288 research outputs found
Emphases and power relations in cooperation of educators and parents in preschools
Niðurstöður fjölda rannsókna benda til þess að samstarf starfsfólks leikskóla og foreldra
auki öryggi og vellíðan barnanna og efli nám þeirra. Í Aðalnámskrá leikskóla frá 2011 er
lögð áhersla á lýðræðislegt samstarf á jafnréttisgrundvelli milli foreldra, starfsfólks og
barna um þátttöku í gerð skólanámskrár, starfsáætlun og mati. Jafnframt kemur fram að
leikskólakennarar skuli vera leiðandi við mótun leikskólastarfsins. Markmiðið með rannsókninni
sem hér er greint frá var að skoða áherslur og valdatengsl í samstarfi foreldra og
starfsfólks og bera það saman við hugmyndir um fagmennsku leikskólakennara. Jafnframt
var stefnt að því að skoða samstarf við foreldra af erlendum uppruna. Gögnum var safnað
með rýnihópaviðtölum við foreldra barna í fimm leikskólum og í kjölfarið ræddu leikskólakennarar
og leikskólastjórar álit og upplifun foreldranna í rýnihópi. Niðurstöður benda til
þess að samstarf starfsfólks og foreldra fari fram eftir bæði lóðréttum og láréttum brautum.
Áherslur í fagmennsku leikskólakennara virðast því bæði vera hefðbundnar, þar sem
leikskólakennarinn lítur á sig sem sérfræðing við mótun leikskólastarfs og skólanámskrár,
og lýðræðislegar, þar sem meira er horft til þekkingar foreldranna þegar einstök börn eiga
í hlut. Foreldrarnir sögðu að ef allt gengi vel og ekki kæmu upp vandamál skiptu þeir sér
lítið af starfinu. Þeir mátu sérfræðiþekkingu leikskólakennara mikils en sögðu að tíð starfsmannaskipti
hefðu veruleg áhrif á samstarfið. Starf foreldraráðs var fremur óljóst í hugum
samstarfsaðila og það virtist vera látið nægja að skólanámskráin væri þar til umfjöllunar.
Rafræn samskipti milli leikskóla og foreldra höfðu aukist og þar var leikskólakennarinn í
hlutverki þess sem upplýsir og miðlar. Þegar horft er sérstaklega til samstarfs starfsfólks
leikskóla og foreldra af erlendum uppruna, þá virtust þeir oft vera einangraðir og skorta
þekkingu á ýmsu því sem íslenskir foreldrar þekktu nokkuð vel. Leikskólakennarar leituðu
árangursríkra leiða til að vinna með þeim en sögðu að tungumálakunnátta stæði oft samstarfi
fyrir þrifum.The aim of this research was to shed light on priorities and power relations in cooperation
between parents and educators. Furthermore, emphases in cooperation
and relations were explored with the concept of professionalism of preschool teachers
in mind. Special focus was also placed on parents of foreign origin. The partnerships
between educators and parents in preschools and how these are constructed
are among the elements expected to predict the quality of preschool activities,
and thus seen as highly important (Urban, Vandenbroeck, Peeters, Lazzari and Van
Laere, 2011). In a partnership, trust and respect are embedded, as are two-way communication,
an equilibrium in regard to power, and shared decision-making (Chan and
Ritchie, 2016). Both partners in the relationship are seen as experts, although each type of expertise is different, and both partners have responsibilities. The findings
of numerous researches reveal that cooperation between parents and educators
enhances children’s sense of security, their well-being, and their learning. The 2011
Icelandic National Curriculum Guide for Preschools (Aðalnámskrá leikskóla, 2011),
emphasises democratic cooperation built on terms of equality for parents, educators,
and children; all of whom participate in developing the school curriculum, planning,
and evaluating learning. Furthermore, it is noted that preschool teachers should lead
the development of pedagogy and education. These concepts can possibly be seen
as contradictory. When findings of Icelandic research are explored, it can be seen that
parents value numerous daily conversations regarding their child when they deliver
him or her to school in the morning and pick their child up in the afternoon. They are
also highly satisfied with parent–teacher interviews once or twice a year (Anna Magnea
Hreinsdóttir and Jóhanna Einarsdóttir, 2011; Bryndís Garðarsdóttir and Jóhanna
Einarsdóttir, 2007). Moreover, they seemed to be content with their child’s preschool
in general. Their partnership with teachers has thus been implemented through various
events and meetings organised by the preschools. In Finland, Alasuutari (2010)
found that partnerships with parents could be seen both in vertical and horizontal
frames. The former was rather traditional, where the expertise of the professional’s
knowledge was estimated to be more meaningful than the parents’ knowledge. The
latter was considered to be more on an equal basis, and knowledge about the child
was seen to stem from both partners in the relationship. In the Finnish curriculum, this
partnership is intended to be on equal terms, but a clear definition of what that means
is needed. Data were collected on partnerships between parents and educators of the
oldest children in the preschools. Partnership was discussed in focus groups with
parents in five preschools, and subsequently focus groups of preschool teachers
and head teachers discussed the views and perceptions of the parents. The findings
reveal that cooperation of parents and educators can be found in both vertical and
horizontal frames and the emphases are similar to those in Finland. The professionals
saw themselves as experts relating to the school curriculum and the organisation of
the preschool activities, but when the issues were connected to the individual child,
the professionals listened to the parents and respected their knowledge about their
child. The emphases regarding preschool teachers’ professionalism can thus be seen
both as traditional, where they see themselves as experts in constructing the activities
and the curriculum for the school, and democratic where there is a stronger focus
on the knowledge of the parents when a question about an individual child arises. The
parents thought that if everything went well and there were no problems they did not
have to act. They thought highly of the expertise of preschool teachers and perceived
that constant enrolment of new staff was affecting the cooperation. The operation
of the Parents’ council was not clear enough and it seemed that both partners were
satisfied that discussions on school curricula were only conducted there. Providing
information to parents via the Internet (Facebook, emails, Instagram, etc.) was common
in all the preschools, but parents and educators had different opinions about
the best way to reach parents via the net. In a way, the preschool teachers seemed
a little insecure, wondering when enough information had been provided, but they
continued to inform parents since they had been criticised for not doing so. As for
parents of foreign origin, they appeared to appreciate daily cooperation and contact.
They seemed isolated and lacked knowledge of procedures which Icelandic parents
readily understood. The preschool teachers tried to find successful ways of cooperating
with them, but often the language was a hindrance.Peer Reviewe
Góð ráð við hjúkrun sjúklinga með Parkinsonveiki
Efst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkin
Why is physical activity on prescription so important in health care?
Efst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkin
Clozapine treatment and discontinuation in Iceland: A national longitudinal study using electronic patient records.
To access publisher's full text version of this article, please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field or click on the hyperlink at the top of the page marked Files.
This article is open access.Clozapine is the only drug approved for treatment-resistant schizophrenia. There is evidence that clozapine is underutilized.To evaluate the initiation and discontinuation of clozapine at Landspitali University Hospital in Iceland and the prevalence of antipsychotic polypharmacy in clozapine-treated patients.The study is a part of an ongoing longitudinal study of schizophrenia in Iceland. We identified 201 patients on clozapine or who have been on clozapine by using a keyword search in the electronic health records and by reviewing their medical records.Mean age at first treatment with clozapine was 37.8 years. Mean follow-up period on clozapine was 11 years. After 20 years of treatment 71.2% of patients were still on clozapine. After one year of treatment 84.4% of patients were still receiving clozapine treatment. We estimate that 11.4% of patients with schizophrenia in Iceland are taking clozapine and that 16% have been treated with clozapine at some point. Polypharmacy is common, since nearly 2/3, 65.6%, of patients taking clozapine use at least one other antipsychotic and 16.9% are also receiving depot injections.We need to increase the awareness of psychiatrists in Iceland with regard to treatment with clozapine, since only about half of the estimated population of patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia in Iceland have ever been treated with clozapine. Nearly two thirds of patients who are prescribed clozapine in Iceland remain on it long-term.info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/FP7/279227
National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Mental Health Biomedical Research Centre at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King's College Londo
Neutropenia and agranulocytosis during treatment of schizophrenia with clozapine versus other antipsychotics: an observational study in Iceland
To access publisher's full text version of this article, please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field or click on the hyperlink at the top of the page marked Files.Data on the haematological outcomes of patients who continue clozapine treatment following neutropenia are very rare as even mild neutropenia results in mandatory discontinuation of clozapine in most countries. However, in Iceland where clozapine monitoring is less stringent allows an observational study to be done on the risk of agranulocytosis and neutropenia during treatment with clozapine compared with other antipsychotics among patients with schizophrenia.The present study is a part of a wider ongoing longitudinal study of schizophrenia in Iceland. We identified 201 patients with schizophrenia treated with clozapine and 410 patients with schizophrenia who had never been on clozapine by searching the electronic health records of Landspitali, the National University Hospital. Neutrophil counts were searched in electronic databases to identify patients who developed neutropenia/agranulocytosis and the frequency of neutrophil measurements was examined as well.The median number of days between neutrophil measurements during the first 18 weeks of clozapine treatment was 25 days but after the first 18 weeks on the drug the median became 124 days. Thirty four cases of neutropenia were identified during clozapine treatment with an average follow up time of 9.2 years. The majority, 24 individuals developed mild neutropenia (1500-1900 neutrophils/mm(3)). None of these progressed to agranulocytosis. The remaining 10 patients developed neutropenia in the range 500-1400 /mm(3) of whom one developed agranulocytosis, three stopped clozapine use and 6 patients continued on clozapine for at least a year without developing agranulocytosis. Unexpectedly, schizophrenia patients on other antipsychotics had an equal risk of developing neutropenia as those on clozapine.Neutropenia is common both in patients with schizophrenia on clozapine treatment and in those never on clozapine. Therefore a large part of neutropenia during clozapine treatment is probably not caused by clozapine. These findings have implications in assessing the balance between the risk of progression from neutropenia to agranulocytosis against the morbidity resulting from the premature discontinuation of clozapine under the current monitoring regulations in the US and in most of Europe.info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/FP7/279227
National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Mental Health Biomedical Research Centre at South London, Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London
Parent-preschool partnership: many levels of power
This study aims to examine the meaning-making of parents in five Icelandic preschools concerning the collaboration between preschools and families. Further, the perspectives of educators on the views of the parents were also sought. The theoretical background was Moss’s ideas of democratic early childhood education and MacNaughton’s ideas of power relationships between parents and educators. Data were gathered in two steps: first, focus-group interviews were conducted with parents; and second, focus group interviews were conducted with a group of preschool educators who reflected upon the parent interviews. The parents and educators seemed to have similar experiences and views of the parent-professional collaboration, and of the division of power and knowledge between the two groups. The type of collaboration the parents and the educators described is not in line with democratic preschool pedagogy as explained by Moss (2007). They did not seem to believe that parents should be involved in decision making concerning the purposes, practices, and environment of the preschool. The parents from other cultures who participated in the study were in a marginalized position, and the educators seemed to be unsure about how to communicate with and accommodate families from cultures different from their own. The study reveals power relationships on many levels in the preschool community.European Union Comenius Life Long Learning program. Strengthening activity-oriented Interaction and Growth in the early years and in transitions. SIGNALS [538783-LLP-1-2013-1-DE-Comenius-CMP]Peer Reviewe
Af hverju er mikilvægt að fylgjast með kvíða, þunglyndi og hvataröskun hjá parkinsonsjúklingum í kjölfar djúpkjarna-rafskautsörvunar?
To access publisher's full text version of this article, please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field or click on the hyperlink at the top of the page marked DownloadDjúpkjarna-rafskautsörvun er meðferð sem notuð er fyrir einstaklinga með parkinsonveiki
(PV)sem eru með svæsin hreyfieinkenni. Þó meðferðin beinist aðallega að því að bæta hreyfigetu getur hún leitt til breytinga á ekki-hreyfieinkennum svo sem kvíða, þunglyndi og hvataröskun. Þessi einkenni falla oft í skuggann af hreyfieinkennum en geta haft afdrifarík áhrif á
sálfélagslega líðan. Hjúkrunarfræðingar gegna mikilvægu hlutverki í skimun og eftirliti með
kvíða, þunglyndi og hvataröskun þannig að hægtsé að grípa til viðeigandi meðferðarúrræða
ef vandamál koma í ljós
Post-eruptive volcano inflation following major magma drainage: Interplay between models of viscoelastic response influence and models of magma inflow at Bárðarbunga caldera, Iceland, 2015-2018
<p>Unrest at Bárðarbunga after a caldera collapse in 2014-2015 includes elevated seismicity beginning about six months after the eruption ended, including nine Mw>4.5 earthquakes. The earthquakes occurred mostly on the northern and southern parts of a caldera ring fault. Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS, in particular, Global Positioning System; GPS) and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) geodesy are applied to evaluate the spatial and temporal pattern of ground deformation around Bárðarbunga caldera outside the icecap, in 2015-2018, when deformation rates were relatively steady. The aim is to study the role of viscoelastic relaxation following major magma drainage versus renewed magma inflow as an explanation for the ongoing unrest.</p><p>The largest horizontal velocity is measured at GPS station KISA (3 km from caldera rim), 141 mm/yr in direction N47<sup>o</sup>E relative to the Eurasian plate in 2015-2018. GPS and InSAR observations show that the velocities decay rapidly outward from the caldera. We correct our observations for Glacial Isostatic Adjustment and plate spreading to extract the deformation related to volcanic activity. After this correction, some GPS sites show subsidence.</p><p>We use a reference Earth model to initially evaluate the contribution of viscoelastic processes to the observed deformation field. We model the deformation within a half-space composed of a 7-km thick elastic layer on top of a viscoelastic layer with a viscosity of 5 x 10<sup>18</sup> Pa s, considering two co-eruptive contributors to the viscoelastic relaxation: “non-piston” magma withdrawal at 10 km depth (modelled as pressure drop in a spherical source) and caldera collapse (modelled as surface unloading). The other model we test is the magma inflow in an elastic half-space. Both the viscoelastic relaxation and magma inflow create horizontal outward movements around the caldera, and uplift at the surface projection of the source center in 2015-2018. Viscoelastic response due to magma withdrawal results in subsidence in the area outside the icecap. Magma inflow creates rapid surface velocity decay as observed.</p><p>We explore further two parameters in the viscoelastic reference model: the viscosity and the "non-piston" magma withdrawal volume. Our comparison between the corrected InSAR velocities and viscoelastic models suggests a viscosity of 2.6×10<sup>18</sup> Pa s and 0.36 km<sup>3</sup> of “non-piston” magma withdrawal volume, given by the optimal reduced Chi-squared statistic. When the deformation is explained using only magma inflow into a single spherical source (and no viscoelastic response), the optimal model suggests an inflow rate at 1×10<sup>7</sup> m<sup>3</sup>/yr at 700 m depth. A magma inflow model with more model parameters is also a possible explanation, including sill inflation at 10 km together with slip on caldera ring faults. Our reference Earth model and the two end-member models suggest that there is a trade-off between the viscoelastic relaxation and the magma inflow, since they produce similar deformation signals outside the icecap. However, to reproduce details of the observed deformation, both processes are required. A viscoelastic-only model cannot fully explain the fast velocity decay away from the caldera, whereas a magma inflow-only model cannot explain the subsidence observed at several locations.</p>
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The economic collapse and school practice in Reykjavik
Í þessari rannsókn voru könnuð áhrif efnahagshrunsins á Íslandi árið 2008 á skóla
í Reykjavík. Gagnaöflun fór fram á árunum 2013 og 2014. Tekin voru viðtöl við einstaklinga
og í rýnihópum. Rætt var við fulltrúa hjá Reykjavíkurborg og í menntaog
menningarmálaráðuneyti, skólastjórnendur, kennara, foreldra og nemendur í
völdum leik-, grunn- og framhaldsskólum. Niðurstöður benda til þess að tekist
hafi að vernda kjarnann í skólastarfinu fyrir niðurskurði en þó í meira mæli í
grunnskólum en í leik- og framhaldsskólum. Niðurskurðurinn olli því ekki skólakreppu
í þeim skilningi að grunngildum skólanna væri ógnað. Öðru máli kann þó
að gegna um leikskólana sem urðu fyrir þyngri áföllum en skólarnir á hinum
skólastigunum.
Þótt ekki kæmi til skólakreppu í framangreindum skilningi þá hafði niðurskurður
margvísleg áhrif á skólastarfið. Stjórnunarstöðum fækkaði umtalsvert, einkum
millistjórnendum, forfallakennsla var unnin af skólastjórnendum, annað starfsfólk
var ráðið í hlutastörf og framlög til tómstundastarfs og náms- og starfsráðgjafar
skert. Yfirvinna starfsfólks var ekki leyfð, minna fé var veitt til samstarfs, bekkir
urðu fjölmennari og dregið úr fjárveitingum til kaupa á efniviði og námsgögnum
og til viðhalds tækja og húsa. Loks voru skólar á leik- og grunnskólastigi sameinaðir.
Fram kom að sú aðgerð hefði aukið mjög á þá erfiðleika sem af niðurskurðinum
hlaust. Ekki voru nefnd dæmi um að fólk missti vinnuna þótt talsvert
væri um uppsagnir, starfsmönnum var þá boðin vinna að nýju en stundum í
skertu starfshlutfalli.
Þótt viðmælendur teldu að ekki kæmi til frekari niðurskurðar sögðust þeir ekki vongóðir
um bjartari tíma framundan. Að mörgu leyti voru áherslur hagsmunaaðila
skóla í samræmi við ráðleggingar fræðimanna um fagleg viðbrögð við efnahags-
þrenginum. Sú áhersla sem lögð var á að vernda nám og kennslu og standa vörð
um velferð nemenda eru dæmi um slík viðbrögð. Á hinn bóginn komu upp mál þar
sem bæði starfsmenn skóla og foreldrar kvörtuðu yfir þeim skorti á samráði sem
yfirvöld hefðu viðhaft við ákvarðanir um mikilvæg málefni skólanna.
Rannsóknin var unnin af fimm fræðimönnum Rannsóknarstofu í menntastjórnun,
nýsköpun og matsfræði við Menntavísindasvið Háskóla Íslands.This paper explores the impact of the economic collapse in 2008 on schools in
one Icelandic municipality, Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland. Earlier, a similar
study was conducted by the same research team in two Icelandic municipalities,
one in an agricultural area, and one in a fishing and service community.
Information about staff and school costs was gathered for the years of 2013
and 2014. Interviews with individuals and in focus groups were carried out with
represenatives at the ministry of culture and education, the Local Education
Authorities in Reykjavík, school administrators, teachers, other staff, parents
and pupils of six selected schools: two preschools, two primary and lowersecondary
schools and two upper-secondary schools. Information about staff
and school costs was also gathered. The research was qualitative in nature,
primarily based on interviews and documentary data.
Interviews were conducted with individuals and in focus groups with representatives
of the municipalities and the state, school administrators, teachers,
parents and pupils of selected pre-, primary-, and upper-secondary schools.
The research sought answers to the following questions: How did educational
authorities and school professionals respond to budget cut requirements? Did
the reductions cause a school crisis and did they have different consequences
depending on the school level?
The findings suggest that the core functions of the schools, teaching and
learning, were to a large extent protected as stipulated by school authorities.
Reduction in expenditure, therefore, did not cause a school crisis in the sense,
that the basic values of the schools were threatened. This, however, may not
apply to the preschools and the schools at the upper secondary level, which
were harder hit by the cut-backs than the other school levels.
Even if the schools were able to protect the core school activities, finanicial
cutbacks had serious implications for the schools. Various cutbacks were made
at all school levels; administrative positions, especially at the middle levels, were
cut considerably, principals served as substitute teachers, classes became
bigger, no overtime was paid, extracurricular activities and specialist work, such
as counseling, and maintenance of equipment and buildings were all cut.
Finally, at the preschool level, and primary and lower-secondary school levels,
schools were amalgamated. Interviewees in these schools agreed that the
merges had been an additional challenge to deal with while trying to come to
terms with reduced funding. Findings, moreover, indicate, that while all school
members were affected by the bad economy, school principals at all school
levels carried the heaviest burdens.
While interviewees agreed that further cutbacks were unlikely, they did not
envision better times ahead. In many ways school stakeholders, within and
outside of the schools, responded to the cutbacks in a manner recommended by
experts on school crisis, such as by protecting the core activities of teaching
and learning. There were, however, instances when school personnell and
parents complained, that school authorities had failed to consult them on
relevant matters. The discussion highlights the impact of values on policy and
decision making in general, but in times of austerity in particular.
The research was carried out by five academics at the School of Education,
University of Iceland and sponsored by the by the Center for Research on School
Administration, Innovation and Evaluation at the School of Education, University
of Iceland and carried out by five of its members.Rannsóknarstofa í menntastjórnun, nýsköpun og matsfræðiPublisher's Prin
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