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This paper presents findings from a collective case study focusing on the efforts of a grassroots team of seven pioneering women: teachers, IT consultants, and tech enthusiasts. The team was formed to introduce, encourage, and establish makerspaces in the Icelandic compulsory school system by educating and supporting teachers and young students (6–15 years) as makers and advocates of maker culture. All seven team members have developed or supported different models of makerspaces in their area of work and offered guidance to other educators. Our research examines learning on a personal, relational, and institutional level, reviewing values and practices of participants and what characterizes their social interactions, agency and empowerment in relation to making. It introduces new models of pedagogy, often supported by school leadership and social media action facilitating the development of making and maker culture. It attempts to map how makerspaces can be integrated into school practice in alignment with curricular objectives to support diverse engagements, digital literacies and creative design skills. Our findings further reveal how an all-women team has taken agency and through collaborative actions, collective creativity and self-empowerment managed to overcome challenges and provide leadership in this emergent field in Icelandic school practice., This research was partly funded by the European Commission Horizon 2020 Programme, Grant No: 734720.

The aim of this study was to examine how the transfer of the affairs of disabled people from the state to the municipalities had proceeded. The process of the transfer was examined and then the largest municipality, Reykjavík, was chosen for a closer examination on the policy and implementation concerning services for disabled people. A qualitative study was conducted in the autumn of 2012. Eight interviews were taken with key professionals who had been involved directly in the transfer or worked on the affairs of disabled people before or after the transfer. A specialist in the affairs of disabled people was interviewed at the Ministry of Welfare and at the Association of Local Authorities in Iceland. Furthermore, a key professional was interviewed in each of the six municipal services in Reykjavík. The interviewees believed that having decided on and gone through with the transfer was the right thing to do. They believed that services closer to the people who need it would be a better choice. The person that uses the services only needs to go to one place in order to receive it, instead of two as before. However, the interviewees had not seen a considerable improvement in the services as expected. A considerable additional funds are needed for the affair. The transition from the state to the municipalities was not sufficiently prepared. The affairs of disabled people requires a lot of interdisciplinary work as well, which the interviewees thought was proceeding well.

The theoretical background of leadership literature is based on assessing leadership from the perspective of the individual in the role. As the field progressed other factors were believed to be important in understanding leadership. In the last years the spotlight in research on leadership has, again, been on the leader himself as in theories such as authentic leadership and servant leadership. In this article the impact of the leadership of Jón Gnarr, that becoming a leader,when he served as a Major for Reykavík in the years 2010-2014. In the article the main conclusions of the research on Jóns Gnarr as a leader are discussed. Open-ended interviews were conducted among the official leaders of the City and those that worked closely with him on the political arena and with Jón himself. Seven indepth open-ended interviews were conducted and analyzed with qualitative methods. The research hypothesis is that the extreme societal and economical environment let to the election of the Best Party. The main conclusions are that in Jón Gnarrs leadership we can see indications that supports theories of authentic leadership. His lifestory and experience, intuition seem to have changed communication between actors. With trust, respect and caring. This empowered his followers and inspired them in a new way. This research contribution is in the field of authentic leadership. In particular where unusual circumstances call for different leadership.

Publisher's version (útgefin grein), Objective To synthesise qualitative studies on women's psychological experiences of physiological childbirth. Design Meta-synthesis. Methods Studies exploring women's psychological experiences of physiological birth using qualitative methods were eligible. The research group searched the following databases: MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, SocINDEX and Psychology and Behavioural Sciences Collection. We contacted the key authors searched reference lists of the collected articles. Quality assessment was done independently using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklist. Studies were synthesised using techniques of meta-ethnography. Results Eight studies involving 94 women were included. Three third order interpretations were identified: 'maintaining self-confidence in early labour', 'withdrawing within as labour intensifies' and 'the uniqueness of the birth experience'. Using the first, second and third order interpretations, a line of argument developed that demonstrated 'the empowering journey of giving birth' encompassing the various emotions, thoughts and behaviours that women experience during birth. Conclusion Giving birth physiologically is an intense and transformative psychological experience that generates a sense of empowerment. The benefits of this process can be maximised through physical, emotional and social support for women, enhancing their belief in their ability to birth and not disturbing physiology unless it is necessary. Healthcare professionals need to take cognisance of the empowering effects of the psychological experience of physiological childbirth. Further research to validate the results from this study is necessary., European Cooperation in Science and Technology

Publisher's version (útgefin grein), Aim: To analyse psychosocial self‐efficacy in adolescents with type 1 diabetes, evalu‐ ate associations between self‐efficacy and metabolic control and background varia‐ bles and determine psychometric properties of the Finnish Diabetes Empowerment Scale (Fin‐DES‐28). Design: A descriptive correlational survey. Methods: The data were collected with the Finnish Diabetes Empowerment Scale from 13–16‐year‐old adolescents with type 1 diabetes (N = 189, 34%) in one univer‐ sity hospital district area in 2014. Results: The level of psychosocial self‐efficacy was quite good. The highest scores were in managing the psychosocial aspects of diabetes, followed by assessing dis‐ satisfaction and readiness to change and setting and achieving diabetes goals. The self‐efficacy did not correlate with metabolic control or background variables. A positive association was found between self‐efficacy and understanding of diabetes and its treatment, adjustment of diabetes to life and the relationship with the doctor and the nurse. The internal consistency of the Finnish Diabetes Empowerment Scale was adequate. The low response rate limits generalization.

Introduction Immigration to Iceland has been increasing steadily since 1995 and has reached 7.4 % in 2015 (Hagstofa Íslands, 2016). This fact has brought with it new inspiration and challenges for the educational researcher that seeks to understand the educational needs of diverse students and how to provide them with effective learning opportunities. In this article, we take a critical look at the University of Iceland’s School of Education International Studies in Education (ISE) program and ask how this program has influenced the lives of the participating women who all have an immigrant background. Drawing on the knowledge gained through personal narratives and focus group interviews in 2011, we sought to answer the following key questions: In what way can education be an instrumental part of women’s empowerment, and how can it be a fundamental component in giving women the “tools” they need to reach their goals and aspirations? What role does the critical pedagogy emphasis of the program play for the educational achievements of the women and how does it facilitate a multicultural learning community?

Learning from decentralization of services from state to municipal level: The transfer of services from state to municipality level in the past 15 years has created an environment for learning and provides opportunities for development and innovation. This article is mainly based on findings from a case study in Akureyri, a municipality in north Iceland, which did implement services from the state to the municipal level and has been called the Akureyri model. The change was made possible by a legislative change in 1994. The case study is based on qualitative interviews with management personel about their management methods during implementation and data collection from previous sources. Findings show that cross-professional methods, wholistic solutions and a service orientated approach matter for performance. The organizational structure of the municipality support these methods and can improve performance. When managing municipalities it is recommended to put more emphasize on empowerment, learning and enable possibilities to increase efficiency by systems thinking.