Artëm Ingimar Benediktsson and research team
The number of international students at the University of Iceland has almost reached two thousand. Some of these students have come for short terms as exchange students; others take a full degree but then move on elsewhere, and yet others have decided to start a new life on a weather-beaten island in the north. Some have moved here with their families, many have Icelandic spouses. In his doctoral project Artëm Ingimar Benediktsson enquires how immigrants fare in their university studies, what their expectations are and what obstacles they encounter. He examines the opportunities afforded to immigrants by higher education and what their interaction with fellow students and teachers is like. Artëm belongs to a research team with seven other researchers: Hanna Ragnarsdóttir, Professor, Project Manager and Artëm’s supervisor; Börkur Hansen Professor; Jón Torfi Jónasson, Professor; the doctoral students Anna Katarzyna Woznicza and Susan Rafik Hama; Anh-Dao Tranh Post-doc and Kriselle Lou Suson Cagatin, Master’s student. The project is funded by the Icelandic Centre for Research.
In his doctoral project Artëm Ingimar Benediktsson enquires how immigrants fare in their university studies, what their expectations are and what obstacles they encounter.
“This study is important because the status of immigrants in higher education has hitherto not been researched in Iceland, while there are a number of studies concerning these matters in primary and secondary schools,” says Artëm Ingmar. Immigrant matters have not been covered to any significant degree in the policies of the three main universities and therefore this study adds to the knowledge in this field. “The study is socially important because the number of immigrants in the universities increases annually and the universities must be conscious of the challenges experienced by immigrants, and the experience and knowledge they possess when they start their studies,” says Artëm.
Artëm Ingmar is an immigrant himself who has been through the university system, with a BA degree in Danish and an MA in Nordic Studies from the University of Iceland. He is familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of the system and can contribute with his own personal experience. “Most of the participants in the study are positive towards the university system. The main problems concern language, lack of information on the education or society, or practical problems concerning visas,” says Artëm Ingmar.
Artëm’s study is based on interviews with students with a foreign background. He has just started his research so no conclusions have been reached. Artëm Ingmar says that nevertheless some interesting observations can be made, for example how immigrants often find it difficult to get to know people in the universities and be active participants in the community. Language is very often the key to such problems; and it is important to remember how valuable the contribution of the immigrants can be; they bring new and valuable perspectives to the table.
Supervisor: Hanna Ragnarsdóttir, Professor at the Faculty of Education Studies