Háskóli Íslands OJS
Not a member yet
1903 research outputs found
Sort by
Laumast út um bakdyrnar Höfundur og sköpulag konunnar í A hora da estrela eftir Clarice Lispector
No full textThis paper deals with the last work of fiction, written by Brazilian author Clarice Lispector in her lifetime, A hora da estrela, or Hour of the Star. A complex work of fiction, though small in size, which might be termed a metafictional novel, a self-conscious narrative, or a story of a story which addresses directly its own creation. This is a story of a story, for one of Lispector’s main creations is the narrator Rodrigo S.M. who becomes the author, creates the character of Macebéa and at the same time himself. Therefore, one could even talk about a kind ofGenesis. The book revolves in part around the relationship between the author and creation, creator and character, and raises complex and persistent questions about the creative process, fiction and the other side of the mirror; reality, society, the world. This is a story that deals directly with fiction, casting a magical light on love and creation, life and death, reality and creativity. It casts a special light on the various levels of narrative on which the novel is built, where the boundaries between levels are drawn into the fiction themselves,where the author, implied author, protagonist and reader collide and nearly merge. At heart it is a work written by a female author about a male author who creates a female character at the same time as he creates himself. This article examines the “male author” within the story and the creation of the protagonist, a female character; a process marked by the relationship between love and destruction, which is further complicated when the reader is drawn into that relationship along with the real-life author, Clarice Lispector.Keywords: Clarice Lispector, Hour of the Star, Brazilian literature, metafiction,literary analysisÍ þessari grein er tekist á við síðasta skáldverkið sem brasilíski rithöfundurinn Clarice Lispector birti á meðan hún lifði, A hora da estrela, eða Stund stjörnunnar. Margbrotið skáldverk, þó smátt sé í sniðum, sem kalla mætti sjálflýsandi skáldsögu, sjálfsögu eða „sögusögn“ sem tekst beinlínis á við eigin tilurð. Þetta er saga af sögu, því að eitt helsta sköpunarverk Lispector er sögumaðurinn Rodrigo S.M. sem gerist höfundur og skapar persónuna Macabéu og um leið sjálfan sig. Því mætti jafnvel tala um eins konar sköpunarsögu. Bókin segir einum þræði frá sambandi höfundar og sköpunarverks, skapara og persónu, og veltir upp flóknum og áleitnum spurningum um sköpunarferlið,skáldskapinn og hina hliðina á speglinum; veruleikann, samfélagið, heiminn. Þetta er saga sem fjallar með beinum hætti um skáldskap og varpar töfrandi ljósi á ást og sköpun, líf og dauða, veruleika og sköpunarverk. Hún varpar sérstöku ljósi á þau ýmsu frásagnarsvið sem skáldsagan er ofin úr, þar sem mörkin á milli þeirra eru dregin inn í skáldskapinn sjálfan og raunhöfundur, innbyggðurhöfundur, söguhetja og lesandi rekast á og renna nánast saman. Í grundvallaratriðum er um að ræða verk sem skrifað er af kvenhöfundi og fjallar um karlhöfund sem skapar kvenpersónu um leið og hann skapar sjálfan sig svo að úr verður forvitnilegt ástarsamband sem hrífur lesandann með sér. Hér verður rýnt í „karlhöfundinn“ innan sögunnar og sköpun söguhetjunnar, kvenpersónu; ferli sem um margt einkennist af sambandi ástar og eyðileggingar og verðurenn flóknara en ella þegar lesandinn er dreginn inn í það ásamt raunhöfundinum, Clarice Lispector.Lykilorð: Clarice Lispector, Hour of the Star, brasilískar bókmenntir, sjálfsögur, bókmenntagreinin
Hreyfing íslenskra grunnskólanema
No full textThe value of physical activity for physical and mental health is well known. Despite this knowledge, exercise decreases from childhood to adolescence and, in general, exercise is deficient. It is, therefore, important to study the physical activity of children and adolescents with the intention of promoting it and combating inactivity.The aim of this study was to examine the extent of physical activity of Icelandic compulsory school students in 6th, 8th, and 10th grade and its relationship to gender, age, national origin, family structure, economic status, and place of residence, as well as examining the proportion of students who achieve 60 minutes of recommended physical activity daily.Data was derived from the national survey Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC) conducted in 2018. Participants in the study were 6,102 students in 6th, 8th and 10th grade in the country’s compulsory schools. Questionnaires were administered to students asking about the number of days per week that participants engaged in “physical activity for a total of 60 minutes or more per day”. Students also answered questions about their sex and school grade, the economic status of the family, the national origin of their parents, their family structure, and place of residence.On average, the students engaged in physical activity for 4.5 days a week and the proportion of students who reached the recommended daily physical activity was only 21.0%. More boys than girls achieved recommended physical activity and more students in 6th grade achieved recommended physical activity than older students. Students who came from families of lower economic status, other family structure than living with both biological parents, and who had parents of foreign origin reached recommended physical activity less often than their counterparts. There was no difference in physical activity between students living in rural and urban areas.Physical education within schools is a meaningful and purposeful part of a student’s education. Lack of physical activity among children and adolescents calls for increased physical activity during school hours. For physical education teachers there is an opportunity to emphasize the core values of physical activity, exercise, and sports participation for both physical, mental, and social well-being. Participation of children and adolescents within sport clubs needs to be more equal, with involvement of the municipalities, highlighting physical activity for everyone both in rural and urban areas.Gildi hreyfingar fyrir líkamlega og andlega heilsu er vel þekkt. Þrátt fyrir þá vitneskju dregur úr hreyfingu frá barnsaldri til unglingsára og almennt er hreyfingu ábótavant. Því er mikilvægt að kanna hreyfingu barna og unglinga með það fyrir augum að efla hana og sporna við hreyfingarleysi.Markmið þessarar rannsóknar var að kanna umfang líkamlegrar hreyfingar íslenskra grunnskólanema í 6., 8. og 10. bekk og tengsl hennar við kyn, aldur, uppruna, fjölskyldugerð, efnahag og búsetu. Sérstaklega var athugað hve hátt hlutfall nemendanna næði ráðlagðri 60 mínútna hreyfingu daglega.Unnið var úr gögnum úr landskönnuninni Heilsa og lífskjör skólanema (Health Behavior in School-aged Children - HBSC) sem fór fram árið 2018. Alls tóku 6.102 nemendur í 6., 8. og 10. bekk úr 86 grunnskólum á landinu þátt í rannsókninni. Spurningalistar voru lagðir fyrir nemendur og meðal annars var spurt um fjölda daga á viku sem þátttakendur stunduðu „líkamlega hreyfingu samanlagt í 60 mínútur eða meira á dag“. Þá var einnig spurt um kyn og bekkjardeild, efnahagslega stöðu fjölskyldu, uppruna foreldra, fjölskyldugerð og búsetu.Að meðaltali stundaði nemendahópurinn líkamlega hreyfingu í 4,5 daga í viku. Einungis 21% nemenda náði viðmiði um ráðlagða daglega hreyfingu. Fleiri piltar en stúlkur náðu viðmiðum um hreyfingu og fleiri nemendur í 6. bekk samanborið við eldri nemendur. Nemendur sem tilheyrðu fjölskyldum með lakari efnahag, bjuggu ekki með báðum kynforeldrum, eða áttu foreldra af erlendum uppruna, náðu síður viðmiðum um ráðlagða hreyfingu. Ekki var munur á hreyfingu grunnskólanema eftir búsetu þeirra.Vinna þarf að hreyfieflingu grunnskólanema með fræðslu um gildi hennar, daglegum hreyfistundum á skólatíma og markvissum íþróttatímum. Jafna þarf þátttöku barna í íþróttum utan skólans með aðkomu sveitarfélaganna. Fjölga þarf möguleikum til hreyfingar fyrir alla utan húss og innan í sveitarfélögum landsins
Gagnagöt í spurningakönnunum meðal íslenskra unglinga
No full textSeveral school-based surveys among Icelandic adolescents are conducted regularly. The topics of these surveys include mental and physical well-being, substance use, academic work, school environment, leisure and sports activities, media and internet use and family environment. Results from these surveys play a significant role in the making of educational and youth policies in Iceland.The questionnaires used in these surveys are quite long and sometimes involve demanding response tasks. As a result, it is quite possible that item missing data might be missing systematically, leading to substantially biased findings, especially if statistical analyses that adjust for missingness are not used.In the present study we look at the proportion of item missing data in three large surveys among Icelandic adolescents, European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD), Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC), and the student questionnaire from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Analyses of the ESPAD data were restricted to respondents that reported their gender and we used the raw data as it appears before logical substitution and the removal of extreme respondents (n=2609). Analyses of the HBSC data were restricted to respondents that reported their class and their gender as either male or female (n=6946). Analyses of the PISA student questionnaire were restricted to those students who did not receive the simplified une heure test booklet (n=3230). Proportions of missing data were analysed graphically, both by item location and question format, using a novel type of diagnostic plots.We examined two types of missing data. We looked at breakoff rates, where participants completely drop out of the survey and stop responding altogether. Secondly, we examined the item specific non response rates, where participants skip items but respond to items that appear later.All three surveys had a substantial proportion of item missing data but this proportion varies greatly by item position, format and substance. The ESPAD questionnaire appears to be rather too long for the target population and the PISA student questionnaire is far too long. In HBSC there is a distinct association between question format and item missingness, especially among younger respondents. The other two surveys consist mostly of grids and single answer questions, resulting in insufficient question format variability to separate the effect of item format from that of location. For most of the duration of the survey the breakoff rate was substantially lower in HBSC than in the other two surveys. This could be because participants who dislike or have difficulty with question grids can skip over them and find other question formats that agree with them later on. However, there is also more variation in the substance of questions in HBSC and this could account for some or all of the difference. The overall rate of item missingness (due to both breakoff and item specific non response) is not much lower in HBSC than in the other surveys, once questionnaire length has been accounted for.Breakoff and item specific non response rates differ visibly across gender in all surveys and class in HBSC. Item specific non response is more common among boys in all surveys. Boys also have higher breakoff rates in HBSC and ESPAD but not in PISA, presumably because skipping more items made them less likely to run out of time. In the ESPAD data responses to questions on smoking and absenteeism (that appear early in the questionnaire) are clearly associated with both breakoff rates and item specific missing rates later in the questionnaire.We conclude that item missing data in all surveys is far from being missing completely at random and has the potential to bias results substantially.Finally, we discuss reasons for making questionnaires in surveys among adolescents as long as they are and whether this is truly necessary. We discuss options for reducing participants’ response burden and/or mitigating the biasing effect of item missing data.Á Íslandi eru reglulega lagðar fyrir allmargar spurningakannanir um líðan unglinga, hegðun þeirra, umhverfi, nám og starf. Spurningalistarnir í þessum könnunum eru gjarnan langir og fela stundum í sér krefjandi svarverkefni. Þetta leiðir til hættu á kerfisbundnum gagnagötum sem geta bjagað niðurstöður. Í þessari grein eru gagnagöt í þremur unglingakönnunum; ESPAD, HBSC og viðhorfa- og bakgrunnsspurningalista PISA-könnunarinnar greind út frá staðsetningu spurningar og spurningaformi. Bæði athuguðum við brottfall þar sem svarandi hætti þátttöku áður en hann lauk við að svara listanum og gagnagöt sem hljótast af því að svarendur hoppa yfir spurningar. Hlutfall gagnagata er töluvert í öllum könnunum en breytilegt eftir staðsetningu, formi og efni spurninga. ESPAD-spurningalistinn virðist heldur of langur og PISA-spurningalistinn allt of langur fyrir markhópa kannananna. Í HBSC má greina nokkuð skýr tengsl á milli spurningaforma og líkinda á að svar vanti, sérstaklega hjá yngri svarendum. Það er of lítill breytileiki í spurningaformum í hinum könnununum til að hægt sé að greina áhrif spurningaforma frá áhrifum staðsetningar. Brottfall er minna úr HBSC en hinum könnununum, mögulega vegna þess að spurningaform eru fjölbreyttari. Gagnagöt vegna þess að svarendur hoppa yfir spurningar eru hins vegar ekki mikið færri þegar tillit er tekið til lengdar. Brottfall og tilhneiging til að hoppa yfir spurningar hefur skýr tengsl við kyn svaranda í öllum könnunum og bekk svaranda í HBSC. Í ESPAD má greina skýrt samband áhættuhegðunar sem spurt er um snemma í könnuninni við bæði líkur á að svarendur falli úr könnun og hoppi yfir spurningar. Það eru því nokkrar vísbendingar um að gagnagöt séu kerfisbundin og geti valdið umtalsverðum bjaga á niðurstöðum. Möguleikar á að stytta og einfalda kannanir eru teknir til umfjöllunar undir lok greinarinnar
Málleg samskipti starfsmanna við börn með íslensku sem annað mál og börn með íslensku sem móðurmál
No full textIcelandic research repeatedly demonstrates that children whose first language is other than Icelandic (Ice2) make little progress in their Icelandic language skills over the preschool years, even though they remain in school most of their waking hours five days a week (Aneta Figlarska et al., 2017; Hjördís Hafsteinsdóttir et al., 2022; Kriselle Lou Suson Jónsdóttir et al., 2018). Later, during the compulsory school years, the gap in the vocabulary skills of Icelandic first language learners (Ice1) and Ice2 peers tends to widen with each passing year (Sigríður Ólafsdóttir et al., 2016). Moreover, the larger the Icelandic vocabulary Ice1 and Ice2 children possess in grade four, the faster progress they make in reading comprehension throughout the middle school years.Studies reveal that well-facilitated playtime in preschools, with rich mutual oral communication between adults and children, can effectively support children’s language development (McCarthey, 1984; Connor et al., 2006; Huttenlocher et al., 2002; Wasik & Bond, 2001; Wasik et al., 2006). The higher number of words and the more sophisticated words preschool teachers use in oral interactions with children the larger vocabulary the children develop (Aukrust, 2007; Aukrust & Rydland, 2011; Bowers & Vasilyeva, 2011; Buac et al., 2014; Dickinson & Porche, 2011; Kim & Yun, 2019). The impact is even greater in the case of children whose first language is other than the school language, or who only have poor language communication at home. For instance, the research by Bowers and Vasilyeva (2011) demonstrated that English vocabulary growth of preschoolers, with English as a second language, was positively related to the total number of words produced by teachers in discussions with children during play time (Bowers & Vasilyeva, 2011). Dickinson and Porche (2011) found in their study that preschool teachers’ use of sophisticated words in their discussions with children raised in poverty, predicted the children’s reading comprehension when they were in fourth grade of compulsory school. In her study, Paulick (2019) found large differences in the language used by preschool teachers, in communication with children. In quality classrooms the teachers were talking more, with a higher number of words and more sophisticated words, than in lower quality classrooms. Likewise, in the quality classrooms, more open questions were used in discussions with children. Open questions are particularly effective as they are likely to boost sustained verbal interactions and mutual discussions between adults and children (Romeo et al., 2018). Positive impacts of adult-child language oral interactions have emerged when preschool activities have been recorded for 15 minutes, several times (Huttenlocker et al., 2002) and during a whole school day (Connor et al., 2006).The current study compared adult language use in oral communications with Ice1 and Ice2 children, during free choice time in an Icelandic preschool. Verbal communications were recorded three times: the first 15:30 minutes, the second 13:36 minutes, and the third 27:16 minutes. Only two of the four participating adults had a university degree as preschool teachers, which is in fact a higher proportion than in a typical situation in Icelandic preschool settings (Hagstofa Íslands [Statistics Iceland], 2021). Three Ice2 children and 11 Ice1 children participated, aged five to six. One Ice2 child was born in Iceland and started preschool at age one and a half, another was three years-old when he moved to Iceland and started in the preschool, and the third Ice2 child had only been a few months in the preschool as his family just recently moved to Iceland. The communications were recorded, and two types of analysis conducted: On the one hand, to understand the range and volume of language the Ice2 and Ice1 children were being exposed to, words per minute were calculated as well as the total number of utterances, and the frequency of words (Jóhanna Thelma Einarsdóttir et al., 2019), On the other hand, utterances were coded, to identify the type of talk teachers used in communication with the children, in the following categories: a) directives, b) information, c) closed questions, d) open questions, and e) explicit word instruction. Findings revealed that the Ice1 children were exposed to more than a two times higher number of words per minute, and more than a two times higher number of utterances, as well as words of lower frequency than the Ice2 children. Moreover, open questions and explicit vocabulary instructions were only provided to the Ice1 children. This study could provide an incentive to consider how Icelandic language support for the benefit of Ice2 preschool children can be improved. Increasing the volume and sophistication of words used by adults in discussions with Ice2 children, as well as giving them frequent mutual sustained interactions, including open questions, may be a valuable means to give this group of children opportunities to make effective improvements in their Icelandic language skills. Well-facilitated playtime in preschools can support Ice2 children’s Icelandic language development, a prerequisite for their later educational progress in Icelandic schools.Málþroski ungra barna eflist í samræmi við hversu góða málörvun þau fá. Fyrir leikskólabörn hér á landi sem nota ekki íslensku með fjölskyldu sinni (ísl2) er mikilvægt að nýta skóladaginn vel. Þar gefast hugsanlega einu tækifæri barnanna til að þróa íslenskufærni sína. Í erlendum rannsóknum hafa komið fram jákvæð tengsl á milli orðaforða barna og þess hversu mörg og fjölbreytileg orð leikskólakennarar nota í samtölum við börnin í frjálsum leik. Áhrifin verða mest hjá börnum sem nota ekki sama tungumál með fjölskyldu sinni og í skólanum og hjá börnum sem fá fátæklega málörvun heima. Þá hafa rannsóknir sýnt að gæði málörvunar leikskólakennara hefur forspárgildi um lesskilning barna þegar þau eru komin í grunnskóla. Í leikskólastarfi er sérstaklega gagnlegt að beina opnum spurningum til barna og ná þannig fram gagnkvæmum samtölum. Meginmarkmið rannsóknarinnar voru að bera saman orðræður starfsmanna í samtölum við fimm til sex ára ísl2 leikskólabörn og við jafnaldra með íslensku sem móðurmál (ísl1), meðan á frjálsum leik þeirra stóð. Þátttakendur voru fjórir starfsmenn, en tveir þeirra voru með leikskólakennaramenntun og einn leikskólaliði, ásamt þremur ísl2 börnum og 11 ísl1 börnum. Niðurstöður sýndu að hvert ísl2 barn fékk helmingi færri orð á mínútu, helmingi færri segðir, og jafnframt mun algengari orð en ísl1 börnin. Auk þess fengu ísl2 börnin engar opnar spurningar eða orðainnlagnir, sem aðeins mátti finna í samtölum við ísl1 börnin. Mikilvægt er að leikskólastarfsfólk rýni í samskipti sín við ísl2 börn, hvort þar felist tækifæri til framfara, þannig að börnin taki reglulegum framförum í íslensku
Áhrif undirbúningstíma á fagmennsku leikskólakennara og gæði leikskólastarfs
No full textThe aim of the study was to explore how preschools organize teacher’s preparation time and how they prioritize the tasks carried out. The purpose was to see the impact preparation time has on the teacher’s professionalism and the quality of children’s play, learning and communication in the preschools. The article describes a study carried out within the Centre for Research in Early Childhood Education at the University of Iceland for the purpose of following up on a recent change in wage agreements Iceland in 2021 where preschool teachers’ time for planning, preparation and assessment was considerably increased. According to these agreements, preschool teachers have from 7 – 10 hours each week for their preparation. The study seeks support from research and theories on teachers’ professionalism, the quality of preschool activities and ideas about learning communities in schools, where preschool teachers collaborate and learn from each other. In this article, the focus is on answering two research questions: How is preparation time arranged and what are the priorities of projects carried out during preparation? Eight preschools were purposely selected to be represented in the study and the data mainly builds on interviews with one preschool leader, one department head and one preschool teacher in each of the schools: a total of 24 participants. The interviewees were asked to describe how preparation time was organized; what time of day preparation was carried out, how tasks were prioritized and what resources were available to preschool teachers in their preparation. The results reveal preschool teachers’ general satisfaction with having increased time for preparing their work with the children. Nevertheless, diverse opinions appeared towards the way criteria for the preparation time were allocated to preschools. To some extent, the data is influenced by the way preparation time is planned in primary schools, possibly related to the importance of making pre-school teachers’ working hours comparable to those of primary school teachers. The preparation usually took place outside the classroom/department and the preschool teachers’ tasks were frequently done by computer. Facilities for the teachers’ computer use while preparing varied and there was not room for many teachers at the same time. The weekly time teachers chose for their preparation varied. Some took one full day and part of another day; others chose to use a few hours every day to plan their work. Some participants expressed concern about the increased absence of teachers from interacting with the children. The participants considered it most important to prepare daily preschool practice and attend to the learning environment, material and surroundings inside the school. Preschools in Iceland have much in common with preschools in the other Nordic countries. Teachers, through their professionalism, play a central role, and the quality of preschool practice strongly relies on the processes of communication and care in the preschool, how children’s needs are met and in what way their well-being, learning and development is ensured.Tími sem ætlaður er leikskólakennurum til undirbúnings starfsins var lengdur töluvert frá því sem áður var í kjarasamningum árið 2020. Í þessari grein er sagt frá rannsókn sem gerð var í átta leikskólum á Íslandi með það að markmiði að varpa ljósi á skipulag og framkvæmd undirbúningstíma leikskólakennara. Tilgangurinn var að skoða áhrif aukins undirbúningstíma á fagmennsku leikskólakennara og gæði leikskólastarfs. Leitað var svara við hvernig fyrirkomulagi undirbúningstíma er háttað og hver er forgangsröðun þeirra verkefna sem unnin eru. Er greinin hluti af stærra rannsóknarverkefni sem unnið er innan Rannsóknarstofu um menntunarfræði ungra barna. Tekin voru viðtöl víðs vegar um landið við leikskólastjóra, deildarstjóra og leikskólakennara, samtals 24 viðmælendur. Voru þeir beðnir um að lýsa þeim aðstæðum sem undirbúningstíminn fer fram í, á hvaða tíma dagsins og hvernig verkefnum er forgangsraðað. Niðurstöður sýndu að almenn ánægja var með aukningu á tíma til að undirbúa starfið. Undirbúningstími var yfirleitt nýttur utan deildar og voru verkefnin oftast unnin í tölvu. Forgangsröðun verkefna tók mið af áætlanagerð og árstíðabundnum verkefnum. Allur gangur var á því hvenær dags undirbúningsvinna fór fram. Lýstu margir viðmælenda áhyggjum yfir mikilli fjarveru kennara af deildum. Mikill munur reyndist vera á þeim heildartíma sem leikskólar hafa til undirbúnings starfsins eftir því hve margir leikskólakennarar voru starfandi í leikskólanum. Skiptar skoðanir voru meðal viðmælenda um á hvaða forsendum úthluta ætti undirbúningstíma til leikskóla. Sú aðferð sem notuð er til úthlutunar undirbúningstíma hefur falið í sér ójöfnuð, sem með fleiri tímum hefur aukist enn frekar. Sá ójöfnuður hlýtur óhjákvæmilega að koma niður á gæðum starfs í leikskólunum, þar með leik, umönnun og námi barna
Ljóð, sögur og lifandi hugsun
No full textIn a chapter titled “Learning from history?” Jón Torfi Jónasson reflects on why dialogue as a didactic device always seems to be pushed to the margins of school practices despite being at the core of various school improvement initiatives, from the times of Plato and into modern times. In this paper I argue that one reason for the marginal role of dialogue is that textbooks tend to be so thoroughly closed, dead and boring that they can by no means ignite discussion and keep it alive. Textbooks are usually written with the aim of providing students with facts and knowledge so that they can leave the world of ignorance and move into the world of knowledge. Such textbooks may be well-intended, but the result is often texts that are utterly lifeless. Authors sometimes try to respond to this problem by relating the text to the daily world of the students, such as when a textbook in mathematics discusses payslips and interest mortgage in order to be more practical. Such a response is misguided, as the problem was not that the text dealt with some farfetched things – such texts are sometimes the most exciting – but that it was utterly lifeless. A dead text does not come alive by discussing boring, commonplace things. Facing the problem of lifeless teaching materials, one may learn a great deal from poems and novels; they help us connect to the world, perceive the world, understand the world, whether the so called dead world or the part of it that is thriving with life and populated by people and other creatures.The problem with textbooks is that the text is often what I refer to as “closed”. It is selfcontained and any question that they pose is answered within the text itself. Many good poems are, on the contrary, open. They offer the reader an invitation to explore a world that lies outside the poem itself. Poems also often speak simultaniously to the intellect and the emotions, thus addressing the whole person and not a mere part. The person is addressed as a unified whole and as a member of a dynamic and mysterious world. It is an invitation to think and imagine, not a mere text that speaks to intellect alone and appears to be little more than something to remember.Textbook authors are, however, not the only people that could benefit from learning from literature; the scientists themselves might also do so. Despite many of the greatest scientists having emphasised the affective and emotional aspect of their studies, such recognition remains a marginal quality in contemporary science. In a recent essay, the scholar and author Bergsveinn Birgisson complains about the demand in science and scholarship for people to divide themselves into distinct parts and present themselves as some sort of pure intellect while suppressing emotions and affection for whatever they are studying. I briefly discuss a noteworthy exception from this: Aldo Leopold’s work and his metaphor of thinking like a mountain.Returning to the point made by Jón Torfi Jónasson about the absence of dialogue as an educational device, I argue that this is not surprising, given that the texts that students are allocated at school are without any qualities that are likely to spark an interest that might get a discussion going.Jón Torfi Jónasson hefur velt fyrir sér hvernig á því standi að sem kennsluaðferð virðist samræða ævinlega lenda úti á jaðrinum í skólastarfi þrátt fyrir að í aldanna rás hafi hver umbótahugmyndin rekið aðra þar sem samræður eða rökræður hafa einmitt verið í brennidepli. Í þessari grein færi ég rök fyrir því að ein ástæða fyrir jaðarsetningu samræðna sé að námsefni sé gjarnan svo dautt og leiðinlegt að það geti alls ekki vakið upp samræður og haldið þeim á lífi. Kennslubækur eru gjarnan skrifaðar með það í huga að miðla til nemenda staðreyndum eða þekkingu svo þeir geti yfirgefið heim fáviskunnar og orðið íbúar í heimi þekkingar. Þótt svona textar séu vel meintir er afraksturinn oftar en ekki texti sem fyrir nemendum er lokaður og alveg steindauður. Stundum er reynt að bregðast við þessum vanda með því að tengja lesefnið við reynslu nemenda eða finna því stað í hversdagsleikanum, eins og þegar kennslubók í stærðfræði fjallar um launaseðla og vaxtaútreikninga á húsnæðislánum. Slíkt viðbragð er misráðið því dauður texti lifnar ekki við með því að láta hann fjalla um leiðinlega, hversdagslega hluti. Andspænis þessum vanda má læra ýmislegt af ljóðum og sögum; þau hjálpa okkur að tengjast heiminum, skynja heiminn, skilja heiminn, hvort heldur hinn dauða heim sem svo er kallaður eða þann heim sem er lifandi og iðandi af fólki og öðrum lífverum. Það eru þó ekki aðeins námsefnishöfundar sem þyrftu að tileinka sér þennan lærdóm, vísindamenn mættu einnig gera það
Fyrirkomulag og upplifun nemenda af matssamtali í raunfærnimati í leikskólakennarafræði við Háskóla Íslands
No full textThe aim of the study was to develop a method to assess the knowledge and skills that preschool teacher students gain by working in preschool. The method is based on the learning outcomes of courses in the undergraduate program of preschool teacher education at the University of Iceland School of Education. According to the European Union Council, all countries in the union should implemented validation of informal learning at all school levels before 2018. Moreover, it is urgent to find ways to increase the level of educators’ education in Icelandic preschools; validation of informal learning can be part of that campaign since many educators do not have any education related to early childhood education, although some have some experience and have gained informal education and experience through their work. Validation of informal learning has been ongoing for some years in Iceland at the upper secondary school level; however, the project partly reported here is the first at a university level in Iceland. Ideas behind lifelong learning are highlighted in the study, where both formal and informal learning is accepted. Informal learning is related to the experience one gets from daily life and communication with others.Four key concepts are crucial for validation of informal learning: portfolio, screening list, self-evaluation list, and assessment interviews. The validation process then consists of four steps. First, the process is introduced to possible participants. Second, data collection about informal learning and experience then starts. Third, those who are qualified are interviewed in accordance with the learning outcomes that are in focus. Fourth, the students are given certification of the qualification and registration of the university units, showing they have passed the course under evaluation.This article focuses on the method used in the assessment interviews and on the students’ and evaluators’ experiences of these interviews. The main aim of a validation of informal learning is that a person gets an experience he/she has gained outside the university recognized so he/she does not have to study what he/she already knows. Following the assessment, the valuation should lead to shortening the studies, while at the same time ensuring that the importance and quality of the studies are not reduced. Varied methods were used in the assessment interviews, which were in line with the learning outcomes, teaching methods, and assessments of the courses included in the valuation process. University teachers took part in finding the best methods in accordance with their teaching methods and assessments in the courses, in collaboration with the evaluators. For example, students were asked to bring plans for collaboration with parents and colleagues and to show some of the projects they had worked on in the preschool that were related to art or music. They were also asked to watch videos about difficult communications with parents or colleagues, read about critical incidents in between children, reflect on these, and so on.The main findings of the study show that the students who took part in the RPL found the assessment interviews challenging. They were satisfied with the preparation for the interviews and mentioned that everyone who took part in the whole validation process had been supportive and encouraging. The students found that the evaluators took time and were focused on listening to them in the interview. According to the evaluators, the interviews were a good way of showing the knowledge and skills the students had gained in their work in preschools. The findings support the idea about the importance of giving those who are working in preschools without preschool teacher education an opportunity to get their experience and knowledge validated to shorten the preschool teachers’ studies.Í þessari grein er fjallað um raunfærnimat í leikskólakennarafræði við Háskóla Íslands sem byggir á norrænni fyrirmynd. Umfjöllunin er afmörkuð við þróun matsgagna og aðferða í matssamtali í raunfærnimatinu til að meta þá þekkingu og hæfni sem nemendur hafa öðlast í starfi í leikskóla út frá hæfniviðmiðum þeirra námskeiða sem voru til mats. Í greininni er sjónum beint að þeim matsgögnum og aðferðum sem stuðst var við í matssamtölunum ásamt upplifun nemenda og matsaðila af þeim. Meginmarkmið raunfærnimats er að einstaklingur fái viðurkennda þá reynslu sem hann hefur öðlast utan veggja skóla þannig að hann þurfi ekki að sækja nám í því sem hann þegar kann. Raunfærnin ætti í kjölfar mats að leiða til styttingar á námi. Fjögur grunnhugtök tengjast raunfærnimati; ferilmappa, skimunarlisti, sjálfsmatslisti og matssamtöl. Stuðst var við fjölbreyttar aðferðir í matssamtölum sem tóku mið af hæfniviðmiðum, kennslu og verkefnum námskeiðanna sem voru til raunfærnimats. Helstu niðurstöður rannsóknarinnar sýna að nemendum fannst matssamtölin krefjandi. Þeim fannst undirbúningur fyrir samtölin góður og töluðu um að allir sem að ferlinu komu hefðu verið hjálpsamir og hvetjandi. Nemendum fannst matsaðilar taka sér góðan tíma til að hlusta á sig í samtalinu. Að mati matsaðila sýndu samtölin vel þá þekkingu og hæfni sem nemendur höfðu öðlast í starfi. Niðurstöðurnar styðja við þá hugmynd að mikilvægt sé að gefa ófaglærðu starfsfólki leikskóla tækifæri til þess að fá reynslu sína og þekkingu metna til styttingar á leikskólakennaranámi
Kerfislæg tregða gegn breytingum í menntun: Tilvik um mannréttindanám á Íslandi
No full textDespite national education policy that presents human rights as a core curriculum concern, education systems seem to resist the introduction of new content areas. This is not only worrying but unethical, given the human and ecological crises that characterise the world our students inhabit. This paper responds to Jón Torfi Jónasson’s belief that education will remain the same unless there is an understanding of, and even respect for, the inertial constraints that prevent change from taking place. The paper uses data from a broader narrative inquiry on human rights education (HRE) to illustrate how inertial constraints operate in the context of upper secondary school teachers working with human rights in Iceland. A reflexive thematic analysis suggests systemic inertia leaves teachers working as individuals depending on tacit human rights knowledge in school environments. Tacit knowledge makes acceptable dominant hierarchical practices that encourage hostility to new content and ideas. The paper concludes with implications of a lack of institutional accountability for human rights, raising questions of significance for teacher education and HRE in Iceland and internationally.Þrátt fyrir að mannréttindi séu einn af grunnþáttunum í aðalnámskrá á öllum skólastigum á Íslandi virðist menntakerfið tregðast við að innleiða nýjar áherslur í námi. Þetta er ekki aðeins áhyggjuefni heldur jafnvel siðlaust í ljósi þeirra mannlegu og vistfræðilegu áskorana sem einkenna nútíma samfélög. Jón Torfi Jónasson er á þeirri skoðun að menntakerfi taki ekki breytingum nema að fyrir hendi sé skilningur, og jafnvel virðing, fyrir þeim þáttum sem hindra umbætur. Í greininni er stuðst við gögn úr umfangsmeiri frásagnarrannsókn á mannréttindamenntun til að draga upp mynd af reynslu framhaldsskólakennara af kerfislægum hindrunum gagnvart mannréttindum á Íslandi. Þemagreining leiðir í ljós kerfislæga tregðu sem veldur því að kennarar vinna einir og reiða sig á dulda þekkingu á mannréttindum í skólaumhverfinu. Að þekkingin sé dulin styður við ríkjandi starfshætti sem eru mótdrægir nýju efni og hugmyndum. Að lokum er rætt um afleiðingar þess að stofnanalega ábyrgð á mannréttindum skortir sem vekur upp álitamál hvað varðar kennaramenntun og mannréttindanám, jafnt á Íslandi sem á alþjóðavettvangi
Þjónustuáhersla og árangur
No full textResearch has shown a connection between organizational culture and organizational performance. Researchers have also proposed that service orientation, as a form of organizational culture, leads to better organizational results. This article addresses the following two research questions: (1) is it possible to use Denison measuring instruments (DOCs) to assess service orientation? and (2) what is the relationship between service orientation and organizational performance? This research is based on data collected from nine organizations in 2020 and 2019. The data were combined into one database and cleaned, after which 875 valid answers remained. The results showed that 23 questions from DOCs covered 30 out of 35 questions from SERV*OR measuring instrument, that has been specially designed for the purpose of evaluating service orientation. Data analyses revealed that the assessment of internal reliability was good (? = 0.94) and that many questions had a correlation of more than 0.3 but none had a correlation of more than 0.7. Furthermore, the results showed that service orientation based on DOCs explains 47% of the variability in performance as the average of the six performance factors used in DOCs. The strongest relationships were found between Service orientation and the performance factors job satisfaction (R2 = 0.40; ? = 0.64) and overall performance (R2 = 0.40; ? = 0.63). Whereas the weakest relationship was found between service orientation and the performance factor profit (R2 = 0.14; ? = 0.37). The main limitations of the study are that the data originate from organizations that have all excelled in their fields and received various awards for their success. Therefore, the results cannot be generalized to the relationship between service orientation and performance in companies that do not perform as effectively or have a weaker culture. Further research aims to examine such comparisons and to more accurately, identify the strong links between service orientation and job satisfaction.Rannsóknir sýna að tengsl eru á milli fyrirtækjamenningar (corporate culture), stundum kölluð vinnustaðamenning, og árangurs skipulagsheilda. Þá hefur verið kannað hvort menning sem einkennist af því að veita góða þjónustu hafi tengsl við árangur og sýna rannsóknir að svo er en vert er að hafa í huga að árangur er metinn með ýmsum hætti. Slík menning (service orientation) hefur gengið undir ýmsum heitum svo sem eins og þjónustuhneigð og þjónustumiðun en í þessari grein er notað orðið þjónustuáhersla. Í greininni er fengist við tvær rannsóknarspurningar, annars vegar hvort hægt sé að nota gögn úr mælingum á fyrirtækjamenningu þar sem mælitæki kennt við Denison (DOC‘s) er notað til að leggja mat á þjónustuáherslu, og hins vegar hvaða tengsl séu á milli þjónustuáherslu og árangurs. Gögnin sem notuð eru byggja á sjálfstæðum rannsóknum sem unnar hafa verið í samstarfi við fyrirtæki og stofnanir sl. 15 ár en í gagnagrunninum liggja fyrir mælingar frá 68 skipulagsheildum og er heildarfjöldi svara, þegar þessi rannsókn er gerð, 6.039. Í þessari rannsókn er stuðst við gögn frá níu fyrirtækjum þar sem gagnaöflun átti sér stað árin 2019 og 2020. Gögnin voru sett í einn gagnagrun og eftir hreinsum þeirra stóðu eftir 875 gild svör. Niðurstöður sýna að 23 spurningar úr DOC‘s náðu yfir 30 af 35 spurningum úr SERV*OR en það mælitæki hefur verið sérhannað í þeim tilgangi að leggja mat á þjónustuáherslu og er haft til viðmiðunar hér. Greiningar sýndu að mat á innri áreiðanleika var gott (? = 0,94), margar spurningarnar höfðu fylgni sín á milli sem var hærri en 0,3 og engar höfðu fylgni sín á milli sem var hærri en 0,7. Þá sýndu niðurstöður að þjónustuáhersla sem byggir á DOC‘s útskýrir 47% af breytileikanum í árangri sem meðaltal af þeim sex árangursþáttum sem notaðir eru í DOC‘s. Sterkust eru tengslin við árangursþættina starfsánægju (R2 = 0,40; ? = 0,64) og heildarframmistöðu (R2 = 0,40; ? = 0,63) en veikust við hagnað/afkomu (R2 = 0,14; ? = 0,37). Helstu takmarkanir rannsóknarinnar eru þær að gögnin koma frá fyrirtækjum sem öll hafa skarað fram úr á sínu sviði og fengið margvíslega viðurkenningar fyrir árangur í starfi. Niðurstöðurnar segja því lítið um tengsl þjónustuáherslu við frammistöðu hjá fyrirtækjum sem standa sig síður og eða eru með veikari menningu. Frekari rannsóknir snúa þá að því að skoða slíkan samanburð sem og að greina betur þau sterku tengsl sem eru á milli þjónustuáherslu og starfsánægju
Höfundar, þýðendur og ritstjórar
No full textHöfundar, þýðendur og ritstjórarHöfundar, þýðendur og ritstjóra