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Þurfalingar eða virkar og gerandi verur? Hugleiðing um menntun, tilgang og tilvistarverkefni
Get PDFThe meaning of education and what it is to be a human being can be read in the Icelandic National Curriculum Guide for Compulsory Schools. The definition is not obvious and demands active reflection and interpretation from those that read it. I regard this requirement which principals, teachers, and others responsible for education must take notice of, as a very positive one. In a curriculum guide that is not too clear and demands interpretation and reflective thinking from its readers, we have the opportunity to improve schools. This paper is based on the author´s teaching experience, public policy in education and discussions of professionals. The importance of education as an existential project is discussed, where the “big questions”, which are philosophical questions, are at the forefront. It is too common that fundamental concepts of education are neglected. Those concepts are, for example, those of a human being and the purpose of education. Teachers are often busy with their daily tasks such as organizing classes, teaching, testing, grading students etc. in their attempts to meet the established requirements. Therefore the “big questions” are often left behind.When focusing our attention on the concepts of a human being and education while reading the National Curriculum Guide we are led to an important notion which plays a key role in the curriculum; that is, the concept of responsibility. What is the role of responsibility in compulsory education in Iceland? How can students be responsible persons? These questions are among those raised in this paper concerning the Icelandic National Curriculum Guide. In this paper it is suggested that in order for students to be responsible individuals, they must have the opportunity to reflect and maintain dialogue with teachers and their fellow students.Grein þessi er byggð á reynslu höfundar af kennslu grunnskólabarna á unglingastigi, umræðu fagfólks og lestri stefnumótandi plagga um menntamál. Tvær megináherslur í menntun sem togast á eru skoðaðar, en það er annars vegar menntun sem tilvistarverkefni og hins vegar menntun þar sem áhersla er á góðan árangur í námsgreinum. Þegar menntamál eru annars vegar, hvort sem það er í virku skólastarfi eða í stefnumótandi plöggum, eins og aðalnámskrá grunnskóla, má ávallt finna ákveðna sýn á hvað það er að vera manneskja og hvað menntun er. Rætt er um þessa sýn sem er ekki alltaf augljós. Í þessari grein er lesendum boðið upp á samtal um hugtökin menntun og manneskja og mikilvægi þess ítrekað að skólastjórnendur, kennarar og aðrir sem standa að skólastarfi ígrundi og ræði menntaheimspekilegar spurningar. Það er af hinu góða að stefnumótandi plögg í menntamálum, eins og aðalnámskrá, séu ekki ofurskýrir og óhagganlegir leiðarvísar um skólastarf heldur krefjist ávallt virkrar ígrundunar og túlkunar. Mikilvægt er að „stóru spurningarnar“ sem eru menntaheimspekilegs eðlis verði hvorki út undan í skólastarfi né í menntamálaumræðunni. Þegar hugtökin menntun og manneskja eru skoðuð í aðalnámskrá grunnskóla leiða þau mann að menntun sem tilvistarverkefni og hugtökum tengdum því, eins og ábyrgðarhugtakinu. Þar kemur fram skýr krafa um að nemendur séu ábyrgir einstaklingar og að menntun í skólum stuðli að ábyrgð. Til þess að uppfylla þá kröfu er mikilvægt að virk ígrundun og rökræða menntaheimspekilegra viðfangsefna fái verulegt vægi í skólastarfi
„Við skiptum máli fyrir samfélagið“. Samfélagslegt mikilvægi og flókin samkeppnisstaða tveggja framhaldsskóla í dreifðum byggðum
Get PDFPrevious studies on schools in rural areas have signified their importance for the communities concerned, for various reasons. Yet, research on education is most often approached from urban perspectives and theories, focusing more on what the rural areas lack in comparison to urban areas, instead of emphasizing their local value. Therefore, researchers have argued for the importance of studying the ruralities from different perspectives, acknowledging and contextualizing different realities and contexts. This study is an attempt to do so, by focusing on two different rural upper secondary schools, with the aim of exploring the value they bring to their local communities and the challenges they face in a marketized upper secondary school environment.The paper presents an analysis of semi-structured interviews with school leaders (N=4), teachers (N=4), and students (N=9) from two small rural schools in Iceland. The two schools participated in a larger research project on Upper Secondary School Practices, conducted in 2013–2015. The two schools presented here were the only schools in the sample that can be considered rural schools. They had fewer than 200 enrolled students and were in small villages in sparsely populated areas. The interview frameworks were different depending on the group that was being interviewed. However, some common themes were discussed, such as the school ethos and identity, policy implementations, school choice, and competition. The interviews were all about 60–90 minutes long and were transcribed verbatim before they were analyzed. The analysis of the data followed Braun and Clarke’s (2013) steps of thematic analysis which involved reading the interviews carefully more than once, adding comments and writing familiarization notes to each of them. Then the data set was coded by conducting focused coding, which involved reading the interviews a few more times while making exploratory comments and further developing them into codes, centering on patterns related to the rural challenges and local value.The findings show evidence of the importance of upper secondary schools for rural education in Iceland, different and complex conditions of the two observed schools, and the various and diverse challenges they face in light of their rural contexts. The demand for upper secondary education in rural areas turned out to be an important aspect of social justice. The leaders and the teachers sought to serve the nearest community and offer educational opportunities for those living there. By so doing, they increased the educational level in the rural setting, counteracted rural depopulation, and attracted educated teachers and their families to the community.In the students’ case, access to schools in the local community was important, particularly for those without the means to choose another school in larger towns. The lack of access to vocational education was addressed and the fact that students enrolled in academic programs, to which they did not aspire, only to be able to stay longer at home. However, the schools fought a constant battle for students; even students that no other school was targeting. Also, it was a matter of course for the schools to offer education for students that needed support. Thus, while the more prestigious upper secondary schools in urban areas are in the position to cherry pick students, based on their previous grades, the rural schools try to offer study programs for all students in respective areas. The study shows how the market principles concerning school choice do not apply to rural schools and their students. The paper highlights the importance of small rural schools and the importance of different local contexts. It also raises challenging questions about the complex education market in Iceland and the weak competitive position of small rural schools.Markmið rannsóknarinnar sem grein þessi fjallar um er að öðlast skilning á veruleika tveggja fámennra framhaldsskóla utan höfuðborgarsvæðisins, gildi þeirra í nærsamfélaginu, stöðu þegar kemur að samkeppni um nemendur og leiðum til að styrkja tilvist sína, með staðarsamhengi þeirra í huga. Greinin er byggð á viðtölum við stjórnendur, kennara og nemendur í skólunum tveimur og varpar því ljósi á viðfangsefnið frá mismunandi sjónarhornum. Niðurstöður benda til þess að skólarnir séu mikilvægir samfélaginu, enda þjóna þeir nemendum á svæðunum, halda uppi menntunarstigi og eru með stærri vinnustöðum í viðkomandi byggðarlögum. Reynt var að virkja tengsl við atvinnulíf við skipulag námsframboðs og kennslu og nærumhverfið og náttúran var nýtt til að dýpka nám nemenda og tengja það við raunveruleikann. Viðmælendur bentu á ýmsar áskoranir sem tengdust smæð og staðsetningu skólanna, einkum út frá rekstrarforsendum og námsframboði. Í framhaldsskólaumhverfi sem gerir ráð fyrir að skólar keppi um nemendur er ljóst að báðir skólarnir voru í brothættri stöðu og þurftu stöðugt að leita nýrra tækifæra til að viðhalda nemendafjölda
Mótun viðhorfa kennaranema til stærðfræði og tengsl við árangur
Get PDFStudent teachers, as well as in-service teachers, tend to have a negative attitude towards mathematics (Maloney & Beilock, 2012; Geist, 2015; Jackson & Leffingwell, 1999; Novak & Tassell, 2017). Some have argued that these negative feelings are related to their own experience as mathematics learners in school. In this study we ask how student teachers’ attitude towards mathematics evolve through their experience as students in mathematics classrooms from an early age, and how that experience has shaped their attitude and how they see their mathematical abilities.Students’ attitude towards mathematics has been widely studied in mathematics education even though little consensus has been among researchers regarding the definition of the attitude construct. In early research the definition of attitude was often guided by the instrument used to measure it (Daskalogianni & Simpson, 2000; Fennema & Sherman, 1976; Haladyna et al., 1983; Hart, 1989), usually statements on a questionnaire where participants indicated on a Likert scale to what degree they either agreed or disagreed. In the past decades, there has been increased emphasis on the theoretical construct of attitude and research has shifted towards interpretative narrative approaches to assess students’ attitude towards mathematics (Di Martino & Zan, 2010). The main advantage of using a narrative approach is that the respondents can freely bring out what they consider most important in their experience, giving a clearer picture of how their attitude towards mathematics has evolved. In this study, we use a tripartite model for attitude, (1) emotional disposition, (2) mindset and, (3) view of mathematics. Emotional disposition refers to whether mathematics is viewed positively or negatively. Mindset refers to the idea that mathematical ability is either fixed, meaning that people are either mathematically talented or not, or that ability is mostly the result of effort and that people can improve their mathematical abilities. Lastly, the view of mathematics refers to whether mathematics is seen as instrumental/procedural, as a set of rules and procedures to be followed without reason, or whether mathematics is seen as relational where the rules have meaning, and it is understood how and why the rules and procedures work. These three components that constitute attitude towards mathematics are interconnected and fundamental in the development of a relationship with mathematics.As part of a university course in mathematics and mathematics teaching, second-year student teachers wrote a short autobiographical essay (N=76) on their memories as mathematics learners and on their feelings toward mathematics, focusing on their best and worst memories connected with mathematics. They were also asked to draw a sketch describing their feelings toward the subject over time.The data were analyzed using the principles of qualitative content analysis (Kuckartz, 2014; Mayring, 2015). The coding was guided by a theoretical framework and research questions, which provided the themes of interest. Qualitative interpretative coding was performed to create categories under the themes. The frequencies of occurrences of these categories were then counted and their frequencies compared. Finally, a contingency analysis drew out connections between categories and between themes, based on whether certain categories occur frequently together, in the same autobiography.Six categories emerged from the description of students’ experience as mathematics learners: (1) the bad chapter, (2) keeps getting worse, (3) getting better, (4) never a positive moment, (5) always positive, and (6) the good chapter. Only a few autobiographical essays can be characterized as having a genuinely positive disposition towards mathematics and the majority of the narratives described math as hard, boring, or stressful. In general, the findings indicate that a majority of the student teachers have a negative disposition towards mathematics and a rather fixed mindset as mathematics learners, along with an instrumental understanding of mathematics.Erlendar rannsóknir hafa sýnt að algengt er að kennaranemar um allan heim hafi neikvæðar tilfinningar gagnvart stærðfræði og neikvæða mynd af sjálfum sér sem stærðfræðiiðkendum Í þessari rannsókn er sjónum beint að viðhorfum íslenskra kennaranema til stærðfræði og hvernig þau viðhorf mótast og þróast yfir tíma. 76 nemendur á öðru ári í kennaranámi skrifuðu um tilfinningar sínar og reynslu sem nemendur í stærðfræði allt frá grunnskóla til háskóla. Nemendur voru meðal annars beðnir að segja frá bæði bestu og verstu minningum úr stærðfræðinámi sínu og setja fram graf sem lýsti tilfinningum þeirra til fagsins gegnum lífið. Reynslan sem sögurnar lýstu var margvísleg, allt frá því að aldrei hafði sést til sólar í stærðfræðináminu til þess, sem sjaldgæfara var, að stærðfræðinámið hafði gengið vel frá upphafi. Allmennt sýndu niðurstöður þó að það sem einkenndi viðhorf margra kennaranema til stærðfræði var neikvæð tilfinningaleg afstaða, festuhugarfar og tækniskilningur
Vinatengsl unglinga og stuðningur vina eftir uppruna
Get PDFSupportive friends are important for all adolescents, not the least foreign origin adolescents who may face difficulties associated with migration and belonging to a minority group in the new country. Good friends can be vital to the immigrant adolescent as providers of understanding and care, sources of information, and in increasing their social network (Hartup & Stevens, 1997).Shared interests are usually central to friends but homophily, for example regarding gender, age, ethnic origin, and personality traits, is a recurrent theme in friendship relations (Hartup & Stevens, 1997). In samples of immigrant adolescents, studies find a strong tendency for same-ethnic friendships (Graham, et al., 2009; Titzmann & Silbereisen, 2009). When in challenging and stressful situations, immigrant adolescents report how friend relations with other immigrants become deeper than relations with individuals from other groups (Kim et al., 2012). Such relationships create a safe space for identity exploration, mutual support, understanding, and acknowledgment (Hoare, 2019).Children and adolescents of foreign origin in Iceland find it difficult to befriend Icelandic-heritage peers (Gestur Guðmundsson, 2013; Hermína Gunnþórsdóttir & Lilja Rós Aradóttir, 2021). They are less likely to meet friends after school, report more teasing than their Icelandic counterparts (Hrefna Guðmundsdóttir & Hanna Ragnarsdóttir, 2013) and receive less support from friends (Ingibjörg Eva Þórisdóttir, 2018).Studies have found increased preferences for cross-ethnic friendships in mixed ethnic schools (Bohman & Miklikowska, 2020) but only to a certain level, indicating that the opportunity structure partially accounts for these relationships (Leszczensky & Stark, 2020). Previous studies further indicate that ethnic homophily is stronger among newcomer youth compared to those who have lived in the new country for a longer period (Titzmann & Silbereisen, 2009).The aim of this study was to explore friendship relations by the origin of adolescents by mapping the number of friends of Icelandic and foreign origin and the friend support perceived by participants. A further goal was to investigate the relationship between number of friends and the percentage of foreign origin students in the school of participants and how the age of migrating to Iceland and number of friends were related.Participants included 806 8th to 10th-grade students from nine compulsory schools from various geographic areas in Iceland. The participants answered an anonymous online questionnaire administered by trained research assistants in their schools. The response rate was 82%.The findings indicate that most adolescents had many friends and their friends usually attended the same school. Friendships within a group were more likely than between adolescents of different origin, but this varied by the percentage of students of foreign origin in the school. In schools with a higher share of foreign origin students, Icelandic origin students were more likely to have friends of foreign origin, but the friendships reported by foreign origin adolescents were not similarly affected by the percentage of foreign origin students in the schools. Adolescents of foreign origin who migrated at a younger age had more Icelandic origin friends than those who moved to Iceland later.The results also indicate that adolescents of foreign origin enjoy less overall support from friends than their Icelandic peers. Conversely, they enjoy more social support from foreign-origin friends than their Icelandic origin peers.Ethnic homophily in friend selection puts children and adolescents at risk of limited social resources and social support. In schools where few foreign origin students attend, their options of friendships may be more limited. Enlarging the social network of adolescents of foreign origin towards cross-ethnic relations increases available social support and other resources, reduces the risk of marginalization and promotes active participation in a democratic society. In-school and after-school activities can be used to provide a context for interaction through collaborative tasks and activities. Furthermore, as the literature suggests, cross-ethnic connections are important to decrease prejudice and increase empathy towards diversity (Pettigrew & Tropp, 2008); thus, promoting cross-ethnic relations benefits all youth regardless of their origin.Þau tengsl sem unglingar mynda við flutning til nýs lands geta ráðið miklu um líðan þeirra og velferð. Markmið rannsóknarinnar var að varpa ljósi á vinatengsl eftir uppruna unglinga. Kannaður var fjöldi vina af íslenskum og erlendum uppruna og stuðningur frá þeim, tengsl vinafjölda og hlutfalls nemenda af erlendum uppruna í skóla þátttakenda og tengsl aldurs við flutning til Íslands og vinafjölda. Gögnum var safnað með spurningalistakönnun sem lögð var fyrir í níu grunnskólum. Alls svöruðu 806 unglingar úr 8., 9. og 10. bekk könnuninni og var svarhlutfall 82%. Niðurstöður sýndu að vinir tilheyrðu frekar sama upprunahópi en hópi af ólíkum uppruna. Eftir því sem hlutfall nemenda af erlendum uppruna var hærra í skóla jukust líkur á að ungmenni af íslenskum uppruna ættu vini af erlendum uppruna. Því yngri sem unglingur var við flutning til Íslands, þeim mun líklegra var að hann ætti marga vini af íslenskum uppruna
Ekki seinna en núna! Ákall um loftslagsréttlæti og tafarlausar aðgerðir
Get PDFAbstractThe focus is on human responsibility for a warming climate, and the consequences a changing climate has already had, and will have in the future, if the warming continues. The concept climate justice (a combination of climate change and social justice) plays an important role in this context and stresses the fact that climate change is not only calling for technical solutions, which will cut down the release of greenhouse gases. Climate justice implies that it is also about human rights for those who suffer the consequences of climate change. A special emphasis is on poor women, who are often those who are affected the most by a warming climate.A feminist eco-theology calls for a reinterpretation of prominent theological concepts like creation, creator, sin, repentance, and salvation from the perspective of climate change and climate justice. Those concepts play a significant role in theological interpretations of human nature and ideas about God, which again are critical for theological arguments for immediate actions that will promote climate justice.þessari grein er kastljósinu beint að ábyrgð mannfólksins á hlýnandi loftslagi og þeim afleiðingum sem breytt veðurfar hefur þegar haft í för með sér, og mun hafa á næstu árum, haldi áfram að hlýna. Hugtakið „loftslagsréttlæti“ (e. climate justice) gegnir hér mikilvægu hlutverki, en það er samsett úr hugtökunum loftslagsbreytingar (e. climate change) og félagslegt réttlæti (e. social justice). Með því er lögð áhersla á að loftslagsbreytingar kalli ekki bara á tæknilegar lausnir til að minnka losun gróðurhúsalofttegunda, heldur þurfi viðbrögð okkar ekki síður að snúast um réttlæti til handa þolendum, þeim sem verða verst úti vegna breytinganna. Lögð er sérstök áhersla á áhrif hlýnunar á þær konur sem eru jaðarsettar í sínum samfélögum.Horft er á viðfangsefnið út frá sjónarhorni femínískrar guðfræði og rýnt í þá guðfræðilegu orðræðu sem hefur verið að mótast á síðustu árum um loftslagsvána og afleiðingar hennar. Í guðfræðilegri umræðu um loftslagsbreytingar og loftslagsréttlæti eru áberandi hugtök sem hafa gegnt mikilvægu hlutverki innan kristinnar trúarhefðar frá upphafi, hugtök eins og sköpun, skapari, synd, iðrun og hjálpræði. Til grundvallar þessari umræðu liggur kristinn mannskilningur og guðsmynd. Það er í ljósi þessara lykilhugmynda sem kristin loftslags-guðfræði kallar eftir því að loftslagsréttlætið nái fram að ganga og gripið verði til aðgerða til þess að svo megi verða — og það án tafar
Mock elections, electoral participation and political engagement amongst young people in Iceland
Get PDFIn this paper, we analyse whether mock elections in Iceland are fulfilling their intended purpose of increasing young voters’ participation in politics and other types of political engagement. Mock elections have been carried out in Icelandic upper secondary schools prior to parliamentary elections since 2016 (and prior to the municipal elections in 2018), but there is no peer-reviewed research about whether these elections are followed by an increase in political participation and engagement amongst young people. Socialisation is a key factor in encouraging political participation amongst young voters as the formative years between childhood and adulthood are a key period in forming behaviour and political attitudes. In this paper, we argue that mock elections have a socialisation impact in terms of increasing young people’s political awareness and engagement, including electoral participation. Based on the results from a survey sent to four upper secondary schools in Iceland, two where mock elections were held and two where they were not held, we found that mock elections have a negligible link to participation in real elections, whether voting made a difference or whether it was considered a civic duty to vote. Other main results are that in schools with mock elections, students were more politically engaged in terms of how interested they were in politics and the frequency which they discussed politics, both of which have been shown to increase the probability of voter turnout
"Draumastaður" og önnur úrræði til útgöngu úr vændi
Get PDFThe Swedish model which makes the purchase of prostitution illegal but not its sale was approved in the government in 2009. Neither the circumstances of people in prostitution, nor what resources need to be in place should they want to get out of prostitution have been mapped out since the law was passed. This study is meant to fill this knowledge gap and its focus is on exit options for people with prostitution experiences. Fourteen interviews with women with prostitution experiences were carried out and an interview with a spokesperson from the Red umbrella, an organization focused on supporting sex workers. Main results are that the women experienced lack of resources before entering prostitution, they do not feel heard or understood communicating with the police, health care and other professionals, and they refrain from seeking their assistance. They wish for diverse resources for those who want to exit prostitution, a stricter penal code for buyers of prostitution, and that knowledge of prostitution and its consequences will be increased in society.Árið 2009 voru gerðar breytingar á vændisákvæði Almennra hegningarlaga. Samkvæmt breytingunni eru kaup á vændi og hagnaður þriðja aðila af vændissölu refsiverð en sala á vændi er refsilaus. Fyrir gildistöku laganna var lítið vitað um aðstæður fólks í vændi og engar rannsóknir hafa verið gerðar hér á landi eftir gildistöku þeirra sem kannar reynslu þeirra sem eru í vændi. Tilgangur þessarar rannsóknar er að bæta úr því. Rannsóknin beinir sjónum sérstaklega að úrræðum til útgöngu úr vændi. Framkvæmd voru 14 eigindleg viðtöl við konur sem verið hafa í vændi og eitt viðtal við forsvarsmanneskju samtakanna Rauðu regnhlífarinnar sem vilja styðja við kynlífsverkafólk. Helstu niðurstöður eru þær að konunum mætti úrræðaleysi í aðdraganda vændis. Þær upplifa vantraust í garð fagaðila og lögreglu. Þær kalla eftir fjölþættum úrræðum fyrir þau sem vilja hverfa úr vændi, harðari refsingum fyrir vændiskaup og að þekking um vændi og afleiðingar þess verði aukin og miðlað til samfélagsins
Algild hönnun: Leiðarljós að jafnræði og tækifærum til samfélagsþátttöku
Get PDFUniversal design (UD) is a political strategy and a process based on the values of equity and equal opportunities for participation in society. Emphasis is placed on the design of products, programmes, services, and environment to meet human diversity; that is, people with different qualities, abilities, and impairments. This paper’s focus is primarily on UD in relation to disability, but the concept has a much broader implication, for example for elderly people with typical mobility and sensory restrictions, parents with strollers, people who have reading difficulties, do not speak the native language or are simply in a hurry. Initially, the emphasis of UD was first and foremost directed at the physical context, especially the built environment. Increasingly, attention has been focused on aspects within the social and cultural environment, such as attitudes, services, policies, and procedures. The effects of barriers in the physical and social environment are often intertwined, as disabled people typically feel unwelcome if the built environment is inaccessible or if it requires an enormous amount of effort, time, or energy to move around and partake in activities that people find important. In the last few years, the literature has placed greater emphasis on the usability of the environment, products and, services; that is, whether or not the environment can be used effectively, efficiently, and in a satisfactory manner. This focus on usability demonstrates the person-environment interaction and the importance that social and psychological aspects have on the experience of disability within a specific context. Still, a higher priority of the usability aspect is needed in the implementation of UD since the experience of accessibility is always personal.Recently, a human rights perspective has characterized the discussion of the concept of UD, and with the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the Icelandic government has indeed affirmed its support for a universal design policy and implementation in Icelandic society. There is considerable agreement between the capabilities approach and the human rights and relations perspectives of disability that characterize CRPD, focusing on the material, economic, social, and institutional barriers that create and recreate disabilities and make it difficult for disabled people to lead good lives. Most of such barriers are man-made and can be removed to better enable people to act in line with their wishes and needs. These and related theoretical aspects are addressed in this paper as they relate to UD. In this regard, we highlight the writings of prominent scholars in the field, such as the Norwegian scholar Inger-Marie Lid. We also stress the importance of UD as a policy and implementation. Although standards and guidelines are important in implementing UD, they are not sufficient as such. Increased knowledge, a change of mindset and a holistic approach is needed, as it is crucial to address attitudes and procedures and to unravel how to establish effective working methods for the implementation of UD. Users’ involvement in discussions and decision-making in the UD process is of utmost importance, such as regarding what to do, when, and how, as well as in evaluating the outcomes.In this paper, we also draw upon and discuss examples from our own research findings in connection with UD. Those examples are based on: a) the experiences of disabled children and youth, b) the experiences of people with mobility impairments, and c) analysis of policy documents affecting public transportation and buildings in Iceland. The examples show multiple hindrances disabled people encounter in their daily lives, and highlight the inequalities they face when it is impossible for them to partake in society like other people. Many of those issues could be rectified with increased awareness and implementation of UD values.Markmið þessarar greinar er að fjalla um algilda hönnun (e. universal design) í fræðilegu samhengi og með skírskotun í rannsóknir höfunda. Sjónum er einnig beint að stefnumótandi skjölum um algilda hönnun hér á landi. Algild hönnun er byggð á gildum um jafnræði og jafna möguleika til þátttöku í samfélaginu. Lögð er áhersla á að koma til móts við mannlegan margbreytileika, það er fólk með mismunandi eiginleika, hæfni og takmarkanir. Framan af beindust áherslur algildrar hönnunar fyrst og fremst að manngerðu umhverfi en í auknum mæli er nú einnig litið til félagslegs umhverfis, stefnumótunar, verklags og viðhorfa. Enn fremur hefur áhersla á notagildi umhverfis, vöru og þjónustu aukist. Síðustu ár hafa mannréttindaáherslur einkennt umfjöllun um hugtakið og með innleiðingu samnings Sameinuðu þjóðanna um réttindi fatlaðs fólks hafa hérlend stjórnvöld lýst yfir stuðningi við algilda hönnun í íslensku samfélagi. Þótt hér sé fyrst og fremst fjallað um hugtakið í tengslum við fötlun hefur það mun víðtækari skírskotun, eins og fram kemur í greininni
Um pilta og stúlkur í íslenska menntakerfinu
Get PDFThis paper describes and compares the performance of boys and girls in the Icelandic education system.The study of gender differences in schools has a long history. An extensive and interesting survey edited by William Hadow in the U.K. in 1923 examined existing evidence from the perspective of medicine, psychology and education studies. The authors found that intra-gender variation in abilities was greater than gender differences. Nevertheless, notable gender differences had to do with girls being more obedient, industrious and respectful while boys were more independent and harder to manage. Recent research in the field of education studies has confirmed many of these differences.In recent decades, the apparent educational underperformance of boys in the Western world has received increased attention. Several books, some of which are controversial, have been written on this topic (such as Kindlon & Thompson, 2000; Palmer, 2009; Sax, 2016; Sommers, 2001). This paper surveys research on gender imbalance in education, which covers the effect of boys having lower non-cognitive skills; boys having a different set of values and attitudes and not valuing educational performance as much as girls; the importance of family background in shaping boys’ attitudes towards education; and teachers viewing boys as being lazier and girls more conscientious.We then use data on comprehensive examinations in 4th, 7th and 10th grade for two cohorts in Iceland. We find that there is no statistically significant difference between the mean grade of boys and girls in mathematics but a significant and sizeable difference in the mean grade in Icelandic, which exists in 4th grade and then becomes larger in 7th grade and in 10th grade. However, the intra-gender variation is much greater than the differences in mean grade. We then look at the tails of the distribution and find that a large majority of those with the 10% lowest grades in Icelandic were boys and a minority of those with the 10% highest grades. The gender differences are also pronounced in the PISA tests and they are larger than the OECD average in reading, mathematics and the natural sciences. Moreover, the gender difference in these examinations has grown since year 2000.Next we describe data on high school graduation rates where 60% are female and the dropout rate is 50% higher for males before moving on to the university level where two thirds of graduates are women. A large majority of students in the health sciences, humanities and social sciences are female but men remain a majority in engineering, mathematics and physics. Within the social sciences, there is gender balance in economics and also to some extent in business studies. Within the humanities, only history and philosophy have a higher proportion of men.Finally, we compare average grades for men and women in the first year of study at the University of Iceland for the school year 2018–2019 and the fall of 2019 (COVID-19 making it impractical to use the spring of 2020 or the following school year) and find that women outperform men by around 0.5 on the 0–10 scale. The gap survives correcting for the high-school GPA. We show that the gap is mainly due to a higher dropout rate of male students.We then draw on the education literature in Iceland to explain the gender gap. Some studies find that girls are more interested in reading and that the choice of reading material suits girls better than boys. Other studies have found that girls place a much greater emphasis on educational performance than boys and this affects their self-image to a larger extent. Girls tend to become more anxious about examinations and this can contribute to anxiety problems that affect their performance. There are studies of the high dropout rate in Iceland, which find that many students who drop out of high school return to school, which explains the high average age of high-school graduates.The overall conclusion is that the underrepresentation of boys among high-school and university graduates is not a consequence of choice but of greater academic failure among the weaker students. Our findings are a call for action in addressing the gender gap.Þessi grein lýsir stöðu nemenda eftir kyni innan íslenska menntakerfisins og frammistaða kynjanna er borin saman. Spurt er hvort markverður munur sé á frammistöðu drengja og stúlkna. Í ljós kemur að í grunnskóla standa stúlkur drengjum að meðaltali framar á samræmdum prófum í íslensku og drengir eru í miklum meirihluta þeirra tíu prósenta sem standa sig illa. Kynjamunurinn er mikill í alþjóðlegum samanburði. Í framhaldsskólum er brottfall drengja um 50% meira en stúlkna, bæði í bóknámi og starfsnámi, en endurkoma beggja kynja er sem betur fer talsverð. Stúlkur eru í meirihluta meðal stúdenta og um 2/3 þeirra sem ljúka háskólanámi. Þær eru í miklum meirihluta á sviði hugvísinda, heilbrigðisvísinda og á flestum sviðum félagsvísinda. Drengir eru í meirihluta í greinum verkfræði, stærðfræði og eðlisfræði, sagnfræði og heimspeki. Konur eru að meðaltali með hærri einkunn á fyrsta ári í Háskóla Íslands, sem skýrist einkum af lægri brottfallstíðni
Fullgildi leikskólabarna í fjölbreyttum barnahópi: Sýn og reynsla foreldra
Get PDFPartnerships between parents and professionals are considered important for quality early childhood education. Parental involvement has been found to have positive effects on children’s social as well as academic competences (Janssen & Vandenbroeck, 2018; Norheim & Moser, 2020; OECD, 2013). This is reflected in Icelandic legislation and policy documents. The Preschool Act (lög um leikskóla nr. 90/2008) stipulates the rights of parents to be provided with information about the care and education of their children. In the national curriculum for preschools (Mennta- og menningarmálaráðuneytið, 2011), families are considered collaborators. Teachers are encouraged to listen to parents’ views and to demonstrate understanding and respect for different family structures (The Icelandic National Curriculum Guides for Preschools). The present study is informed by the concept of belonging (Johansson & Puroila, 2021) which refers to children’s positive relationships, being able to participate and, thus, experiencing the feeling of home and being part of a group.The aim of the study was to elicit parents’ perspectives on participation in the preschool and practices related to belonging in their children’s preschools. Increasing globalization and migration in recent decades has resulted in preschools becoming more diverse. Prior studies have shown that children with diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds experience non-belonging more frequently than their peers do (Jóhanna Einarsdóttir & Sara M. Ólafsdóttir, 2020). Accordingly, the study also focused on parents’ views on the belonging of children with diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds.The research questions are as follows:What are the parents’ perspectives on belonging and their children’s position in the peer group?What are the parents’ perspectives on teaching approaches for promoting belonging?What are the parents’ experiences of their own belonging and participation in the preschool practices?Are there differences among parents in regard to these questions according to their country of origin?The study is part of a large NordForsk study titled ‘Politics of belonging: Promoting children’s inclusion in educational settings across borders’. In Iceland, 300 parents of preschool children participated in an electronic survey created by a research team with members from five European countries. Most of the participants, 89%, were born in Iceland.The findings indicate that the majority of the parents surveyed considered their children to have a strong position in the peer group, to have friends, to be part of the preschool community, and to be listened to. The parents trusted the preschool educators, and they placed an emphasis on the warmth and friendship among the children and on the view that children were respected as they are.Parents with foreign backgrounds were more likely to worry about their children’s exclusion in preschool because of language and culture, and they wished for more support to ensure their children’s belonging in the group, which is consistent with earlier studies showing that parents with non-dominant backgrounds are more worried about their children’s education and concerned that they will be excluded and will fail to meet the school’s expectations (Jóhanna Einarsdóttir & Arna H. Jónsdóttir, 2019; Van Laere & Vandenbroeck, 2017). These findings are disturbing, and it is important that educators re-examine their practices and consider how children with different home languages and cultures can enrich the preschool community.Parents with foreign backgrounds were also less likely than others to report that they were able to influence the preschool practices, and they had less confidence in presenting their views about the preschool. These findings are consistent with previous studies that show that parents with foreign backgrounds often experience hindrances in communicating with the preschool (Jóhanna Einarsdóttir & Arna H. Jónsdóttir, 2019). These hindrances are often connected to language and cultural differences and asymmetrical power relations (Norheim & Moser, 2020).Although a small group of parents called for the children to be taught facts about diversity and cultural sensitivity, the findings indicate that the parents chose to adapt to the practices of the preschool and trusted the educators to support their children’s belonging. They did not demand that the preschool adapt to the children but rather that the children adapt to the preschool. These findings align with other studies showing that immigrant parents quickly accommodate to the values and practices of the schools in their new countries and do not expect the school to make exceptions in order to accommodate their children (Solberg, 2018; Tobin et al., 2016; Van Laere & Vandenbroeck, 2017).The findings are worth consideration and call for further studies and revisions of parental partnerships in preschool, focusing on democratic parental involvement built on discussions and negotiations, especially among those who have non-dominant home languages and cultural backgrounds (Janssen & Vandenbroeck, 2018; Vandenbroeck, 2009)Markmið rannsóknarinnar var að leita eftir sjónarmiðum foreldra um samstarf, starfshætti, samskipti og félagslega þætti leikskólastarfs í leikskóla barna þeirra. Börn með fjölbreyttan tungumála- og menningarbakgrunn geta staðið höllum fæti þegar kemur að félagslegum þáttum starfsins. Tilgangurinn er að fá innsýn í sjónarmið foreldra um fullgildi barna þeirra í leikskólastarfi og varpa þannig ljósi á mikilvægi þess að koma til móts við fjölbreytta barnahópa og sýna hvernig börn með önnur móðurmál og aðra heimamenningu geta auðgað og bætt leikskólastarfið. Þátttakendur voru 300 foreldrar leikskólabarna sem svöruðu rafrænum spurningalista. Tæplega 90% þátttakenda voru fædd á Íslandi. Flestir foreldrar töldu börn sín hafa sterka stöðu í jafningjahóp, þau ættu vini, væru hluti leikskólasamfélagsins og hlustað væri á þau. Foreldrar af erlendum uppruna höfðu frekar áhyggjur af því að börn þeirra væru útilokuð vegna menningar eða tungumáls og þeir óskuðu eftir betri stuðningi við börnin til fullgildis. Þessir foreldrar voru ólíklegri en aðrir til að finnast þeir vera með í ráðum um starfshætti leikskólans og treystu sér síður til að koma sjónarmiðum sínum á framfæri