Teaching and support in Icelandic Universities: Immigrant students’ experiences

Abstract

As a result of increased migration in recent decades, the number of students of foreign origin has increased in universities in Iceland.
This paper derives from the research project Educational aspirations, opportunities and challenges for immigrants in university education in Iceland (2016-2018) funded by the Icelandic Research Fund.
The main goal of the research project is to study aspirations, opportunities and challenges of immigrants in university education in Iceland. The project also aims to identify the kind of support available in the universities for students of foreign origin and how the students use this support.
This paper is based on the results of group and individual interviews with 41 immigrant students, who are currently enrolled, or have been enrolled, in an undergraduate programme in one of the three targeted Icelandic universities; University of Iceland, Reykjavík University and University of Akureyri.
Data was analysed through the qualitative procedures of thematic analysis, coding and constant comparison of data.
This paper presents three key themes that appear in the analysis of most of the interviews: the participants’ experiences of teaching methods, the educational support that they receive in the universities and challenges they face during their studies.
The findings of the interviews indicate that the majority of the participants think that the teaching methods in the Icelandic universities are modern. The participants enjoy a sense of the equality between teachers and students in the universities. They also acknowledge teachers’ positive attitudes when students try to use their previous knowledge during class discussions or in projects. The participants also elaborated on practical teaching methods such as discussion sessions and group-work which the Icelandic teachers frequently use in their teaching.
The participants’ experiences of and attitudes towards group work, however, vary considerably. Some participants feel group work is useful and educational, because it gives them an opportunity to discuss their thoughts with their group mates and share their knowledge. On the other hand, some participants are negative towards the group work, they think it is a waste of time and that they learn little or nothing during group work sessions. The divergent attitudes towards group work could probably be explained by looking into participants’ different expectations of the study- programme itself: some participants want to gain knowledge and practical skills that they can use during their future work, while others are independent learners who seek academic knowledge of the subject that they study.
Language-related issues were widely discussed during the interviews. The majority of the participants point out that they encounter problems when courses are taught in Icelandic, because of lack of knowledge thereof.
Another language-related issue is the usage of two or more languages in teaching, usually Icelandic and English. Among the most common problems that the participants describe are those relating to translation of academic terms from Icelandic into English and their native language(s) and vice versa, which in some cases result in misunderstandings and substantially prolong the self-study time.
Other issues the participants face are communication problems and lack of information. Those participants that came from countries outside the EU/EEA also describe problems and stress related to the application process for resident permits.
When the participants face challenges or problems they use different ways to resolve the issues and they mention both formal and informal support sources that they seek help from. Formal support is usually provided by the Student Counselling and Career Centre, while the informal support is provided by co-students, friends and family. In this paper, the different sources for support will be discussed, as well as in what situations and how the participants usually use them.
This research project may prove useful to universities, helping them to better respond to growing diversity in their student populations.