Cascading effect of upper secondary education policy reform : the experiences and perspectives of university teachers

In 2014 the Icelandic government implemented a reform that reduced the time of all academic programs of upper secondary education from an average of four years in duration to three, aiming to increase efficiency in the education system. Drawing on critical policy analysis, this study explores wider consequences of the reform’s enactment for higher education, with reference to the strong connection between the two school levels. Teachers at the University of Iceland were interviewed about perceived changes, if any, in students’ preparation for university studies in the wake of the reform and whether any measures were needed to adapt to such changes. The findings highlight the importance of policy makers considering the interconnectedness of different school levels and the wide-reaching effects of education reforms. They indicate that the policy reform has had consequences in higher education that vary between different academic subjects and disciplines and that there is considerable tension within the University in how to adapt to them. The findings call for further exploration into the content of the academic programs in upper secondary education which may provide valuable information on the interplay between policies that aim for decentralised curriculum-making and efficiency in education systems.Peer reviewe

The academic–vocational divide in three Nordic countries: implications for social class and gender

In this study we examine how the academic–vocational divide is manifested today in Finland, Iceland and Sweden in the division between vocationally (VET) and academicallyoriented programmes at the upper-secondary school level. The paper is based on a critical re-analysis of results from previous studies; in it we investigate the implications of this divide for class and gender inequalities. The theoretical lens used for the synthesis is based on Bernstein´s theory of pedagogic codes. In the re-analysis we draw on previous studies of policy, curriculum and educational praxis as well as official statistics. The main conclusions are that contemporary policy and curriculum trends in all three countries are dominated by a neo-liberal discourse stressing principles such as “market relevance” and employability. This trend strengthens the academic–vocational divide, mainly through an organisation of knowledge in VET that separates it from more general and theoretical elements. This trend also seems to affect VET students’ transitions in terms of reduced access to higher education, particularly in male-dominated programmes. We also identify low expectations for VET students, manifested through choice of textbooks and tasks, organisation of teacher teams and the advice of career counsellors.</p

Strategies for Using Instructions in Procedural Tasks

The study examined whether an instruction-based strategy (studying the instructions before attempting the task) or a task-based strategy (attempting the task and referencing instructions) was more effective for procedural performance and learning. Four groups of participants learned to perform macram tasks and assembly tasks, and received detailed instructions at different times in the process of attempting the tasks. Performance was assessed at training and a week later by recording task completion time, correctness, and subjective cognitive load. The strategy for using instructions affected initial performance on the macram tasks, where instruction-based strategy was superior, but not later retention or transfer. This pattern of results was not found for the assembly tasks indicating that characteristics of the tasks influenced the effectiveness of the strategy for using instructions.M.S.Committee Chair: Catrambone, Richard; Committee Member: Guzdial, Mark; Committee Member: Rogers, Wend

Challenges of vocational education in IcelandAccess to higher education

Ein af helstu áskorunum starfsmenntunar á framhaldsskólastigi er hvernig hægt er að breyta þeirri ímynd að starfsmenntun sé blindgata í menntakerfinu. Þessi áskorun er oft rædd út frá eflingu starfsmenntunar og er yfirleitt átt við hvernig hægt er að fá fleiri ungmenni til að velja starfsmenntun. Sérstaklega hefur verið lögð áhersla á að veita starfsmenntanemendum tækifæri til áframhaldandi náms í háskóla. Markmið greinarinnar er að skoða hvernig aðgengi starfsmenntanema að háskólastiginu hefur þróast síðustu tvo áratugi – bæði kerfislega og með hliðsjón af tækifærum og aðsókn nemenda. Tilgangurinn er að varpa ljósi á hvaða öfl móta þá þróun og þýðingu fyrir framtíð starfsmenntunar. Efniviður greiningar eru tölur frá Hagstofu Íslands og skjalarýni. Niðurstöður draga fram að hlutdeild starfsnámsnema í háskólanámi hefur verið lítil þrátt fyrir stækkun háskólastigsins og ekki er ljóst hvort það stafi af kerfislægum hindrunum, skorti á tækifærum eða áhugaleysi gagnvart því námi sem hefur verið í boði. Töluverðar breytingar hafa orðið á starfsmenntakerfinu á síðustu tveimur áratugum sem ættu að hafa áhrif á aðgengi starfsmenntanema að háskólastiginu. Annars vegar snúa þær að undirbúningi á framhaldsskólastiginu – með dreifstýringu námskrárgerðar og að leggja ekki tegund lokaprófa að jöfnu við námsbrautir. Hins vegar snúa þær að því að fjarlægja þröskulda á háskólastiginu – með stofnun fagháskólanáms og breytingu á inntökuskilyrðum í háskóla. Áhrif þessara breytinga virðast þó takmörkuð enn sem komið er og óljóst hvort þær auki aðgengi starfsnámsnema að háskólastiginu þegar upp er staðið. Enn fremur er það opin spurning hvort þær verði til þess að gera starfsnám meira aðlaðandi fyrir ungt fólk sem velur sér nám í framhaldsskólum. Sú þróun á aðgengi starfsmenntanema að háskólastiginu sem hér er rakin sýnir hvernig ýmis öfl vinna á móti breytingum á starfsmenntun, en einnig togstreitu í kerfinu á milli þess að halda í aðgreiningu starfsnáms og bóknáms og sameiningar eða fjölhyggju.One of the key challenges to vocational education and training (VET) at upper secondary education level is how to change the perspective that it represents a dead-end pathway. This challenge is often discussed in the context of how to increase the standing of VET and refers to efforts in increasing VET participation (Billett, 2020; Elsa Eiríksdóttir et al., 2018; OECD, 2013a). In Iceland, only about 15% of young people choose VET in upper secondary schools and educational authorities have long emphasized the need for action (Mennta- og menningarmálaráðuneytið [Ministry of Education, Science and Culture], 2014). Providing VET graduate access to higher education (HE) is often mentioned as an important measure – especially with increased expansion and participation in HE (Jón Torfi Jónasson, 1998, 2003). The goal of the article is to look at how the access of VET graduates to HE has developed over the past two decades in Iceland, both in terms of structure and regulations governing the education system, as well as opportunities for students and their participation. The development of VET students’ access to HE is considered in terms of: (1) preparation for HE at upper secondary school level, and (2) changes made to the HE education level to accommodate those graduating from VET programmes (VET graduates). Until 2021, a matriculation examination was required for university admission in Iceland and while academic programmes at upper secondary schools typically end with matriculation, VET programmes do not. Typical VET programmes take four years to complete and if matriculation is sought, it usually means additional time at upper secondary school. In the years 2008 to 2011 the regulatory framework of upper secondary education was reformed, and a new national curriculum introduced. Decentralization of curriculum design, and a disengagement of the type of qualifications (e.g., matriculation examination) and type of programme (academic, vocational, or arts) were part of this reform. These changes created the opportunity for schools to develop a greater variety of VET programmes and even create hybrid programmes, where students complete both VET qualifications and the matriculation examination without additional study time. However, little seems to have changed; today very few programmes offer VET students opportunities to complete the matriculation examination and most of them require additional study time. Furthermore, data from Statistics Iceland (Hagstofa Íslands, n.d.) shows that on average relatively few VET students complete the matriculation examination. Participation of VET graduates in HE has generally been very low, and they are only about 7% of each freshman class on average, despite a general expansion of HE participation. It is not clear whether this is due to systemic obstacles, shortage of opportunities, or lack of interest in the programmes on offer. There are no applied universities (vocational universities) in Iceland and programmes intended for VET graduates are rare. This lack of HE pathways and opportunities has been criticized (Cedefop, 2020b; OECD, 2013b) and establishing HE pathways for VET graduates was one of the objectives of a reform following a white paper on education in 2014 (Verkefnishópur um fagháskólanám 2016; 2019). Subsequent efforts to create HE vocational education involved providing established universities with grants to develop new such programmes. While undoubtedly increasing the possible HE pathways for VET graduates, this was quite different from the vision of establishing HE vocational institutions shared by many stakeholders. However, one resulting recommendation was that university admission requirements should be changed so that VET qualifications would suffice for admission and in 2021, legislation governing HE in Iceland was changed accordingly. Many applauded this change as an important milestone for increasing the standing of VET and providing equal access to HE. But many also warned that the actual implementation of these changes would determine their effectiveness. One issue is that even if these are general admission requirements, each department and programme can impose further admission requirements based on specialization. This means that the actual opportunities for HE entry will depend on how these requirements are defined. Whether these changes will increase the standing of VET remains to be seen, but even the educational authorities proposing the changes were unsure of their potential effectiveness. Overall, the development of access to HE for VET graduates in Iceland reveals the tension between different forces governing this part of the education sector (Jón Torfi Jónasson, 1995, 1998). VET in Iceland has traditionally been quite distinct from academic programmes concluded with a matriculation examination, but the efforts of the authorities to open HE to VET graduates have generally been towards integration of VET into the academic system (Cedefop, 2020a). The gatekeepers of both the VET and the academic systems (e.g., stakeholders in the world of work and at the university level) have resisted these efforts. How these tensions will play out in practice will, in part, determine the future of VET in Iceland; that is, whether pluralistic education will dominate or whether VET will remain distinctive from the general academic pathways.Peer reviewe

Program Coherence and Integration of School- and Work-Based Learning in the Icelandic Dual Vocational Education and Training (VET) System

This study examines how recently graduated journeymen, vocational teachers, and workplace trainers view the integration between learning at school and at work in a dual vocational education and training (VET) system, and how these views might be influenced by the duration and the sequencing of school- and work-based learning periods. Research indicates that effective implementation of the dual VET system is contingent upon successful integration of learning experience at the two venues. Recent graduates, workplace trainers, and teachers in all 51 certified trades answered an electronic questionnaire (667 participants, response rate 24%). Factor analysis of responses to 22 statements resulted in the identification of five factors. Findings show that the learning venues were parallel rather than integrated. Communication and collaboration between teachers and workplace trainers were limited and recent graduates, in particular, did not experience the program as a coherent whole. The results also showed important variations in the perspectives of the three groups of participants. The duration of the workplace learning period was not found to be associated with perceptions of program integration. Some limited effects of sequencing were found, but no clear pattern emerged. This study adds to knowledge on learning and integration, and indicates possible ways of improving program coherence and integration in a dual VET system

VET teachers' interpretations of individualisation and teaching of skills and social order in two Nordic countries

The age at which young people leave education for the labour market has increased in recent decades, and entering upper secondary education has become the norm. As a result, the diversity of the student population has increased, for instance in terms of students’ academic merits and achievements at school. Increased diversity seems to affect vocational education and training more than tracks preparing students for higher education, because entry into vocational education and training (VET) programmes is rarely selective. In this article we analyse a series of interviews with VET teachers regarding VET practices in upper secondary schools in Sweden and Iceland. We examine how policy plays out in practice in VET by looking at how VET teachers navigate the sometimes-conflicting educational goals of employability and civic engagement, while simultaneously teaching a highly diverse group of students. In both countries, pedagogic practices are dominated by individualisation with a focus on task-related skills. Those practices are important in VET, but can exclude broader understandings of civil and workplace life, because general knowledge about areas such as ethics, democracy, equality, and environmental issues is difficult to obtain if education gives students few opportunities to interact with others, such as through group work or classroom discussions

Hvað vitum við um nemendur okkar? Könnun um aðstæður nemenda og viðhorf þeirra til náms á Menntavísindasviði

Við Menntavísindasvið (MVS) Háskóla Íslands (HÍ) er starfshópur að störfum við verkefni sem fengið hefur heitið Þróum fjarnámið og gengur meðal annars út á að þróa nokkur skýr líkön fyrir nám og kennslu á námsleiðum sviðsins. Markmið verkefnisins er að finna nýjar leiðir í kennslu, skapa nemendum og kennurum skýrari ramma varðandi nám og kennslu og auka gæði námsins. Verkefnið fékk fjögurra milljóna styrk úr Kennslumálasjóði HÍ í apríl 2017. Starfshópurinn vinnur í anda aðferða skapandi lausnaleitar (e. creative problem solving) þar sem fyrsta skrefið er að skapa skýra mynd af stöðunni, hið næsta að safna hugmyndum til lausnar, þriðja skrefið snýst um að velja og þróa valdar leiðir og það fjórða að þróa þær og útfæra. Mikill tími hefur farið í fyrsta skrefið að útbúa skýra mynd af stöðunni. Aðferðirnar sem hafa verið notaðar til að afla gagna felast í að leggja spurningakannanir fyrir nemendur MVS, framkvæma símakannanir fyrir bæði nemendur MVS og skólastjóra grunnskóla, auk þess að safna upplýsingum um fyrirkomulag kennslu á fjölda námskeiða við MVS og greina skýrslur um nám við Kennaraháskóla Íslands og MVS undanfarin tíu ár. Helstu niðurstöður úr rannsókninni voru kynntar á málstofu um háskólakennslu1á Menntakviku 2018. Hér er gerð grein fyrir niðurstöðum spurningakönnunar sem nemendur á MVS svöruðu um aðstæður sínar og viðhorf til námsins.Óritrýn

Student classroom engagement in Icelandic upper secondary schools

Rannsökuð var þátttaka nemenda í kennslustundum í níu íslenskum framhaldsskólum og var markmið þríþætt. Í fyrsta lagi að greina hvernig þátttaka nemenda birtist í kennslustundum. Í öðru lagi að skoða hvort kennsluaðferðirnar í þeim kennslustundum þar sem þátttaka nemenda var til staðar væru kennarastýrðar eða nemendamiðaðar. Í þriðja lagi að skoða viðmót og athafnir kennara í kennslustundum þar sem nemendur tóku þátt. Unnið var úr 130 vettvangslýsingum á kennslustundum í níu framhaldsskólum sem safnað var á skólaárinu 2013–2014 og haustið 2014 í rannsóknarverkefninu Starfshættir í framhaldsskólum. Kennslustundir voru flokkaðar eftir því hvort þær náðu viðmiðum um þátttöku. Viðmiðið var að 75% af nemendunum tækju þátt í því sem kennarinn ætlaðist til af þeim í 75% af tímanum og náðu 83 kennslustundir þessu viðmiði. Algengustu birtingarmyndir þátttöku nemenda í kennslustundum voru að þeir unnu verkefni og spurðu kennara um námsefnið og komu þessar athafnir fram í meirihluta kennslustundanna. Í um helmingi stundanna kom einnig fram að nemendur sýndu athygli (fylgdust með) og ræddu um viðfangsefnið. Niðurstöður benda til þess að þátttaka nemenda í kennslustundum tengist ekki hvaða kennsluaðferðir eru notaðar, þar sem þátttökustundirnar skiptust frekar jafnt í nemendamiðaðar og kennarastýrðar kennslustundir. Flestar birtingarmyndir þátttöku nemenda komu tiltölulega jafnt fyrir í bæði kennarastýrðum og nemendamiðuðum kennslustundum en athöfnin að sýna athygli var algengari í kennarastýrðum kennslustundum og athafnirnar að leita og nota efnivið og hjálpast að við að leysa verkefni komu oftar fram í nemendamiðuðum kennslustundum. Flestar þátttökustundanna einkenndust af því að kennari sýndi jákvætt viðmót, hafði skapað hlýlegt andrúmsloft, hafði gefið skýr fyrirmæli um vinnu nemenda eða verið hvetjandi. Þannig virðast viðmót og athafnir kennara hafa haft jákvæð áhrif á þátttöku nemenda í kennslustundunum. Niðurstöðurnar undirstrika að mikilvægt er að gefa viðmóti og athöfnum kennara sérstakan gaum í samhengi við námslega skuldbindingu nemenda.This article outlines a study on how Icelandic upper secondary school students engage in classroom work (academic engagement) through classroom participation (Greenwood, Horton, and Utley, 2002; Schmidt, Rosenberg, and Beymer, 2018). The objective is threefold: Firstly, to analyze how student participation manifests itself in the classroom. Secondly, to investigate whether classes with a high level of student participation should be categorized as teacher-directed or student-focused. Thirdly, to take note of teachers’ activities in classes with a high level of student participation. The researchers analyzed 130 in-field class descriptions in nine upper secondary schools, drawn from the project Upper Secondary School Practices, collected during the years 2013–2014. Each class session was analyzed either as having a high level of student participation or failing to reach a required standard of student participation; the requirement being that 75% of students participate in teacher-directed work 75% of class time. Eighty-three class sessions were found to reach this standard. Student academic engagement in these classes was analyzed through a variety of activities, here termed engagement indicators. These were 11 indicators listed here in frequency order (number of sessions in parentheses): working on assignments (69), directing questions to the teacher (65), showing signs of paying attention such as listening and following what is going on (46), discussing classroom tasks (44), working together on assignments (39), answering the teacher’s questions on the subject 38), asking the teacher for assistance (35), writing and taking notes (21), showing interest in various ways (19), searching for and using materials (15), and reading aloud or silently (9). At least two indicators appeared in a class, and a maximum of nine appeared in a single session. On average five indicators appeared in a class session. We also looked at the use of teacher-directed and student-focused teaching methods, which turned out to be almost an equal number in our sample of 83 classes, with only 11 that could not be labelled either teacher-directed or student-focused. In the sample, student class engagement remained more or less equal regardless of whether teacher-directed or student-focused methods were used. The exceptions were indicators of paying attention, more often found in classes where teacher-directed methods were used, and indicators of searching for and using materials and working together on assignments, more often found in classes where student-focused methods were used. Furthermore, the results indicate that the teacher’s activities positively influence student engagement. Thus, the attributes of a positive demeanor, an atmosphere of warmth, clear instructions from the teacher, and the teacher’s motivating manner were identified in 90% of classes with a high level of student engagement. There was a significant positive correlation between a teacher’s positive demeanor and an atmosphere of warmth on the one hand and clear instructions on the other. The study has its strengths and limitations. Although carefully selected, one-hundred-and-thirty class sessions is not a high ratio of all upper secondary school classes. A group of 15 researchers gathered the material. To ensure more accuracy they frequently met to discuss how they would perform the observations, and in 44% of the cases two researchers observed the session. It would have been interesting to compare class sessions with a high level of participation and those with lower levels. However, much fewer sessions did not reach our standard of 75% of students participating in teacher -directed work 75% of class time, and in some cases descriptions were not accurate enough to determine whether the level of participation reached our standards. These findings can have implications for teacher education, both in university classrooms and in practicums where students can be trained to use methods likely to engage students in classroom work. Furthermore, they can be trained in some helpful tasks such as how to learn the names of their students and give clear instructions. Overall, the study also reminds us that teachers need to be mindful of their attitudes to students and the teaching methods they select in order to ensure students’ academic engagement.Peer Reviewe

The working environment of upper secondary school teachers during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic

Framhaldsskólastigið fór ekki varhluta af breyttu starfsumhverfi vegna COVID-19-faraldursins. Þegar samkomubann var sett á í mars 2020 fluttist öll staðkennsla yfir í fjarkennslu og hélst það fyrirkomulag fram eftir vorönn 2020. Um haustið tók við tímabil síbreytilegra samkomutakmarkana. Kennt var ýmist á staðnum eða í eins konar blöndu af fjar- og staðnámi en í lok annar fluttist kennsla aftur alfarið yfir í fjarkennslu. Markmið þessarar rannsóknar er að varpa ljósi á starfsumhverfi íslenskra framhaldsskólakennara við síbreytilegar aðstæður árið 2020. Sérstök áhersla er lögð á starfsaðstæður framhaldsskólakennara, starfsskyldur, stuðning og álag en einnig á samskipti kennara við nemendur, foreldra og samstarfsfólk. Auk þess verður kannað hvort kyn og stærð skóla hafi áhrif á fyrrgreinda þætti. Unnið er með gögn úr tveimur könnunum Menntavísindastofnunar Háskóla Íslands sem lagðar voru fyrir starfsfólk framhaldsskóla. Fyrri spurningalistinn var lagður fyrir í lok vorannar 2020 og sá seinni í lok haustannar 2020. Niðurstöður sýna að kennarastarfið tók miklum breytingum á fyrsta ári heimsfaraldurs. Framhaldsskólakennarar fundu fyrir auknu álagi og þeim fannst starf sitt flóknara en áður. Streita jókst frá vormisseri til haustmisseris, þrátt fyrir þá tilfinningu kennara að þeir hefðu betri tök á starfi sínu. Konur vörðu meiri tíma í umönnun barna og þær fundu fyrir meiri streitu en karlar. Samstarf kennara var meira og fundir voru tíðari en kennurunum fannst samstarfið gagnlegt. Samskipti við nemendur og foreldra jukust í heildina, einkum að mati kvenkyns kennara. Kennarar töldu að skólarnir hefðu lagað starfshætti sína að breyttri stöðu nemenda á þessum krefjandi tímum. Niðurstöðurnar vekja áleitnar spurningar um starfsumhverfi kennara og starfsþróun þeirra á tímum heimsfaraldurs og síbreytilegra starfsaðstæðna. Þær eru jafnframt innlegg í samtal um hvernig megi bregðast við komandi kreppum og varpa ljósi á ýmsa veikleika í kerfinu.The working environment in upper secondary schools changed drastically with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. A ban on social gatherings was established in Iceland in March 2020 and all schoolwork shifted to on-line learning almost overnight; this lasted throughout the spring semester and continued with various restrictions in the fall of 2020. Upper secondary school teachers answered a questionnaire in May 2020, aimed at mapping the changes to working conditions during the spring semester and the shift into emergency remote teaching (Barbour et al., 2020). At the end of the fall semester, a follow-up questionnaire was sent. The data used in the current paper derive from these questionnaires. The aim is to investigate how teachers at the upper secondary level performed their duties under the new circumstances in 2020, especially during the first COVID lockdown in spring but also as the pandemic continued. Special emphasis is laid on how they experienced their working conditions, e.g., in terms of their definition of duties, stress, collaboration and administrative obligations, as well as their interaction with students and their parents. The support provided to teachers during the first stages of the pandemic, both technological, pedagogical and social is analyzed. The aim is to add to the gradually emerging knowledge base by shedding light on the work of upper secondary teachers during the first waves of the pandemic. The first results show that the teaching profession underwent radical changes during the first period of the pandemic (Súsanna Margrét Gestsdóttir et al., 2020). Upper secondary teachers felt an increased pressure and stress at work and perceived their work as more complicated than before. The experience of stress increased during the fall semester, even though the teachers reported they had a better handle on the work. The data show an important gender difference, as female teachers seem to have been primary caregivers in the homes and consequently found it more strenuous to attend to their teaching duties as well. More collaboration with colleagues during the pandemic was reported and administrative meetings were more frequent. The collaboration with colleagues proved a crucial factor when coping with the recurring changes of working conditions. This was generally viewed as beneficial to their work by a large majority of teachers. Communication with students and parents increased overall and over time, especially according to female teachers, which may have added to the increased pressure at work. Moreover, most participants believed students experienced more psychological stress during the pandemic, a perception that only heightened over time. However, they also believed that schools had adjusted their work practices to accommodate students during these challenging times. The results evoke important questions concerning teachers’ working conditions. The rapid professional development undertaken by teachers led to the majority of them adopting more varied teaching approaches than before the pandemic. Nevertheless, this was accompanied by a higher level of stress and insecurity. This may carry several implications. Teacher education needs to take these changed circumstances into account and prepare future teachers for the possibilities of hybrid teaching and increased flexibility and differentiation. Both experienced and newly qualified teachers need to have access to professional development that supports them. The time and opportunities that teachers need for collaboration and peer support must be included in their work. Reflecting on the situation in Iceland during the first stages of the pandemic can serve as a basis for comparison with teachers’ working conditions in other countries.Peer reviewe

Upper secondary education in Iceland during the COVID-19 pandemic

Sú heimskreppa sem orðið hefur vegna COVID-19 faraldursins hefur haft gríðarleg áhrif á starf íslenskra framhaldsskóla. Vegna samkomubanns sem stjórnvöld lýstu yfir færðist allt staðnám á því skólastigi yfir í fjarnám (hér eftir fjarkennsla) á einni helgi. Markmið greinarinnar er að skoða hvernig framhaldsskólakennarar tókust á við nýjan raunveruleika meðan á samkomubanninu stóð, hvernig kennsluhættir breyttust og mat þeirra á námsgengi nemenda. Í greiningunni verður litið sérstaklega til áhrifa skólastærðar og fyrri reynslu kennara af fjarkennslu. Niðurstöðurnar eru byggðar á spurningalistagögnum sem Menntavísindastofnun Háskóla Íslands safnaði á vordögum 2020. Alls svöruðu 680 kennarar listanum. Niðurstöðurnar sýna að framhaldsskólakennurum tókst að bregðast hratt við ástandinu og halda úti kennslu í samkomubanni, þó í breyttri mynd væri. Flestir kennarar réðu að mestu sjálfir hvernig þeir höguðu kennslu sinni og töldu sig ekki fá mikinn stuðning í skólum sínum. Kennsla og námsmat varð einsleitara og kröfur til nemenda breyttust nokkuð. Flestir kennarar sýndu aukinn sveigjanleika og höfðu áhyggjur af slakari mætingu nemenda. Á öllum þessum þáttum var þó merkjanlegur munur eftir skólastærð og einnig hafði fyrri reynsla af fjarkennslu sitt að segja. Greinin er mikilvægt innlegg í umræðu um fyrirkomulag fjarkennslu í neyðarástandi (e. emergency remote teaching) (Bozkurt og Sharma, 2020) og þar er bent á atriði sem brýnt er að líta til við áframhaldandi þróun kennslu og kennsluhátta á framhaldsskólastigi. Greinin sýnir einnig hvers megnug kennarastéttin var í COVID-19 ásamt að þar er bent á flókin úrlausnarefni kennara og tækifæri til umbótaAs in other parts of the world, the COVID-19 pandemic had an extensive impact on the Icelandic education system. During the spring semester 2020 all upper secondary school buildings closed and teaching and learning was moved online overnight. This change which can be described as ‘emergency remote teaching’ (Bozkurt & Sharma, 2020) posed significant challenges for schools and teachers, requiring them to instantly adapt their teaching practices and course plans to a digital environment. The aim of the study is to investigate how upper secondary school teachers adapted and changed their teaching practices during the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020, their views on administrative support and impact on students. In May 2020, all upper secondary school staff were sent an electronic questionnaire on different aspects of working and teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic (Háskóli Íslands, n.d.). Here the focus is on the answers of upper secondary teachers to three categories of questions: (1) management and support during the transition to remote teaching; (2) changes made to teaching practices, such as teaching methods and assessment; and (3) impact on students, in terms of demands, participation, and homework. The answers provided are analyzed by school size (less than 250 students, 250–500 students, 501–1000 students, and more than 1000 students) as well as whether the teachers had any prior experience in distance education. Overall, 680 upper secondary school teachers answered the questionnaire (37% males, 57% were in the age bracket 40–59). The sample adequately reflects school population demographic characteristics, and the response rate was 42% of the overall number of upper secondary school teachers registered in The Association of Teachers in Upper Secondary Schools. The results showed that most teachers worked from home and said that they made changes to their teaching practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. Courses were rarely suspended and therefore teachers generally continued their teaching load, but in most cases under drastically changed circumstances. Overall, pedagogical support seems to have been insufficient, particularly in larger schools. About a third of teachers maintained the weekly class schedule, but half could decide whether to do so or not, indicating a lack of coordination within schools in how best to organize classes. Teachers in larger upper secondary schools thought their duties were less clear and said they had received fewer directives from the school leadership in comparison to teachers in smaller schools. The results also show significant influence on teaching practices, especially in larger schools. The challenges included using varied teaching methods, continuing teaching practical or workshop classes, and encouraging student collaboration. Most teachers seem to have Fjarkennsla í faraldri: Nám og kennsla í framhaldsskólum á tímum samkomubanns vegna COVID-19 18 dealt with the challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic by providing more flexibility and adapting their teaching to student needs, and the fact that the majority of them seem to have changed their assessment practices provides evidence of this adaptation. Having experience of distance education seemed to have mitigated negative effects, and teachers with such experience were more likely to say the effects on their teaching were minimal. Finally, the results show that the teachers adjusted their demands on students during the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020. Teachers said student attendance and participation had decreased, and this negative effect was more pronounced at larger schools, whereas teachers at smaller schools were more likely to report no change in student participation. Again, having experience of distance education seems to have mitigated the negative effects reported. Taken together, these results highlight the challenges facing upper secondary teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020, but also demonstrate that teachers worked hard in overcoming these challenges and adapted to new circumstances. The results show that most teachers would have liked more pedagogical support in changing their teaching practices and that there can be a fine line between professional independence and lack of support. During the past decade or so, teaching and assessment in upper secondary schools has gradually become more diverse, in line with new curriculum guidelines. However, the results here show that teachers struggled with using diverse teaching and assessment methods during the COVID-19 pandemic, indicating a relapse in this development. This gives cause for concern, especially if the situation is prolonged. These results highlight the need to include courses in teacher education on distance education and using information technology in teaching, especially since distance education experience was found to mitigate negative effects. Distance education pedagogy is also important to increase student attendance and participation, particularly to counteract the impact on vulnerable students and students in danger of dropping out.Peer reviewe