérstaklega að þessum nemendahópi nú þegar skólastarf er að færast í fyrra horf
Ávinningur af erlendri fjárfestingu í tæpa þrjá áratugi
No full textListed foreign securities improve the historical ratio of return to risk for Icelandic investors, including pension funds. When risk is measured by standard deviation foreign assets improve the ratio by 34% over that of a domestic portfolio. In particular, average return in excess of the risk-free rate increases by 0.93 percentage points (from 2.76 to 3.70%) for an optimal portfolio with a 10% standard deviation with such a portfolio having comparable risk due to high-risk foreign bonds as due to foreign shares. Including unlisted foreign securities improves the ratio even more but that finding is subject to considerable estimation error. The odds of extreme events (kurtosis) are reduced considerably by including foreign securities.Erlend verðbréf, sem skráð eru í kauphöll, bæta sögulegt hlutfall ávöxtunar og áhættu fyrir íslenska fjárfesta, eins og t.d. lífeyrissjóði. Sé áhætta mæld með staðalfráviki, bætir erlenda fjárfestingin hlutfallið um 34% samanborið við innlent verðbréfasafn. Nánar tiltekið hækkar meðalávöxtun umfram áhættulausa vexti um 0,93 prósentustig (úr 2,76 í 3,70%) miðað við hagkvæmasta safn með 10% staðalfrávik en slíkt safn er með sambærilega áhættu í erlendum áhættusömum skuldabréfum eins og erlendum hlutabréfum. Óskráðar erlendar eignir bæta þetta hlutfall enn frekar en töluverð óvissa ríkir um það mat. Líkur á öfgakenndri ávöxtun (reisn) minnka umtalsvert við erlenda eignadreifingu
Frá sjálfsþurftasamfélagi til markaðsþjóðfélags: Mótun verkalýðsstéttar á Akureyri 1860‒1940
No full textThe aim of this paper is to study the emergence of a working class in Akureyri in the period 1860‒1940, when capitalist society was evolving in Icelandic society. The research is based on censuses and historical data and uses a research model based on the Marxist theory of social class. The main findings indicate that about 1860 foreign merchants were prominent in the population of Akureyri and the town had the character of a self-substinence community. From the latter part of the 19th century the community began to show increasing signs of a class-divided capitalist system. A radical change in the composition of the working class occurred during this period with a steady increase of labourers in industry and fishing. At the same time the number of independent artisans and domestic service personnel declined. The proletarization of the genders occurred later and happened at a slower rate among women. At the foundation of the Icelandic republic in 1944, Akureyri had all the characteristics of a prominent class division, where the different classes, and especially the genders, were seen as socially distinct.Markmið þessarar greinar er að rannsaka myndun verkalýðsstéttar á Akureyri á tímabilinu 1860‒1940 þegar kapítalískt samfélag var í mótun á Íslandi. Byggt er á manntölum og öðrum sögulegum heimildum og stuðst er við rannsóknarlíkan sem byggir á marxískri stéttakenningu. Niðurstöður leiða í ljós að um 1860 voru erlendir kaupmenn áberandi á Akureyri og samfélagið bar mörg einkenni sjálfsþurftasamfélags. Frá síðari hluta 19. aldar tók bærinn á sig skýrari mynd kapítalísks stéttasamfélags. Grundvallarbreyting varð á innri gerð verkalýðsstéttarinnar á umræddu tímabili með mikilli fjölgun verkafólks í iðnaði og sjávarútvegi sem ráðið var sem launafólk af atvinnurekendum. Fækkaði þá sjálfstæðu handverksfólki og húshjálp. Slík þróun er nefnd öreigaþróun, en hún hófst síðar og var meira áberandi meðal kvenna. Lýðveldistíminn á Akureyri hófst með áberandi stéttaskiptingu, þ.e. félagslegri mismunun stétta og kynja
Vægi fjárhagsþrenginga í áhættu á þunglyndiseinkennum hjá launafólki á Íslandi á tímum kórónuveirunnar
No full textThere are indications that socioeconomic inequality in mental health has intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, information from Iceland is lacking. The aim of this research is to examine the association between depressive symptoms and financial hardship and other socioeconomic factors. Methods: All members of ASÍ and BSRB, the confederations of labour within the private and public sectors, were requested to answer a questionnaire on their situation at the end of 2020. The response rate was 7% of the population. The data was weighted by known population parameters. Depression symptoms were assessed on the PHQ-9 scale. Two indicators of financial hardship were used: material deprivation and the ability to make ends meet. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression was used to analyse the data. Results: The risk of depressive symptoms increased with a lower socioeconomic position. When controlled for other risk factors, material deprivation had the strongest predictive power, but the ability to make ends meet lowers the predictive power of both physical health and age. The predictive power of other socioeconomic factors was smaller. Conclusion: Substantial socioeconomic inequality in depression symptoms among workers in Iceland was identified during COVID-19.Erlendar rannsóknarniðurstöður benda til þess að félags[1]og efnahagslegur ójöfnuður í geðheilsu hafi aukist í COVID-19 faraldrinum. Markmið þessarar rannsóknar er að skoða tengsl þunglyndiseinkenna við fjárhagsþrengingar og annan félags- og efnahagslegan ójöfnuð á tímum kórónuveirunnar hjá íslensku launafólki sem tilheyrir aðildarfélögum innan ASÍ og BSRB. Aðferðir: Rannsóknin er þýðisrannsókn sem byggir á spurningakönnun á stöðu launafólks á Íslandi og var lögð fyrir í árslok 2020. Alls svöruðu 8461 rannsókninni, eða 7,0% þýðisins. Gögnin voru vigtuð til að þau endurspegli sem best þýðið. Þunglyndiseinkenni voru sjálfsmetin með PHQ-9 kvarðanum. Spurt var um tvær tegundir fjárhags[1]þrenginga, efnislegan skort og að ná endum saman. Niðurstöður byggjast á einbreytu- og fjölbreytutvíundargreiningum. Niðurstöður sýna að líkur á þunglyndi aukast eftir því sem félags- og efnahagsleg staða er verri. Þegar stjórnað er fyrir öðrum félags- og efnahagslegum áhættuþáttum og líkamlegri heilsu vegur efnislegur skortur þyngst í áhættunni en skýringarmáttur þess að ná endum saman er minni en bæði líkamlegrar heilsu og aldurs. Ályktun: Verulegur félags- og efnahagslegur ójöfnuður er hérlendis í þunglyndiseinkennum launafólks á tímum COVID-19. Aðgerðir stjórn[1]valda til að tryggja afkomu og lífkjör fólks í COVID-kreppunni gengu of skammt. Stjórnvöld þurfa ávallt og óháð efnahagsástandi að tryggja öllum framfærslu sem dugir fyrir lágmarksneysluviðmiðum
Mæður á þriðju vaktinni í kórónaveirufaraldrinum
No full textThe paper explores the gendered realities of work-life balance in Iceland during the Covid-19 pandemic, in particular how these societal changes reflect and affect the gendered division of unpaid labour, such as childcare, household chores, and mental load. The study draws on written, open ended real-time diary entries, collected daily for two weeks during the peak of the first wave of the pandemic, in March and April 2020. The entries represent the voices of 37 mothers in heterosexual relationships. The findings show how burdened the mothers were in their everyday life during the first wave of the pandemic, juggling time between work and childcare. Their words reflected a reality in which they shouldered more of the housework and childcare than their partners and took on intense emotional labour as they tried to keep everyone calm and safe. Furthermore, the mothers described how the mental load, which involves the division of tasks at home, lay on their shoulders, as well as difficult decision making, causing them stress and frustration.Ljóst er að kórónaveirufaraldurinn sem herjað hefur á heimsbyggðina frá því í ársbyrjun 2020 hefur haft ófyrirsjáanleg og margþætt samfélagsleg áhrif. Barnafjölskyldur eru þar ekki undanskildar, en á tímum harðari samkomutakmarkana en flestir hafa upplifað í samtímanum hefur líf barna og foreldra þeirra raskast mikið. Í þessari grein er sjónum sérstaklega beint að upplifun mæðra í gagnkynja parasamböndum og hvernig þær sinntu tilfinningavinnu og hugrænni byrði í daglegu lífi í kjölfar hertra samkomutakmarkana í fyrstu bylgju faraldursins. Rannsóknin byggir á persónulegum, opnum dagbókarfærslum tæplega fjörutíu mæðra yfir tveggja vikna tímabil í mars og apríl vorið 2020. Niðurstöður rannsóknarinnar eru kynntar undir tveimur meginþemum. Fyrra þemað varpar ljósi á birtingarmyndir tilfinningavinnunnar sem mæðurnar lýstu endurtekið í hugleiðingum sínum. Seinna þemað endurspeglar þá miklu hugrænu byrði sem þær upplifðu, sem kristallaðist meðal annars í ábyrgð þeirra á að skipuleggja og verkstýra verkefnum heima fyrir. Því fylgdi mikið álag, enda þurftu þær að endurskipuleggja veruleika sinn og taka ákvarðanir sem þær höfðu ekki staðið frammi fyrir að taka áður