Suchergebnisse

This article analyzes three reports on higher education, research and innovation policy in Iceland by using a Foucauldian discourse analysis approach. The reports were released in 2009 and 2012, emphasizing the simplification of the research and innovation system in Iceland. While on the surface the reports include practical recommendations, the study reveals a strong moral stance in the reports which express concerns that too many universities and two small institutions spread efforts too widely. Suggestions to reorganize the system tend to be presented by simply stating that it is important to do so, but sometimes such assertions are also interwoven with arguments for larger and more powerful universities and research institutions. There is a focus in the reports on innovation and the creation of economic value. Research, science, and innovation are firmly combined with the goal of economic growth. There is the undertone that it is relatively easy to define what is good research or even quality research; and the chief criterion seems to be that good research is research that is useful for business and industry. Academic freedom, on the other hand, is rarely discussed in the reports.

In 2008, new legislation was passed in Iceland on teacher education, requiring a master's degree as a prerequisite for teaching certification for all school levels from preschools to upper secondary schools. In the same year the Iceland University of Education merged with the University of Iceland. This article maps the revision of the teacher education (TE) programme for compulsory school teaching at the University of Iceland from these extensive changes, 2008 until 2017. During this period, the University also dealt with the consequences of the economical downfall of 2008 and serious decline in attendance in the TE programme. The study is based on an analysis of various documents, including reports, memoranda, minutes, legislative documents, course catalogues, and a survey among graduated students. We discuss the challenges that arose in creating a high-quality TE programme for a too small group of students, contradictions that were encountered when trying to bring together different and often contradicting interests of stakeholders, and the continuity of previous practices and trends. ; Peer Reviewed

Globally, there is a demand for basing education policy decisions and practice on solid evidence. While the same applies in Iceland, some have claimed that there is a dearth of evidence-based publications targeted at education. This article considers this claim by examining the availability and nature of evidencebased publications with a focus on upper secondary education in Iceland. In total, the main characteristics of 316 publications were studied over the period 2003–2012. These publications included peer-reviewed articles, non-reviewed scholarly work (articles and reports), master's and doctoral theses, external evaluation reports, and innovation reports. The findings reveal a hidden treasure of a number of publications targeted at upper secondary education in Iceland. Some educational fields are still weakly represented in the evidence spectrum, such as vocational studies, and the data collection methods are relatively few. Furthermore, the main stakeholders are isolated from one another to a degree. Such isolation is problematic, as evidence-based publications are intended to inform both policy and practice. Thus, the study suggests an increased need for cooperation among the main stakeholders in upper secondary education.