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Af akri lýðfræði Íslands
No full textThis article discusses demography as a subfield of sociology. The article covers the main topics of demography, the size, composition and distribution of human population and addresses research by Icelandic scholars that have contributed to increased understanding of the demography of the Icelandic population. Historical changes in the population are discussed before covering the changes in population in recent decades. Emphasis is placed on births, migration and family type. The growth of the Icelandic population has been much greater than the national birth rate suggests, because of the age composition of the population immigration. The number of births reached a historical peak in 2009, while the number of children born per woman reached a historical low in 2016. Life expectancy has changed little in recent years, after infant mortality reached a statistically very low level. External migration will most likely be a popular research topic in the coming years, especially the social, economic and cultural impacts that the migration will have on an ever changing society. The recruitment of new Icelandic demographers has been slow, formal demographic research will hopefully prosper and deepen our understanding of population dynamics and the interaction of the population with other fundamental aspects of society.Í þessari grein er fjallað um lýðfræði sem undirgrein félagsfræðinnar í alþjóðlegu vísindastarfi. Fjallað er um helstu svið innan lýðfræðinnar, breytingar á mannfjölda á Íslandi síðustu áratugi og rannsóknir sem íslenskir fræðimenn hafa gert til aukins skilnings á lýðfræðilegum ferlum íslensku þjóðarinnar. Fjallað er um breytingar á mannfjölda á Íslandi í sögulegu ljósi áður en hugað er að mannfjöldabreytingum síðustu áratuga. Lögð er áhersla á fæðingar, búferlaflutninga og fjölskyldugerð. Fjölgun fólks á Íslandi hefur verið mun meiri en fæðingartíðni íslenskra kvenna stendur undir, m.a. vegna aldurssamsetningar þjóðarinnar og fjölda innflytjenda síðustu áratugi. Fjöldi fæðinga náði sögulegu hámarki árið 2009 en fjöldi fæddra barna á ævi hverrar konu náði sögulegu lágmarki árið 2016. Meðalævilengd hefur lítið breyst allra síðustu ár, m.a. eftir að tíðni ungbarnadauða varð tölfræðilega mjög lág. Búferlaflutningar til og frá landinu verða að öllum líkindum rannsóknarefni félagsvísindafólks um langt skeið, þó sérstaklega þau félagslegu, efnahagslegu og menningarlegu áhrif sem flutningarnir hafa á sífellt fjölbreyttara samfélag. Nýliðun í hópi íslenskra lýðfræðinga hefur verið nokkuð hæg en vonir standa til að aukning verði á rannsóknum á sviði formlegrar lýðfræði á næstu árum sem auka muni skilning á mannfjöldaþróun og samspili mannfjöldans við aðrar grunnstoðir samfélagsins
Fatlað fólk í hamförum
No full textDisabled people are in a vulnerable position regarding disasters, also they belong to a marginalized group which is disproportionally affected by poverty. Still, disabled people have been overlooked in theoretical and public discussion on the topics of public safety and disasters. The aim of this article is twofold; First to explore how disabled people are affected by disasters and second to analyse how the needs of disabled people are met in official emergency planning and disaster prevention and mitigation guidelines. The body of academic literature on the topic of disability and disasters is non-existent within the Icelandic context. This article will hopefully engage a broad interest and discussion about disability and disasters. The findings suggest that the intersection of environmental and ableist social factors can increase the severity of the disaster consequences and aftermath for disabled people.Fatlað fólk er í sérstaklega viðkvæmri stöðu þegar kemur að hamförum þar sem það er líklegra en annað fólk til að búa við fátækt og vera jaðarsett í samfélaginu. Þrátt fyrir þetta hefur fatlað fólk orðið útundan í allri umræðu um almannavarnir og hamfarir, bæði í rannsóknum og opinberri umræðu. Markmið þessarar greinar er tvíþætt. Í fyrsta lagi að skoða áhrif hamfara á líf og aðstæður fatlaðs fólks og í öðru lagi að greina viðbragðsáætlanir almannavarna og leiðbeiningar í hamförum með tilliti til aðstæðna fatlaðs fólks. Loks er leitast við að túlka með hvaða hætti fötlun birtist í þessu samhengi. Ekki hefur verið fjallað um fatlað fólk og hamfarir áður í íslensku fræðasamfélagi. Er þessi grein liður í að vekja athygli á sérstökum aðstæðum fatlaðs fólks þegar ógn steðjar að samfélaginu og hvetja til frekari umfjöllunar á þessu sviði. Niðurstöðurnar benda til þess að samspil umhverfis og félagslegra þátta geti aukið alvarleika hamfara fyrir fatlað fólk og á rætur að rekja til abelískra viðmiða samfélagsins
„Fenguð þið frí af Litla-Hrauni?“ Kynþáttahyggja og fordómar í garð fólks frá Litháen í upphafi 21. aldar
No full textThe beginning of the 21st century in Iceland‘s labour market underwent significant changes, where employment opportunities were plentiful. Lithuania became a part of the EU in 2004, increasing the possibilities of Lithuanians to work in different European countries. The article focuses on their experience of Lithuanians living in Iceland. The article analyses racism against Lithuanians in Iceland and what it says about racism in general in the global north. The discussion position prejudice against Lithuanians in the context of prejudice that Lithuanians have encountered in other countries, where they have also experienced racism. The article emphasizes that racism is not only the consequence of lack of knowledge or echo of the past, but are facilitated by instuitional regulations and emphasis.Upphaf 21. aldarinnar einkenndist af miklum breytingum á íslenskum vinnumarkaði þegar þensla var mikil og hann opnaðist m.a. í auknum mæli fyrir fólki frá Austur-Evrópu. Litháen varð hluti af Evrópusambandinu árið 2004 sem jók möguleika fólks frá Litháen á að starfa víðs vegar um Evrópu. Greinin byggir á viðtölum við fólk frá Litháen og reynslu þeirra af Íslandi. Í greininni eru sérstaklega skoðaðir þeir fordóma, sem þessir hópar hafa upplifað hér á landi, og spurt hvað þeir segi um kynþáttafordóma í víðu samhengi í Evrópu og Norður-Ameríku. Umræða um Litháa hér á landi er jafnframt sett í samhengi við fordóma sem Litháar hafa orðið fyrir í öðrum Evrópulöndum þar sem þeir hafa upplifað kynþáttafordóma. Í greininni er lögð áhersla á að fordómar stafi ekki eingöngu af vanþekkingu eða sé ekki bergmál eldri hugmynda heldur er þeim á virkan hátt viðhaldið eða þeir endurskapaðir í samtímanum í stefnum og áherslum stjórnvalda og annarra stofnana samfélagsins
Ráðum við frekar Guðmund og Önnu heldur en Muhammed og Aishu? Áhrif múslímsks nafns í ferilskrám
No full textBoth Icelandic and international studies indicate that particularly high prejudice is observed against people with a Muslim background. As a result, the focus of this article is on prejudice against Muslim immigrants in Iceland. Job description and four curriculum vitae were set up and the general public was asked to evaluate randomly one applicant. Applicants were all the same, but names (Icelandic reference, Muslim reference) and gender (male, female) were different. Results indicate that there are significant prejudices against individuals with Muslim names. Despite the fact that our methodology leadsto underestimation of prejudices, we find significant prejudices against Muslims. For comparison we find that the wage difference caused by a Muslim background are considerably larger than the gender pay gap in Iceland. In line with prior literature, prejudices seem to be larger towards female than to male Muslim job seekers.Bæði innlendar og erlendar rannsóknir benda til þess að sérstaklega mikilla fordóma gæti gagnvart einstaklingum með múslímskan bakgrunn. Í þessari rannsókn ákveðið að skoða fordóma gagnvart múslímskum innflytjendum á Íslandi. Starfslýsing og fjórar ferilskrár voru settar upp og var almenningur beðinn að meta einn umsækjenda af handahófi. Umsækjendur voru eins að öllu leyti öðru en því að nöfn (íslensk tilvísun, múslímsk tilvísun) og kyn (kona, karl) voru mismunandi. Niðurstöður benda til þess að töluverðir fordómar séu til staðar gagnvart einstaklingum með nöfn sem gefa til kynna að þeir séu múslímar. Þrátt fyrir að eiginleikar aðferðafræðinnar leiði til vanmats á fordómum teljast þeir töluverðir. Launamunur, sem myndast vegna múslímsks bakgrunns, er til dæmis töluvert meiri en launamunur kynjanna á Íslandi. Í samræmi við erlendar rannsóknir virðast þeir fordómar vera meiri gagnvart kvenkyns heldur en karlkyns múslímskum umsækjendum
Afstaða íslenskra blaða- og fréttamanna til umdeildra vinnubragða við upplýsingaöflun
No full textIn this article we focus on the attitudes of Icelandic journalists towards various professional ethic codes and news-gathering practices that can otherwise be considered “unconventional”, and are often controversial, such as the use of hidden cameras, the use of confidential documents without authorization or concealing their journalist’s identity. We use data from a survey that was submitted to news journalists in Iceland in the spring of 2021. The survey is part of the international comparative study, Worlds of Journalism Studies. A similar survey was conducted in 2012, and the findings of these two surveys are compared to analyze changes in the attitudes of Icelandic journalists over the past decade.
The results show that the use of hidden recording devices and the use of confidential business or government documents enjoys strong and widespread support within the profession. Support for concealing one´s journalist’s identity has grown significantly, but the use of private data is more controversial.Í þessari grein er fjallað um viðhorf blaða- og fréttamanna á Íslandi til siðareglna fagsins og ýmissa vinnubragða við öflun upplýsinga sem að öðru jöfnu geta talist óhefðbundin og eru gjarnan umdeild, svo sem notkun falinna myndavéla, notkun trúnaðargagna í heimildarleysi og þess að villa á sér heimildir. Byggt er á gögnum úr spurningakönnun sem lögð var fyrir blaða- og fréttamenn hér á landi vorið 2021. Könnunin er hluti alþjóðlegrar samanburðarrannsóknar, Worlds of Journalism Study. Sambærileg könnun var gerð árið 2012 og eru niðurstöður kannananna tveggja bornar saman til að greina breytingar á viðhorfum íslenskra blaða- og fréttamanna.
Niðurstöðurnar sýna að notkun falinna upptökutækja og notkun trúnaðarskjala úr stjórnsýslu eða viðskiptalífi nýtur mikils og víðtæks stuðnings innan fagsins. Stuðningur við að villa á sér heimildir við upplýsingaöflun hefur aukist umtalsvert, en notkun einkagagna er umdeildari
Sameiningar hreinna dreifbýlissveitarfélaga og þjónusta
No full textThis study investigates differences in satisfaction between residents of purely rural and mixed municipalities. A mixed municipality comprises of both rural and urban residential areas. Theoretically, more populous municipalities provide better services, but many rural residents express concerns that their area might become marginalised within an amalgamated municipality. Therefore, it is important to examine if rural communities benefit from amalgamation or become more deprived in centre-periphery comparisons. Regression analyses were performed on data from surveys conducted in 2016, 2017, and 2020. Findings revealed that rural residents of mixed municipalities and residents of purely rural municipalities reported similar satisfaction. However, greater variance in the responses of residents in purely rural municipalities indicated more internal variability. When specific aspects of municipal services were examined, a clear pattern emerged: Residents of purely rural municipalities were significantly less satisfied with planning, social services, opportuni[1]ties for sports and leisure, and the quality of youth services. Residents of purely rural municipalities were generally more satisfied with their municipal services if they did not operate their own schools, while rural municipalities that did, showed greater dissatisfaction among residents with various other municipal services. It is important that these results are presented to residents of purely rural municipalities.Kannað var hvort munur væri á ánægju íbúa hreinna dreifbýlissveitarfélaga annars vegar og íbúa í dreifbýli blandaðra sveitarfélaga hins vegar með þjónustu sveitarfélagsins. Blandað sveitarfélag er sveitarfélag þar sem búsetu er að finna bæði í dreifbýli og þéttbýli. Fræðilega séð á fjölmennara sveitarfélag að geta veitt betri þjónustu, en íbúar í dreifbýli hafa gjarnan áhyggjur af því að byggðalagið verði jaðarsett innan sameinaðs sveitarfélags. Því er mikilvægt að skoða hvort dreifbýlissamfélög njóti þess að vera hluti af hagstæðari heild eða verði enn afskiptari út frá ýmsum kenningum kjarna og jaðars varðandi úthlutun gæða. Gögn úr íbúakönnunum landshlutanna 2016, 2017 og 2020 voru greind með aðhvarfsgreiningu. Íbúar í dreifbýli blandaðra sveitarfélaga og íbúar hreinna dreifbýlissveitarfélaga höfðu svipað viðhorf til sveitarfélags síns almennt, en meiri dreifni í svörum íbúa hreinna dreifbýlissveitarfélaga gefur til kynna að afstaða þeirra sé ólíkari innbyrðis. Þegar skoðaðir voru einstaka þættir í þjónustu sveitarfélagsins blasti við skýrt mynstur: Íbúar hreinna dreifbýlissveitarfélaga voru marktækt óánægðari með skipulagsmál, félagsþjónustu, tækifæri til íþrótta- og tómstundaiðkunar og gæði unglingastarfs. Íbúar hreinna dreifbýlisveitarfélaga voru almennt ánægðari með þjónustu síns sveitarfélags ef þau ráku ekki eigin skóla en þau dreifbýlissveitarfélög sem það gerðu voru með marktækt óánægðari íbúa gagnvart ýmissi annarri þjónustu. Mikilvægt er að niðurstöður rannsókna verði kynntar íbúum hreinna dreifbýlissveitarfélaga
„Starfsþjálfun gerir deildina eftirsóknarverðari kost“: Reynsla af starfsþjálfun í Viðskiptafræðideild Háskóla Íslands
No full textStudies from abroad show that it can be a great benefit for students to go through an internship program in the field they are studying for. Students acquire more skills and are more likely to get the job they want after graduation than others, that’s why internship gives students an advantage on the labour market (Di Stasio, 2017; Galloway et al., 2014; Maertz et al., 2014; Masevi?i?t? et al., 2018; Silva et al., 2018). Mgaya and Mbekomize (2014) point out that the benefit for executives and companies consists of a stronger relationship with the university community and that the internship program results in a better image of the companies. Companies also ensure that they fulfil their corporate social responsibility when they hire interns. There is very little research when it comes to internship in Iceland, however the University of Iceland Business School began preparations for an internship program in 2018. Since then, close to a hundred students have completed the internship program at over forty companies, institutions, ministries and non-governmental organizations. The aim of this study is to explore whether internships and work placements facilitate further opportunities for students in the job market, after graduation. Qualitative research methods were used in the study to deepen the understanding of internships and how they can affect opportunities post-graduation. The study outcome is based on sixteen interviews with four undergraduate students and four masters’s students, and then eight interviews with executives that all have experience of internships from the University of Iceland Business School.The outcome implied that both students and executives find that most internships provide valuable experience that can be used in the employment market. Lack of experience proved to be the main motivation for students to undertake an internship. Students felt that an internship on their CV would increase their probability of being employed, despite the absence of some particular experience that may be required. Executives expressed the importance of connecting their business to the academic world with the possibility of an internship, and that students often bring a new and fresh outlook that then encourages important discussions. The executives interviewed in this study spoke of the benefits from providing internships, e.g.,, facilitating a more qualified workforce in society and simultaneously helping potential future employees from among the internship students.Erlendar rannsóknir sýna að mikill ávinningur geti verið fyrir nemendur að fara í starfsþjálfun á því sviði sem þau eru að mennta sig til. Nemendur öðlist meiri færni og séu líklegri en aðrir til þess að fá starf að námi loknu og því sé mikill ávinningur fyrir nemendur að ljúka starfsþjálfun (Di Stasio, 2017; Galloway o.fl., 2014; Maertz o.fl., 2014; Masevi?i?t? o.fl., 2018; Silva o.fl., 2018). Þá benda Mgaya og Mbekomize (2014) á að ávinningur fyrir stjórnendur og fyrirtæki felist í öflugri tengslum við háskóla, að starfsþjálfun hafi jákvæð áhrif á ímynd fyrirtækja og að þau uppfylli samfélagslega ábyrgð með því að taka inn nemendur í starfsþjálfun. Fáar rannsóknir liggja fyrir um ávinning og áskoranir starfsþjálfunar á Íslandi en Viðskiptafræðideild Háskóla Íslands hóf undirbúning að starfsþjálfun árið 2018 og hófst starfsþjálfun fyrir nemendur í grunnnámi og meistaranámi árið 2020. Frá þeim tíma hafa hátt í 100 nemendur lokið starfsþjálfun hjá yfir 40 félagasamtökum, fyrirtækjum, ráðuneytum og stofnunum. Markmið rannsóknarinnar var að skoða ávinning af starfsþjálfun og þær áskoranir sem nemendur og stjórnendur standa frammi fyrir meðan á starfsþjálfun stendur. Til þess að ná fram dýpri skilningi var eigindlegum rannsóknaraðferðum beitt og viðtöl tekin við 16 aðila, átta nemendur og átta stjórnendur, sem öll hafa reynslu af starfsþjálfun innan Viðskiptafræðideildar Háskóla Íslands.Niðurstöður viðtala leiddu í ljós að bæði nemendur og stjórnendur töldu mikinn ávinning af starfsþjálfun og töldu að hún veitti nemendum dýrmæta reynslu sem nýta megi í atvinnulífinu að námi loknu. Nemendur töldu að starfsþjálfun á ferilskrá myndi auka líkur á ráðningu eftir brautskráningu þar sem flestir þeirra höfðu takmarkaða starfsreynslu af því sviði sem þau eru að mennta sig til. Stjórnendur töldu að ávinningur væri af því að fá inn nemendur með nýja og ferska sýn og að finna mögulega framtíðarstarfsmenn meðal nemenda. Þá voru stjórnendur ánægðir með að ná að tengja starfsemi sína við fræðasamfélagið með starfsþjálfun og vonuðu að starfsþjálfunin skilaði hæfari starfskröftum út í atvinnulífið
Tengsl fræða og starfs í kennaramenntun: Sjónarhorn nema
No full textTeacher education has often been criticised as fragmented and the lack of connection between courses taught in teacher education programs and the actual classroom practices of teachers in schools. This divide between teacher education and the reality of practice in schools is sometimes referred to as the “practice shock”, which is experienced by many novice teachers when they transition from student to teacher (Caspersen & Raaen, 2014; Smith et al., 2013). This challenge of disconnection is by no means new and has persisted in teacher education (Schuck et al., 2018). Teacher educators have pointed toward scarce opportunities to practice, study, or rehearse actual teaching as a major cause for this divide between theory and practice (Kennedy, 1999). In fact, research on teacher education in the past decades indicates that a key feature in teacher preparation is providing student teachers with learning and practice opportunities that are grounded in actual teaching. Large-scale studies indicate that teachers that have such opportunities to learn in the context of teaching practice prove to be more effective teachers (Boyd et al., 2009; Hammerness & Klette, 2015).In the last decade, Icelandic teacher education has undergone extensive reform. The legislation passed requires a master’s degree for teacher certification. In 2013 the first cohort of teacher candidates graduated from a 5-year program. Changes have also been made to field practice in teacher education, regarding its length and implementation. The latest changes took place in 2019. These changes gave candidates the option of paid internships in schools in their final year of study. Despite rapid changes and reform, little research has been devoted to the nature of Icelandic teacher preparation or the specific factors that effectively prepare prospective teachers for the teaching profession.The purpose of this study was to examine to what extent student teachers at the University of Iceland (HÍ) and the University of Akureyri (HA) view their teacher education programs as coherent and grounded in practice. Data were collected in two teacher education programs in Iceland. Collectively, these programs are responsible for the education of over 95% of Icelandic teacher candidates each year. The programs differ extensively regarding size and content, but they have their most extensive field practice in the candidate’s final year of study.A total of 178 student teachers in their last year of study completed a questionnaire survey designed to better understand the pedagogical aspects of teacher education (see Hammerness and Klette, 2015). The survey was translated to Icelandic by a subject matter expert and back-translated to English and compared to the original version to prevent bias caused by differences in translation. The focus of the current study is on four scales intended to measure the following: (1) “opportunities to enact practice”, measured with 10 items, (2) “opportunities to connect various parts of the program”, measured with 5 items, (3)”coherence between courses”, measured with 8 items and (4) “coherence between field experience and courses”, measured with 3 items. The scales all proved to have good internal consistency, with Cronbach’s alpha ranging from 0.72 – 0.85.Our results indicate that student teachers get quite a few opportunities to practice teaching methods in their programs. For example, they feel they get ample opportunities to create lesson plans and discuss their experiences from their own student teaching but report few opportunities to see and work with real examples from lessons, like watching or analysing videos of classroom teaching. Such opportunities can make a difference in preparation for the teaching profession because it enables student teachers to envision good teaching and provides the opportunity to systematically adopt such practices (Jenset et al., 2018; Penuel et al., 2020). Our results also indicate that the student teachers generally perceive a reasonable amount of coherence between courses. In contrast, student teachers in the HÍ program reported experiencing greater connections between the theoretical and practical parts of the program than students in HA. A lack of connection between theory and practice is a cause for concern. It is also a well-known international problem in teacher education. It is often criticised for failing to connect what student teachers learn in their program to actual field work of teachers (DarlingHammond, 2017; Moon, 2016; Zeichner, 2010).Kennaramenntun hefur víða verið gagnrýnd fyrir skort á samhengi innan námsins og einnig skort á tengslum milli námskeiða í kennaranámi og starfa kennara á vettvangi. Alþjóðlegar rannsóknir á kennaramenntun benda til þess að lykilatriði í árangursríkum undirbúningi fyrir kennarastarfið séu tækifæri til að læra og æfa aðferðir sem byggja á og tengjast raunverulegu starfi kennara í kennslustofu. Því leggja rannsakendur og stefnumótendur um allan heim í síauknum mæli áherslu á að móta aðferðir í kennaramenntun sem brúa bilið milli fræða og starfs. Tilgangur þessarar rannsóknar var að skoða sýn nema á samhengi í grunnskólakennaranámi og tækifæri sem þeir fá til að tengja saman fræði og starf með árangursríkum hætti. Gögnum var safnað með spurningakönnun þar sem upplifun nema af ýmsum þáttum kennaranámsins var skoðuð og svöruðu 178 nemar á lokaári í grunnskólakennaranámi við Háskóla Íslands og Háskólann á Akureyri. Skoðað var hvort munur væri á sýn nema eftir háskólum, hvort þeir væru í launuðu starfsnámi eða hefðbundnu vettvangsnámi og hvort þeir væru í fimm ára samfelldu kennaranámi eða meistaranámi að lokinni bakkalárgráðu af öðru sviði. Niðurstöður gefa vísbendingar um að námið undirbúi kennaranema nokkuð heildstætt undir kennslu að námi loknu en gefa einnig til kynna að rými sé til úrbóta þegar kemur að tengslum fræða og starfs
Kulnun grunnskólakennara: Stuðningur í starfsumhverfinu og áfallaþroski
No full textThe aim of the study was to gain an understanding of elementary school teachers’ experiences with burnout and find out, from the teachers’ own opinions, what caused the burnout and what knowledge was gained in the process. Burnout is a syndrome (combination of symptoms) that occurs as a mental and physical reaction to chronic stress and discomfort at work and has been classified as a type of trauma. It manifests as exhaustion, distrust towards others, and reduced interest in work. Burned-out individuals are emotionally and physically drained, unable to cope with their current situation, lose interest in their work, and often display negative attitudes. Research has shown that various factors in the work environment can cause teacher burnout, such as heavy workload, negative and difficult interactions with parents, challenging students, and lack of support for students with behavioural or learning difficulties. An environment that supports teachers’ basic needs, where teachers have the freedom to make decisions, receive feedback on their performance, and experience understanding from colleagues, contributes to better well-being and less fatigue and is less likely to cause burnout. Conversely, an environment that does not support these basic needs, where teachers experience limitations on their freedom, unclear rules, and management, can lead to dissatisfaction, physical and mental difficulties, and ultimately, burnout. The work environment was examined by applying Ryan and Decy’s self-determination theory to analyse how teachers’ work environment meets their basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Since burnout can be classified as a trauma, the aim was also to shed light on whether and then what personal lessons or so-called post-traumatic growth teachers drew from the experience of going through burnout, having to work through the trauma and recover from it. Research on post-traumatic growth suggests that those who experience post-traumatic growth talk about changes in three areas: a changed outlook on life, a change in relationships with others, and a stronger sense of self. A phenomenological approach was used where indepth interviews were conducted with seven working primary school teachers who had experienced burnout, recovered, and returned to teaching. The teachers did not know each other and were between the ages of 40 and 60. All of them had taught in primary school for at least ten years. The interviews were taken between October 2021 and May 2022. They were all around sixty minutes long and were transcribed the following day. All of the interviews were analysed and coded using thematic analysis. Results showed that the teachers’ working conditions influenced their burnout experience. Teachers are under a lot of mental and physical stress. They felt that they could not handle the situation and feel shame for what they were experiencing and that they had somehow let others down. They lacked social connections and support in the workplace. They subsequently felt powerless and shameful. The teachers talked about the importance of having friends in the workplace, and when they did, they were happier and less likely to experience burnout. When teachers did not have good social connections or a support network, they felt powerless and were more likely to experience burnout. The teachers also talked about the importance of experiencing expressing opinions about the job and how it is performed. All the teachers experienced post-traumatic growth and felt that life was, in one way or another, better than before they experienced burnout. The teachers believed they had a new and changed outlook on life, a stronger identity, and a stronger sense of self. They were more grateful for everyday life and had better relationships and interactions with others. These findings align with research based on Post Traumatic Growth and the Self Determination Theory and individuals’ basic psychological needs, including autonomy, competence, and relatedness. If these needs are not met, it can have negative effects and lead to burnout. Therefore, it is important to take good care of teachers and create conditions and atmospheres that promote them feeling good and where they experience support and social connections.Markmiðið með rannsókninni var að öðlast skilning á upplifun og reynslu grunnskólakennara af kulnun og þeim áhrifum sem starfsumhverfi hefur á kulnun grunnskólakennaranna að þeirra eigin mati. Stuðningur úr starfsumhverfinu var skoðaður í ljósi sjálfsákvörðunarkenninga Ryan og Deci (2017) um hvernig unnt sé að mæta sálrænum grunnþörfum þeirra fyrir sjálfræði, hæfni og félagstengsl. Einnig var sjónum beint að hvort og þá hvaða persónulega lærdóm, svokallaðan áfallaþroska, kennarar draga af þeirri reynslu að hafa lent í kulnun. Rannsóknir hafa sýnt að þeir sem upplifa áfallaþroska finna fyrir breytingum á þremur sviðum í lífi sínu; breyttri lífssýn, breyttum tengslum við aðra og breyttri og sterkari sjálfsmynd. Fyrirbærafræðilegri nálgun var beitt þar sem tekin voru djúpviðtöl við sjö starfandi grunnskólakennara sem höfðu lent í kulnun og snúið aftur til kennslu. Niðurstöður sýndu að það sem réð mestu var andlegt og líkamlegt álag sem og skortur á stuðningi á vinnustaðnum. Álagið fólst í að kennararnir þurftu að sinna mörgum mismunandi hlutverkum sem gátu stangast á. Þeim fannst sig oft skorta sjálfræði í störfum sínum og upplifðu að þeir hefðu hvorki hæfni né bjargir til að sinna þessum mismunandi hlutverkum. Í kjölfarið upplifðu þeir vanmátt og skömm. Stuðningur í starfsumhverfi kennaranna skipti þá sköpum, að finna að þeir skiptu aðra máli og upplifa að þeir tilheyrðu hóp. Kennararnir upplifðu allir að lífið væri á einhvern hátt betra en áður en þeir lentu í kulnun. Þeir töldu sig hafa nýja og breytta lífssýn, vera þakklátari fyrir daglegt líf, hafa breytta og sterkari sjálfsmynd og vera meðvitaðri um að rækta tengsl við fólk sem væri þeim mikilvægt. Rannsóknin varpar auknum skilningi á þann lærdóm sem draga má af kulnun og hvernig starfsumhverfið getur stutt kennara. Þannig má vonandi fækka í hópi kennara sem hverfa frá störfum vegna kulnunar
„Finnst ég aldrei standa mig og man ekki neitt“: Samviskubit, kvíði og skömm mæðra og feðra í tengslum við skóla- og tómstundavinnu barna
No full textParents are increasingly expected to cooperate with schools about their children’s education and be educators in the home. They are also expected to organise the children’s leisure time with sports or other extra-curricular activities. This is also the case here in Iceland but this trend and its ramifications for families has not been scrutinised. Rather, it has been taken as a self-evident truth that this development is positive for families. This study aims to understand in what way guilt, anxiety and shame manifest with mothers and fathers in connection to their work around the schooling or organised leisure activities of their children. This refers to anything parents do to support their children in these areas, such as providing homework assistance, driving to a music or sports practice, and attending events. Through exploring these feelings, I aim to shed light on the social context of families in Iceland and its gendered dimensions.
The data was collected through an online qualitative questionnaire where parents of children aged 0–18 years old were asked to describe their feelings in connection to parenthood. In total, 374 mothers answered the list, along with 76 fathers. The respondents were overwhelmingly university-educated and wrote fluent Icelandic. I analysed the data using reflexive thematic analysis and constructed two themes.
The first theme is “Am I doing this correctly?” Mothers’ responsibility for homework and organised leisure activities. This theme revolves around the feelings of anxiety and guilt that the mothers express in connection to the myriad of ways they are expected to support their children’s schooling and leisure activities. The fathers, on the other hand, did not express these feelings. As it so happens, throughout this study, I am comparing the agonising guilt, shame and anxiety of the mothers to the silence of the fathers. It is clear from the answers that the mothers shoulder the lion’s share of work in support of their children’s schooling and organised leisure activities. The latter theme is All the Bloody Emails: Mothers on the Third Shift. This theme shows the mental load of mothers, which is directly connected to working around school and their children’s extracurricular activities. This involves, for example, remembering events at school, remembering special days at school, and ensuring the child has everything it needs. The mothers compared themselves to an imaginary, perfect mother who can remember it all. There were also some examples of a mental load from the third shift from the fathers, but this was rare.
The analysis implies a highly gendered division of parental work supporting children’s schooling and extra-curricular activities in Iceland. Mothers shoulder the main responsibility of assisting with homework and other duties that are connected to this part of parenting, and this causes high levels of anxiety, guilt and shame. I discuss these results in the light of intensive mothering and individualisation of parenting. Mothers are meant to be extremely involved in all aspects of their children’s lives, which is uncritically claimed to be the best for the child. This is reflected in the increasing demand that parents be their children’s teachers at home. With the individualisation of parenting, we are made to believe that it is the mothers’ fault if anything goes wrong in their child’s life, and social circumstances are not considered. This heightens the perceived risk of parenting and creates anxiety and stress in mothers’ lives. The analysis also shows that the mentality of intensive mothering risks straining the relationship between mothers and their children, who are meant to be eager about their homework and extra-curricular activities. When they are not, the mothers’ anxiety, shame and guilt heightens, resulting in fights or negative interactions with their children. Policymakers and professionals who work with families need to be aware of the mental ramifications of intensive mothering and create a space for parents to resist it, connect, and critically discuss the social pressure mothers are under. The respondents of this study were privileged in terms of education, finances and language and still described immense pressure, anxiety and shame. Further studies are needed to understand in what way intensive mothering and school and extracurricular activities put pressure on mothers who are in marginalised positions due to their social class, disability, origin, or other factors.Hér og víða erlendis hefur krafa á aðkomu foreldra að skólagöngu og tómstundastarfi barna sinna farið vaxandi, en þessi síaukna áhersla virðist ekki hafa verið skoðuð og rædd með gagnrýnum hætti hérlendis. Markmið þessarar rannsóknar var að skoða með hvaða hætti samviskubit, kvíði og skömm birtust hjá mæðrum og feðrum í tengslum við skólaog tómstundastarf barna þeirra. Lögð er áhersla á að skilja hvað þessi tilfinningalegu viðbrögð segja okkur um samfélagslegar aðstæður barnafjölskyldna. Gögnum var safnað með eigindlegri spurningakönnun þar sem foreldrar barna á aldrinum 0–18 ára voru beðnir um að lýsa tilfinningum sínum í tengslum við foreldrahlutverkið. Alls söfnuðust 374 svör frá mæðrum og 76 frá feðrum. Gögnin voru greind með aðferð ígrundandi þemagreiningar. Fyrra þema greiningarinnar var „Geri ég þetta rétt?“ Móðirin sem ábyrgðarmaður heimanáms og tómstunda. Þar greindu mæðurnar frá samviskubiti og kvíða í tengslum við skóla- og tómstundavinnu, svo sem heimalestur og æfingar. Feðurnir greindu mun síður frá slíkum tilfinningum á meðan mæðurnar lýstu samviskubitinu sem stöðugu. Svörin gáfu sterkar vísbendingar um að þær öxluðu mun meiri ábyrgð á skóla- og tómstundavinnu heldur en feðurnir. Seinna þemað nefndist Allir fjandans tölvupóstarnir: Mæður á þriðju vaktinni. Þar lýstu mæður þeirri hugrænu byrði sem þær þyrftu að axla vegna skóla- og tómstundavinnu sinnar og hvernig hún ylli þeim samviskubiti, kvíða og skömm. Einnig voru dæmi um slík svör frá feðrum en þau voru mun sjaldgæfari. Þessar niðurstöður eru settar í samhengi við hugmyndafræði ákafrar mæðrunar og einstaklingsvæðingu foreldrahlutverksins. Álag á mæðrunum hefur neikvæð áhrif á samskipti innan fjölskyldna og milli foreldra og fagfólks sem er andstætt hagsmunum barna og annarra fjölskyldumeðlima