Doctoral defence at the School of Education - Artëm Ingmar Benediktsson

The doctoral candidate:  Artëm Ingmar Benediktsson

 “It is not only the Teacher who is Talking; It is an Exchange” Immigrant Students’ Experiences of Learning Environments and Teaching Methods used in Icelandic Universities

Opponents: Dr. Anne Holmen, Professor Center for Internationalisering og Parallelsproglighed, Kaupmannahafnarháskóla, and Dr. Jim Cummins, Professor emeritus at University of Toronto, Kanada.

Supervisor: Dr.Hanna Ragnarsdóttir, Professor við Menntavísindasvið, og co supervisor dr. Lise Iversen Kulbrandstad, prófessor við Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Noregi.

Aðrir í doktorsnefnd: Dr. Guðrún Geirsdóttir, Seniour Lecturer and adminstrator for Kennslumiðstöðvar Háskóla Íslands.

 Dr. Ingólfur Ásgeir Jóhannesson, prófessor og forseti Deildar menntunar og margbreytileika Menntavísindasviðs will conduct the ceremony

Due to regulations only 50 people can attend the University Aula. The ceremony will be broadcasted online

The research is a qualitative study that aims to provide deep insight into immigrant students’ perspectives on the learning process and to find out which teaching methods they consider being relevant. Furthermore, the dissertation’s goal is to analyse the main challenges, including language-related issues, that immigrant students experience during the learning process and what support services are available to them.  

The theoretical background of the study includes constructivist theory, multicultural education theory and second-language teaching and learning theories. The main focus is on learner-centred and culturally responsive approaches to teaching that encourage students to be independent and active learners, to use previous experiences in the learning process and to exchange knowledge with teachers and peers.

The participants are 41 first-generation immigrants who are pursuing higher education in one of the three target universities on an undergraduate level. The data was collected using qualitative techniques, such as focus group interviews and individual interviews.

The findings highlight the importance of shifting away from a traditional lecture-based approach to learner-centred approaches to teaching, such as culturally responsive teaching, assessment and support. These are likely to create an empowering learning environment where every student has equal opportunities and access and feels valued. The findings have been presented and discussed in five academic papers that are included in the dissertation.