Doctoral defense in Educational Siences: Þorlákur Axel Jónsson

Þorlákur Axel Jónsson defends his PhD thesis in Educational Sciences from the Faculty of education and pedagogy, University of Iceland:

Enrolment and educational attainment at upper secondary school level by student economic, social, and cultural status at times of high stakes testing

The oral defence takes place Tuesday September 23rd., at 13:00 pm in the Aula in the main building of the University of Iceland as well as in live stream.

Opponents are dr Gunnlaugur Magnússon, assistand professor at Uppsala Universitet and dr. Þórólfur Þórlindsson, professor emeritus at University of Iceland.  

Mains upervisor was dr. Amalía Björnsdóttir, professor at School of Education, University of Iceland and dr. Ólöf Garðarsdóttir, professor og dean of School of humanitiies, University of Iceland.

Expert in the Doctoral Committee was dr. Þóroddur Bjarnason, professor at University of Iceland.

Dr. Karen Rut Gísladóttir, head of the faculty of education and pedagogy will conduct the ceremony.

All are welcome.

The doctoral defence will also be in live stream.

About the doctoral candidate:

Þorlákur Axel Jónsson began teaching at Akureyri Junior College (AJC) after completing his BA degree at the University of Iceland in 1987. He earned his cand. mag. degree from the University of Copenhagen in 1994. Þorlákur taught at AJC for over 20 years and has been teaching at the University of Akureyri for more than a decade. His teaching subjects have included history, sociology, and other social studies at the upper secondary level, as well as courses in social studies, history, and the application of statistical methods at the Faculty of Education at the University of Akureyri.

About the project:

The study investigated the relationship between the socioeconomic status of new students entering upper secondary schools in 2006, their prior academic performance, and their academic progress over the following six years. It brought together two research traditions in the sociology of education: one emphasizing the role of the school system in reproducing social power relations, and the other focusing on how social conditions simultaneously shape individual actions and broader societal structures.
Data from public institutions on students’ social backgrounds, academic performance, and completion of upper secondary education were analyzed using statistical methods that are rarely applied in Icelandic educational research—such as linear and logistic multilevel analyses of differences between schools.
The findings revealed that social differentiation was evident at the point of upper secondary school enrolment, with significant disparities in the socioeconomic status of student groups across individual schools. However, academic performance in compulsory school was more strongly associated with enrollment in upper secondary education and was a better predictor of completion. In contrast, socioeconomic status had limited explanatory power regarding the likelihood of completing upper secondary school.