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Student-centred models based on active learning have aroused interest among teachers and students. At the same time policymakers encourage the use of information and communication technologies in education. Research on active learning and flipped classrooms took an upward turn in quality and magnitude with the advent of COVID-19. The research proposal was developed just prior to the pandemic and was altered to deal with the new situation. This research has contributed to the research generated by the pandemic. This cover study incorporates the data and analysis from four published articles. The purpose of this research was to develop a classroom intervention in organic chemistry using ICT and assess the perspectives of three classes of student-teachers and their chemistry teachers (“the threesome”) on their experience. The data were gathered on-site in Ghana by the threesome and with online questionnaires for both educators and student-teachers, online interviews, and a focus group. The threesome and the researcher met regularly online before and during the COVID-19 period of restrictions on school attendance. The main aim was to understand the extent to which teacher educators and student- teachers could use ICT to adopt flipped classrooms as a pedagogical approach while teaching organic chemistry. Four weeks of instruction in the traditional format of classroom lectures and written homework were replaced by a flipped mode of instruction in which students studied organic chemistry in school and in out-of-school settings. No changes were made regarding the content as prescribed in the national curriculum for tertiary education. The same topics from organic chemistry were introduced in all three colleges at the same time, using the flipped, active learning and incorporating extensive use of ICT. The educators found it difficult to shift their pedagogical practice and adopt online teaching. ICT skills were weak as was the ICT infrastructure in the colleges. Some ICT resources in the form of data bundles were provided to all the student-teachers and the threesome and mobile Wi-Fi equipment to one educator. Some student-teachers who could not access the internet at home used these resources for their pre-class activities. On reflection, the threesome believed that integrating flipped classrooms could provide opportunities for student-teachers to develop their skills and change their pedagogical practices. The threesome had some ICT knowledge, but there were weaknesses in the colleges in using and integrating it into the teaching. One of the reasons was that participants had not received professional ICT training that would enable them to be competent in delivering or receiving technology-enhanced lessons. The threesome indicated further that even for those who had received some ICT training, it was not effectively organized or enough to enable teachers to put integration into practice. ICT-focused workshops were one-time only and too short and rushed to be beneficial. The student-teachers perceived that the flipped classroom approach would enable them to take a more active role and responsibility for their learning because of the flexibility of the approach. Student-teachers felt they could interact with their teachers and collaborate with their peers through the flipped approach. Further, they believed that the flipped classroom activities enhanced conceptual understanding and increased academic achievement and critical thinking skills. Both the threesome and student-teachers faced challenges implementing the national curriculum because of deficiencies in ICT infrastructure, and few opportunities to develop the relevant knowledge, skills, and competences for teaching and learning for the 21st century. The support that the researcher provided highlighted the value of teachers supporting each other when they have the same issues. In this case the context of the intervention with flipped classrooms, it is important to consider that educators with knowledge, skills, and competence in ICT could produce quality teaching and the necessary learning processes. Ongoing professional development enables educators and teachers to integrate ICT sufficiently into their teaching, for example, in chemistry. At the ed of the study, a so-called SWOT strategic analysis of innovation was carried out based on the data we had assembled before, during and after the intervention. Strengths and weaknesses of internal factors affecting the stated task of the institution, that is training teachers according to the national curriculum were identified as well as opportunities and threats to active learning found in the external environment. It is our conviction that the crucial factors for effective integration are adequate ICT knowledge and skills, functional ICT infrastructure, and regular use of ICT., Kennsluhættir sem byggja á virku námi hafa vakið áhuga meðal kennara og nemenda. Á sama tíma leggja stefnumótunaraðilar áherslu á notkun upplýsingatækni í skólastarfi. Rannsóknir á virku námi og vendinámi jukust bæði að fjölda og gæðum í COVID-19 faraldrinum. Rannsóknaráætlun var unnin og aðlöguð til að bregðast við þessum aðstæðum sem mörkuðust af breyttri viðveru. Rannsóknin er framlag til þeirrar þekkingar sem faraldurinn varð kveikjan að. Kápa þessi er byggð á gögnum og greiningu úr fjórum birtum vísindagreinum. Tilgangur þessarar rannsóknar var að framkvæma íhlutun í kennslu á lífrænni efnafræði með notkun upplýsingatækni og meta viðhorf og reynslu kennaranema sem og kennara þeirra. Gögnum var safnað í þremur kennaraháskólum í Ghana með þremur efnafræðikennurum. Spurningalistar voru lagðir fyrir breiðan hóp kennara og kennaranema, og teking vour viðtöl og rýnihópaviðtal á netinu. Kennarar og rannsakandi voru í reglulegum samskiptum fyrir og á meðan samgöngutakmarkanir vegna faraldursins áttu sér stað. Meginmarkmiðið var að komast að því að hve miklu leyti háskólakennarar og kennaranemar gætu beitt upplýsingatækni við að tileinka sér vendinám- og kennslu við kennslu á lífrænni efnafræði. Skipulögð var kennsla í fjórar vikur þar sem hefðbundin kennsla byggð á fyrirlestrum í kennslustundum og skriflegri heimavinnu var skipt út fyrir kennsluhætti vendináms. Engar breytingar voru gerðar á innihaldi kennslunnar sem var samkvæmt námskrá fyrir háskólana. Þrjú viðfangsefni úr lífrænni efnafræði voru kennd með vendinámi, virku námi og með ríkri notkun á upplýsingatækni. Kennurunum í teyminu fannst erfitt að breyta kennsluháttum sínum og taka upp kennslu á netinu. Hæfni þeirra í upplýsingatækni var ábótavant rétt eins og tækniinnviðir í skólunum. Þeir töldu það að nýta vendinám gæfi nemunum tækifæri til að efla færni sína og breyta kennsluháttum. Kennararnir höfðu nokkra þekkingu á sviði upplýsingatækni en það voru ýmsir veikleikar við notkun hennar í kennslu. Kennararnir gáfu einnig til kynna að þeir sem þó höfðu fengið þjálfun í notkun upplýsingatækni, fannst hún ekki nógu skipulögð eða nægjanleg til að geta fléttað notkun hennar í kennslu. Kennaranemarnir töldu að sveigjanleikinn sem felst í vendináminu hefði gert þeim kleift að vera virkari og að taka meiri ábyrgð á eigin námi. Þeim fannst að þeir gætu átt samskipti við kennara sína og unnið með samnemendum í vendináminu. Þeir álitu einnig að vendinámið yki hugtakaskilning þeirra, námsárangur og gagnrýna hugsun. Stuðningurinn sem kennararnir sem leiddu verkefnið veittu hver öðrum dregur fram gildi þess að kennarar styðji hvern annan, þegar þeir eiga við sömu vandamál að stríða eins og gerðist í íhlutuninni. Þegar vendikennslu er beitt er mikilvægt að hafa í huga að þekking, leikni og hæfni kennara í upplýsingatækni geta aukið gæði náms og kennslu. Stöðug starfsþróun gerir háskólakennurum og nemendum kleift að nýta upplýsingatækni í skólastarfinu, til dæmis í lífrænni efnafræði. Við lok rannsóknarinnar var gerð SVOT stefnumótandi greining á lykilþáttum íhlutunarinnar. Greindir voru innri styrkleikar og veikleikar í þeim þáttum sem áhrif höfðu á það hlutverk skólanna að mennta kennara samkvæmt námskrám. Einnig voru tækifæri og áskoranir úr ytra umhverfi varðandi virkt nám dregin fram. Lykilþættir fyrir það að upplýsingatækni sé fléttuð í skólastarfið með árangursríkum hætti eru nægjanleg þekking og færni, nothæfir tækniinnviðir og regluleg notkun upplýsingatækninnar.

This research is a contribution to critical feminist scholarship on intimate partner violence (IPV). The project adopts the framework of affective–discursive practices to understand how violence thrives and is discursively maintained in Icelandic society, with a special focus on the project of heterosexuality and men who have been violent towards women. The research questions guiding the work are as follows: How do men who have committed violent acts against their female partners make sense of their actions, and how does the experience influence and contribute to the formation of the self, ideas on masculinity and perception of violence? How are normative heterosexual identities constructed and regulated in the context of Iceland, and how does the process relate to violence? How are hidden power relations, produced by (and inherent in) heterosexuality and IPV, maintained, and how do they become part of one’s identity? Critical feminist scholarship points out that IPV must be understood in relation to its gendered context and gender power imbalances, emphasising the importance of an intersectional lens. The mainstream discussion on IPV is generally focused on how well the violent act in question fits normative ideas about such violence, enforcing a stereotypical idea how ‘real’ or commonly recognised violence is manifested. Furthermore, the discursive framing of violence shapes the experiences of perpetrators and victims/survivors alike. This research draws on Liz Kelly’s and Linda Alcoff’s understanding of violence as spanning a spectrum where the impact of the violent act on the victim/survivor is central. The theoretical lens of affective–discursive practices highlights how accepted norms (e.g., violence and gender norms) draw one in, both affectively and discursively. In other words, the research takes interest in both the discursive/cultural/social context of IPV and the affective logic embedded in the participants’ understanding. The research data consist of a total of 35 hours of individual interviews with perpetrators of IPV, victims/survivors of IPV and group interviews with young people about relationships and consent. The results of the research project show, first, that young people draw heavily on heteronormative discourses and gendered norms in their understanding of consent in intimate relationships. Second, the research exposes the differences between the perpetrators’ and the victims/survivors’ perspectives and understandings of IPV. The perpetrators focus on the individual acts of violence that are unlawful, whereas the victims/survivors experience their relationships as characterised by abuse. The relationship itself becomes an affective–discursive practice informing their experience of violence. Shame also figures strongly in their narratives, traceable through its regulatory role in sustaining heteronormative practices. Finally, the discursive construction of the violent man as a monster is frequently brought up by the participants who identify themselves as perpetrators. The monster is a sticky category, representing the unknown Other; it attracts emotions such as fear and anxiety, affecting how others relate to the monstrous subject, as well as how the subject relates to oneself. Consequently, it discourages perpetrators from reflecting on their actions and masculinity and accepting responsibility for their violent behaviour. The participants’ experience of being identified as monsters does have a clear intersectional angle as it figures differently in their stories, depending on their social status and life histories. The research project highlights the latent power structures and gendered dynamics of heterosexual relationships and IPV in a country often regarded as a frontrunner in gender equality. The results contribute to the ongoing empirical and theoretical conversations about perpetrators of violence and masculinity, increasing the understanding of the subject matter by approaching IPV from the perspective of affective–discursive practices. The findings may further advise policymakers and inform the public debate on IPV in Iceland, as well as have a beneficial impact on the work of those concerned with the prevention of gender-based violence and the implementation of intervention measures., Rannsókn þessi er framlag höfundar til krítískra feminískra fræða um ofbeldi í nánum samböndum (ONS). Verkefnið byggir á aðferðum hrif- og orðræðugreiningar með áherslu á gjörninga (e. affective discursive practices) til þess að öðlast skilning á því hvernig ofbeldi þrífst og er viðhaldið í íslensku samfélagi, en sjónum er sérstaklega beint að hinu gagnkynhneigða regluverki og karlkyns gerendum ofbeldis. Rannsóknarspurningarnar sem reynt er að svara eru eftirfarandi: Hvernig skilja menn sem beitt hafa maka sinn ofbeldi verk sín og hvernig mótar reynslan sjálfsmynd þeirra, karlmennskuhugmyndir og viðhorf til eigin verka? Hvernig mótast hið normatífa, gagnkynhneigða sjálf í íslensku samfélagi, hvernig er því viðhaldið og hvernig tengist það ferli ofbeldi? Hvernig er duldum valdatengslum – sem sköpuð eru af (og rótgróin í) gagnkynhneigðu regluverki og ONS – viðhaldið og hvernig verða þau hluti af sjálfsmyndinni? Krítísk feminísk fræði benda á að ONS verði að skoða í samhengi við valdatengsl og kynjaðar víddir ofbeldisins, með áherslu á samtvinnun (e. intersectionality). Almenn umræða um ONS snýst gjarnan um það hversu vel tiltekið ofbeldisatvik fellur að viðteknum hugmyndum samfélagsins um slíkt ofbeldi, sem um leið rennir frekari stoðum undir steríótýpískar hugmyndir um hvað felist í „alvöru“ (þ.e. samfélagslega viðurkenndu) ofbeldi. Þessi orðræða um ofbeldi mótar bæði reynslu gerenda og þolenda ONS. Þessi rannsókn byggir á skilningi Liz Kelly og Lindu Alcoff á ofbeldi sem skala, þar sem áhrif obeldisverknaðarins á þolanda eru í forgrunni. Verkefnið byggir á aðferðum hrif- og orðræðugreiningar sem beinir sjónum okkar að því hvernig fyrirframgefnar hugmyndir um ofbeldi, kyngervi o.fl. móta skilning okkar og vekja með okkur ólíkar tilfinningar. Með öðrum orðum þá beinir rannsóknin sjónum að þeim orðræðum og hrifum sem birtast í frásögnum þátttakenda, og þeir nýta sér til þess að skilja og greiða úr reynslu sinni, en rannsóknin leggur áherslu á að skoða menningarlegt og samfélagslegt samhengi ONS. Rannsóknin byggir á yfir 35 klukkustundum af einstaklingsviðtölum við gerendur ofbeldis, þolendur ofbeldis og hópviðtölum við ungt fólk um sambönd og samþykki. Niðurstöður rannsóknaverkefnisins sýna í fyrsta lagi að skilningur ungs fólks á samþykki í kynlífi í nánum samböndum litast af kynjuðum viðmiðum og normatífri gagnkynhneigðri orðræðu. Í öðru lagi sýnir rannsóknin skýran mun á upplifun og skilningi gerenda og þolenda á ONS. Gerendur einblína gjarnan á einstök (ólögleg) ofbeldisatvik á meðan þolendur greina frá sambandi sem einkennist af stöðugu ofbeldi. Sambandið sjálft verður þannig að hrif- og orðræðugjörningi sem reynsla þátttakenda af ofbeldi byggir á. Í frásögnum þátttakenda skein skömmin í gegn, en stýrandi mátt hennar mátti skýrt greina í því regluverki sem viðheldur normatífri gagnkynhneigð. Að lokum kom orðræðan um menn sem beita ofbeldi í nánum samböndum sem „skrímsli“ ítrekað fram hjá þátttakendum sem skilgreina sig sem gerendur ofbeldis. Skrímslið er klístruð vera, það er fulltrúi hins óþekkta og verður því fyrir öðrun. Utan á það hlaðast tilfinningar á borð við ótta og kvíða, sem hefur svo áhrif á það hvernig aðrir nálgast og tengja við hina skrímslavæddu sjálfsveru, sem og hvernig sjálfsveran upplifir sig. Þetta gerir það að verkum að gerendur eru tregir til að líta í eigin barm og ígrunda gjörðir sínar, horfast í augu við hugmyndir sínar um karlmennsku og taka ábyrgð á ofbeldisfullri hegðun sinni. Reynsla viðmælenda af því að sýna af sér hegðun sem fellur undir viðteknar hugmyndir um „skrímslið“ ber skýr merki samtvinnunar þar sem það birtist okkur á ólíkan hátt í frásögnum þátttakenda, eftir félagslegri stöðu og lífshlaupi viðkomandi. Rannsóknarverkefnið sýnir glöggt dulin valdatengsl og kynjaðar víddir gagnkynhneigðra sambanda og ONS í landi sem gjarnan er álitið skara fram úr í kynjajafnrétti. Niðurstöðurnar eru þekkingarlegt og fræðilegt framlag til umræðunnar um gerendur ofbeldis og karlmennsku, en þær auka og dýpka skilning okkar á vandanum með því að nálgast ONS frá sjónarhorni hrif- og orðræðukenninga. Þá gagnast niðurstöðurnar stjórnvöldum og í stefnumótun, þær eru gagnlegar þeim sem vinna að forvörnum og meðferðarúrræðum í tengslum við kynbundið ofbeldi, auk þess að auðga samfélagslega umræðu um ONS á Íslandi., This work was supported by the Icelandic Centre for Research and the University of Iceland (grant: Gender Equality Fund and Eimskip Fund).

Becoming Cosmopolitan Citizen Architects: A Reflection on Architectural Education in a Nordic–Baltic Perspective This doctoral thesis contributes to the discussion of how architectural education can be advanced to respond better to the current climate and social emergencies. Architecture as a composite discipline is dedicated to the exploration and design of the relationship between humans and their environment. Architecture is in a key position to educate future practitioners to become capable of dealing with the current man-made crisis. Yet the pedagogical path to follow is uncertain. Even though many commentators praise architectural education’s intention to form skilled, socially engaged, and civic minded professionals, others accuse schools of architecture of producing politically distanced and apathetic individuals, professionals whose main concerns are devoted to geometrical exploration alone. This thesis does not bring a single solution to this broad area of discourse. Instead, it focuses on understanding and advocating for the contribution cosmopolitan citizenship education can bring to architectural education, to advance its societal role by educating architects who are better equipped to deal with grand challenges. UNESCO explains cosmopolitan citizenship education as the acquisition of the knowledge, skills, attitudes, values, and behaviours necessary to become active promoters of more peaceful, tolerant, inclusive, secure, and sustainable societies; its aim is also to form collaborative individuals who have a sense of belonging to the worldwide community of human and more-than-human beings. This type of education emphasises political, economic, social, and cultural inter¬dependency and interconnectedness that exist between the local, the national, and the global. It further emphasises the shared responsibilities that each individual carries as a distinct yet equal citizen of a shared and common world. This focus of this PhD research was not set a priori but is the result of my explorative journey into the practice of architectural education. This journey started with my sincere intention to become a better educator by providing comprehensive learning conditions for my students to develop both their personal interests and their societal agency. The journey involved qualitative mixed-method research that combined autoethnography and interviews with students and educators in architecture. It led to the formulation and activation of a theory explaining my main concern of making architectural education more socially relevant in a time when it is desperately needed. The journey began as an autoethnographic inquiry into my own architectural teaching practice as an educator who started his career in 2004. It uses two case studies of design studio courses, which I authored and supervised at the Iceland University of the Arts (IUA), to critically reflect on students’ intentions and their outcomes. These experiences highlighted the great capacity that students manifest to address and respond to issues of societal concern and use them as drivers of their design process. The journey then continued with the intention of learning from fellow educators and students in architecture at the Nordic Baltic Academy of Architecture (NBAA), thinking together about the societal value of architectural education. What emerged from these dialogues is the shared conviction to use architectural education as a project to develop not only the acquisition of knowledge and professional skills, but also to advance the attitudes, values, and behaviours necessary to respond to global challenges whilst creating conditions for students and educators to locally engage as active citizens in their com¬munities. This led me to investigate the fields of citizenship education, cosmopolitanism, global citizenship education, and critical pedagogy. Reflecting on the relationship between cosmopolitan citizenship education and architectural education guided me to explore how the first could further support the second; this became the central focus of the thesis. This reflection and exploration served as a theoretical framework to analyse and interpret the Nordic–Baltic voices and led me to build a grounded theory which I call Cosmopolitan Citizenship Architectural Education (CCAE). The purpose of this theory is to help students and educators cultivate a language and activate a pedagogy capable of advancing their positive societal agency. I noticed that despite the intentions expressed by the Nordic–Baltic interlocutors to use architectural education to produce citizen-architects aware of and engaged in local and global affairs, they lacked the confidence to fully embrace and include cosmopolitan citizenship education within architectural education. I believe this was a missed opportunity, so I used my research as an instrument to build a mandate for change, to raise questions to expand the meaning and scope of architectural education. To do this, I have presented the findings of this PhD in more than twenty conferences in the fields of education, design, planning, and architectural education and have published twenty articles. My intentions with this PhD are to: 1. identify and critically examine the strong relationship between the field of cosmopolitan citizenship and architectural education; 2. suggest how the first can help form a language and a pedagogy in architectural education capable of supporting students and their educators to further explore their societal roles; and 3. advance the societal relevance of architectural education. This research supports the conclusion that architectural education is a field of study not only receptive to the notion of cosmopolitan citizenship, but one that helps to activate it. As such, architectural education is of paramount importance not only for educating future designers of buildings but also to prepare students for active cosmopolitan citizenship. It is of the utmost importance to educate future architects who can contribute new perspectives and new stories of what architecture is and can do, architects who can enact new societal agencies necessary to face and respond to the present grand challenges and those yet to come., Nordic Baltic Academy of Architecture Iceland University of the Arts University of Iceland

Daily, we witness human rights violations linked to poverty, forced migration, discrimination and right-wing xenophobia, perpetuating positions of subordination and marginalisation. Human rights violations are also evident in schools. Human rights education (HRE) is a right, as articulated in human rights instruments, internationally and nationally. Yet in Iceland, HRE is not a recognised field of social justice education and research; human rights are addressed or assumed in multicultural, inclusive, sustainability, democracy and citizenship education. Democracy and human rights are one of six curriculum pillars in the 2011 national curriculum guides, suggesting a commitment to human rights. An interpretive narrative inquiry approach draws on ten upper secondary school teachers’ life stories, analysed using grounded theory and reflexive thematic analysis, to inform and extend understandings of transformative HRE. Professional knowledge from the researcher´s own narrative and analysis of human rights, HRE literature, education policy and the school context in Iceland, are used as additional data sets to inform analysis of the empirical data. Findings on teachers’ reasons for working with human rights, their practices, and perceptions of systemic challenges are used to inform teacher education. Findings suggest that teachers’ moral and political convictions, informed by cross-cultural experiences, are diluted by tacit knowledge of what human rights and HRE are. Teachers’ practices are reflective of learning through human rights rather than about and for human rights. Human rights risk being trivialised as teachers revert to familiar discourses and practices. Teachers report insufficient professional support, creating tensions and contradictions between their own human rights commitments and systemic expectations. The study argues that it is currently problematic to discuss HRE as transformative pedagogy in the context of conservative upper secondary schools. First, attention should be placed on human rights in teacher education. The study conceptualises an HRE teacher education framework aimed at developing teachers’ human rights and HRE knowledge and skills to generate human rights praxis as a counter-narrative to systemic constraints. The study contributes to international and local HRE scholarship by highlighting the responsibility and role of teacher education in sustaining human rights cultures., Á hverjum degi verðum við vitni að mannréttindabrotum sem tengjast fátækt, flótta, mismunun, útlendingaandúð, kúgun og jaðarsetningu. Mannréttindabrot eiga sér einnig stað í skólakerfinu. Mannréttindamenntun er réttur sem tilgreindur er í mannréttindaskuldbindingum, bæði staðbundnum og alþjóðlegum. Samt sem áður er mannréttindamenntun ekki skilgreind sem hluti af réttlætismenntun eða rannsóknum á félagslegu réttlæti en þó unnið með mannréttindi í fjölmenningarmenntun, menntun án aðgreiningar, sjálfbærnimenntun og borgaramenntun. Lýðræði og mannréttindi eru einn af sex grunnþáttum menntunar í aðalnámskrá frá árinu 2011 sem gefur vísbendingu um mikilvægi mannréttindamenntunar. Þessi túlkandi frásagnarrannsókn byggist á lífssögum tíu framhaldsskólakennara, þar sem grunduð kenning og þemagreining eru notaðar til að kryfja og víkka út skilning á umbreytandi mannréttindamenntun. Fagþekking sem byggist á reynslu rannsakandans sjálfs og greiningu hans á mannréttindamenntun, menntastefnu og skólastarfi á Íslandi, er notuð sem viðbótargögn til að dýpka greiningu viðtalsgagnanna. Niðurstöður um ástæður kennara fyrir því að vinna með mannréttindi, aðferðir þeirra, og upplifun af kerfisbundnum áskorunum eru notaðar til að leggja til umbætur á kennaramenntun. Niðurstöður benda til að siðferðileg og pólitísk sannfæring kennara, sem byggist á þvermenningarlegri reynslu, verði veikari vegna skorts á meðvitaðri þekkingu á mannréttindamenntun. Aðferðir kennaranna endurspegla áherslu á að læra í gegnum mannréttindi frekar en um mannréttindi eða fyrir mannréttindi. Þegar kennarar taka upp vanabundna orðræðu og vinnulag hættir þeim til að gefa mannréttindum lítið vægi. Kennarar segja frá ófullnægjandi faglegum stuðningi, sem veldur togstreitu á milli þeirra eigin skuldbindinga um mannréttindi og kerfislægra væntinga. Í rannsókninni eru færð rök fyrir því að í dag sé vandkvæðum bundið að ræða mannréttindamenntun sem umbreytandi kennslufræði innan hefðbundins framhaldsskóla. Beina þarf athygli að mannréttindum í kennaramenntun. Rannsóknin skilgreinir ramma fyrir mannréttindi sem viðfangsefni í kennaramenntun sem hefur það markmið að efla þekkingu og færni kennara í mannréttindamenntun og mannréttindastarfs sem andsvar við kerfislægum hindrunum. Rannsóknin er framlag til mannréttindamenntunar sem alþjóðlegs og staðbundins fræðasviðs og undirstrikar ábyrgð og hlutverk kennaramenntunar í því að viðhalda mannréttindamenningu., EIMSKIP University of Iceland grant

This thesis aims to explore how power relations are reproduced through parental choices and practices in Iceland, with a focus on classed and gendered dimensions. The thesis can be viewed as two separate yet connected parts. In the first part, I ask how parental practices contribute to class reproduction in Iceland, with a focus on school and neighbourhood choices. In the second part, I ask how the “good and worthy” parent is defined, with a focus on gendered family life in pandemic times. Three different datasets are used to achieve this overarching aim. In my exploration of school and neighbourhood choices, I use sixteen interviews with middle- or upper-class parents, thereof one father and fifteen mothers. Alongside these interviews, I use descriptive data on the socio economic background of families within the Reykjavík metropolitan area and families of children in private schools. The third dataset consists of ninety-seven stories of parenthood in pandemic times, collected with story completion method. Together these different datasets make possible a nuanced and diverse analysis of the topic in question. I analyse the data through the theoretical lens of Bourdieu and neoliberal governmentality. In particular, I use Bourdieu’s theories of the reproduction of class to explore if and how the middle class uses symbolic capital to reproduce class distinction, thereby enhancing privilege for their children through school and neighbourhood choices. In addition, I make use of feminist and post structuralist understanding of power relations. In this way I analyse the gendered and classed factors as they are shaped by choices, feelings, dilemmas, actions, words and discourses. Three scientific articles form the backbone of this thesis. Article 1 explores private school choice, Article 2 explores neighbourhood choice, and Article 3 is dedicated to manifestations of neoliberal governmentalities in pandemic parenthood. Together these articles achieve the aim of this thesis. On the whole we see that parenthood is now regarded as a social space that is fraught with dangers and pitfalls. The danger of the parent making the wrong choice of school (Article 1), neighbourhood (Article 2) or daily habits (Article 3) is ever-present. This presents the risk of the parents’ symbolic capital not being transmitted to the children. The instability of the rules of the social space of parenthood fuels this risk, which in turn creates 6 anxiety for the parents in question – in particular the mothers. When this anxiety is triggered, it begets the self-governing by which the neoliberal governmentality operates. Parents (especially mothers) begin to question their every move and to self-govern their choices, habits and feelings. These processes are intimately linked to the construction of the fit mother who must choose wisely, be organised, optimistic and happy. This ethos and this subject positioning of mothers contribute to the reproduction of the gendered and classed power relations in Icelandic society., Rannís og Jafnréttissjóður

The influx of refugees and immigrants into Iceland continues to affect the society socially, culturally, and politically. Like many other European countries, Iceland has become home to many refugees and immigrants, including young adults. This influx has affected the education system, and many schools have developed different models to serve the diverse needs of the increasing number of immigrant children entering the system. In spite of the obstacles – which include cultural and linguistic differences, struggles with different school systems and academic programs, educational level, financial standing or country of origin, little education, and limited family income – many refugee and immigrant students are enthusiastic about learning, and are able to succeed both academically and socially in their new learning spaces. Research has shown that immigrant students drop out of school as a result of different factors, such as not valuing school and having poor relationships with teachers and peers (Makarova & Herzog, 2013) and that immigrant teens in some ethnic groups suffer a higher dropout rate than the national average (Morse, 2005). According to a study conducted by Grétarsdóttir (2007) on educational progress among youth whose heritage language is not Icelandic, more than half of the respondents either never attended upper secondary education – i.e., the three to four years after compulsory school, typically about ages 16-19 – or dropped out. Understanding these students’ academic and social engagement and success may be critical for addressing the high dropout rates among immigrant students. Thus, the purpose of this study is to answer the question: What academic, personal, and social experiences account for the success of young immigrants and refugees while in upper secondary schools in Iceland? This study aimed to understand young immigrants’ and refugee students’ experiences of academic and social success in upper secondary schools in Iceland. In this study, 27 academically and socially successful students participated in one-hour semi-structured interviews. In the interviews, young immigrant and refugee students were asked about their attitudes toward their culture of origin and Icelandic culture and society, their experience of belonging to different groups, their aspirations and future goals in those settings, different learning environments and practise, their expectation of the schools and curriculum, and their motivations and obstacles including their language backgrounds. The study applies different theories, including culturally responsive pedagogy and multicultural education, that incline toward providing all students, regardless of their background, culture, language, race and ethnicities with the knowledge, tools and skills necessary to function harmoniously both in their community and globally. These theories facilitate the academic and social success of young immigrant and refugee students and create equity in the education system. The theoretical background chosen for this study aims to support the research questions and capture the depth of the data. Theories of inclusion and safe zones are discussed as ways to value diversity among these groups of students regardless of their background, language, ethnicity and race, and they address equitable opportunities for these students and to bring about equal, just and democratic society (Banks & Banks, 2013; Gay, 2018; Grant & Sleeter, 2013; Nieto, 2010; Pratt, 1991, 2007). Thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006, 2013) is used to analyze the data. This method is useful when one is trying to find commonalities in meaning among the participants’ responses. Knowledge about the reasons for the academic and social success of these students is important for policymakers, teachers, and governmental organisations, both in terms of societal stability and for the sake of individual refugee and immigrant youths. Bringing young immigrants’ and refugees’ academic and social success to light may also be significant in counteracting xenophobia. The findings reveal that various internal and external factors determine academic and social success of the refugee and immigrant students, including their desire, passion, and strength, as well as their interest in education and their future goals. They were intrinsically motivated, exerted effort, and refused to give up despite the various challenges they faced. Immigrant and refugee students’ journeys of success were also shaped by a set of visible factors both structural (inside their schools) and social (outside their schools, at home and in their communities).

Publisher's version (útgefin grein), The Nordic countries are often perceived as a coherent group representing the Nordic model of welfare states, with a strong emphasis on the public provision of universal welfare and a strong concern with social equality. But today we see a change in the Nordic model as part of a global knowledge economy. The aim of this article is to examine education in the five Nordic countries utilising three dimensions of political change: deregulation, marketisation and privatisation. We also analyse the parallel changes in relation to segregation and differentiation in education. The analysis shows that the themes related to deregulation seem to show fairly similar patterns and structures in all contexts. The emerging differences were discovered mainly in the themes of marketisation and privatisation. Institutional segregation emerges in all Nordic countries to different extents along the lines of these three processes, and we observe a simultaneous social segregation and differentiation with an ambiguous connection to them. Based on these findings, the question of what is left of the “Nordic model” could be raised.

The topic of this PhD dissertation is the social support networks adolescents of foreign origin and immigrant adolescents perceive to be available, both in their immediate environment (family, friends), and the more distal environment (neighborhood). More specifically, adolescents’ sociodemographic backgrounds and social support are explored in relation to their well-being (life satisfaction, and distress). Although previous studies have addressed immigrant adolescent well-being, there is a lack of deeper understanding of the association of sociodemographic background with well-being and the benefits of social support. Further, scholars have called for more research into friendship relations in diverse settings. The aims of the study were to investigate how social support and sociodemographic background relate to the well-being of adolescents of different ethnic backgrounds at the individual level and neighborhood level in Iceland, and how adolescents of native and foreign origin perceive social support from friendship networks, native friends and friends of foreign origin. The datasets used in the first two papers, come from the international research network Health Behavior in School-Aged Children (HBSC) collected in Iceland in 2009–2010 (first paper) and 2013–2014 (second paper). The research is population based, based on administering a standardized questionnaire to 11-, 13-, and 15-year-olds. In the 2009–2010 data collection cycle, 11,561 students answered (87% response rate), and in 2013–2014, 10,561 participated (84% response rate). A third data collection cycle was designed for this study and data collection took place in the spring term of 2018. A total of 806 adolescents (82% response rate) from nine lower-secondary schools (8th–10th grade) answered an anonymous online questionnaire administered in their schools. The sampling method used was purposive sampling and included nine compulsory schools selected to participate based on their geographic location (the capital area and four towns in the country side), ethnic diversity (high, medium, and low ratio of foreign origin), indicators of average family economic status in the area (lower and higher), and school size (midsized and large). Findings revealed that youth of foreign origin were, on average, at a disadvantage in terms of family affluence and the likelihood of belonging to non-intact families. Furthermore, they perceived less social support from x family, friends, and classmates as compared to native youth. These disadvantages were associated with adolescents’ well-being and varied by ethnicity. Neighborhood (school area) family affluence corresponded to more well-being in general, but adolescents of foreign origin were less likely to benefit from higher levels of neighborhood affluence compared to native adolescents. Furthermore, the perceived social support from friends differed by the origin of friends. Adolescents of foreign origin perceived more social support from other friends of foreign origin than from native friends. In conclusion, the findings underscore the importance of improving the social and economic status of immigrant families. It is also important to increase resources and access to supportive systems for youth of foreign origin., Viðfangsefni þessa doktorsverkefnis er félagsleg tengsl og stuðningur unglinga af ólíku þjóðerni. Sjónum er beint að því hvernig þeir upplifa stuðning úr nánasta tengslaneti (vinir, fjölskylda) og íbúahverfi sínu. Líðan þeirra og lífsánægja er tengd fyrrgreindum stuðningi og efnahagslegum bakgrunni í fjölskyldu og íbúahverfi. Þótt rannsóknir hafi í nokkrum mæli beinst að líðan og velferð innflytjendabarna skortir þekkingu á því hvernig félagsleg staða tengist líðan þeirra og lífsánægju og hvernig félagslegur stuðningur gagnast þessum hópi til að fyrirbyggja vanlíðan og vansæld. Sér í lagi hafa vinatengsl unglinga af erlendum uppruna ekki hlotið næga athygli í rannsóknum. Markmið rannsóknarinnar var að kanna: 1) hvernig félagslegur stuðningur og félagsleg og efnahagsleg staða í fjölskyldu auk efnahagsstöðu íbúa hverfis tengdist líðan og lífsánægju ungmenna af ólíkum þjóðernisuppruna og 2) hvers konar félagslegan stuðning unglingar af erlendum uppruna gátu sótt til íslenskra vina og vina sem einnig höfðu erlendan bakgrunn. Doktorsverkefnið byggðist meðal annars á gögnum úr landskönnuninni Heilsa og lífskjör skólanema (HBSC – Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children) sem safnað var annars vegar 2009–2010 og hins vegar 2013– 2014 í 6., 8. og 10. bekk. Alls tóku 11561 nemendur þátt í fyrra skiptið (87% svarhlutfall) og 10561 tóku þátt 2013–2014 (84% svarhlutfall). Til viðbótar var ráðist í nýja gagnasöfnun fyrir rannsóknarverkefnið sem fór fram á vormisseri 2018. Í þeirri rannsókn tóku þátt alls 806 unglingar (82% svarhlutfall) í 8.–10. bekk úr níu grunnskólum. Beitt var markvissri úrtaksaðferð og voru skólarnir níu valdir til þátttöku með hliðsjón af staðsetningu (höfuðborgarsvæði og byggðakjarnar á landsbyggðinni), hlutfalli innflytjenda (hátt, meðalhátt og lágt), efnahagslegri stöðu fjölskyldna á svæði (lægri og hærri) og stærð skóla (meðalstórir og stórir). Helstu niðurstöður doktorsverkefnisins voru að meiri vanlíðan og minni lífsánægja kom fram hjá ungmennum af pólskum og asískum uppruna samanborið við ungmenni sem höfðu íslenskan uppruna. Þessir upprunahópar bjuggu að jafnaði við lakari félagslega og efnahagslega stöðu miðað við ungmenni sem höfðu íslenskan uppruna. Atriði á borð við bágari efnahag fjölskyldu, að búa ekki hjá báðum foreldrum eða að viii foreldrar voru án vinnu tengdust, síðri líðan og lífsánægju ungmenna. Jafnframt nutu ungmenni af erlendum uppruna síður stuðnings foreldra, vina og bekkjarfélaga en ungmenni af íslenskum uppruna, sem einnig skýrði lakari líðan og minni lífsánægju. Efnahagur fjölskyldna í íbúahverfi tengdist einnig líðan og lífsánægju unglinga, en ávinningur þess að búa í skólahverfi þar sem efnahagsstaða fjölskyldna var betri skilaði sér síður til unglinga af erlendum en innlendum uppruna. Þegar borinn var saman aðgangur hópanna að félagslegum stuðningi vina, nutu unglingar af erlendum uppruna síður tilfinningalegs stuðnings íslenskra vina en unglingar sem höfðu íslenskan uppruna. Niðurstöður rannsóknarinnar undirstrika mikilvægi þess að bæta stöðu innflytjendafjölskyldna á Íslandi og huga betur þeim stuðningsúrræðum sem til staðar eru og standa ungmennum af erlendum uppruna til boða., University of Iceland Doctoral Fund

The article highlights how the strategic use of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) by disabled people&rsquo, s organizations (DPOs) in Iceland has produced a shift in the balance of power with regard to how, and by whom, disability legislation and policy in Iceland is developed. The article draws on a study examining the last stages of a consultative process between representatives of DPOs and policymakers in Iceland leading up to the adoption, in May of 2018, of core disability legislation, Laws pertaining to services for disabled people with long-term support needs (No. 38/2018). It examines the process from the perspective of representatives of DPOs through in-depth interviews and document analysis. This article draws on critical theory and the human rights approach in its analysis, with a particular emphasis on the roadmap to the coproduction of policy provided by the CRPD and the UN CRPD Committee through the issuance of guidance to States Parties to the Convention. It draws attention to the DPOs&rsquo, ongoing refocusing of their strategies, and their emphasis on harnessing the rights contained in the CRPD to gain recognition of their right to participation in the coproduction of policy and in changing process norms.

This paper outlines the reported discrepancies between the aims of the welfare services in Iceland and the experiences of parents raising young children with intellectual disabilities. Prevailing views on disability and service delivery were also considered. A multi case study design was employed to reflect the situation in different parts of the country. Families of eight children with intellectual disabilities and professionals in three different municipalities formed the cases. The findings reveal a high convergence between the three cases with variations based on individual experiences rather than geographical location. Overall, parents praised the preschools but experienced support services often as fragmented and uncompromising. Particular components of the services were consistently regarded as hard to reach and not in accordance with the needs of the family. Culturalhistorical activity theory is introduced as a beneficial framework for further study and system improvement.