This document summarizes a study on staff perspectives of supporting immigrant students at Icelandic universities. It finds that while the immigrant population in Iceland has grown significantly in recent decades, university policies provide little distinction between immigrant and foreign exchange students or guidance for culturally responsive support. Staff report assisting immigrant students individually based on their own experience and desire to help, rather than standardized practices or policies. The study concludes universities should implement clear policies to strengthen multicultural competencies, ensure equity, and regulate supportive practices for immigrant students.

1. From Non Policy to Practice: Staff’s
perspectives on teaching and supporting
students of immigrant background in
Icelandic universities
Hanna Ragnarsdottir, Prof. & Anh-Dao Tran, Ph.D.
School of Education, University of Iceland
ECER 2019, Hamburg

2. Immigrants in Iceland 1996-2016
1.8% in 1995; 3.6% in 2005; 10.6% in 2017 (Statistics Iceland, 2017)
Hanna Ragnarsdottir, hannr@hi.is & Anh-Dao Tran, adt@hi.is

3. Challenges
Barriers
•language difficulties,
•cultural precepts
•social marginalization (Anderson, 2008; Rizvi & Lingard, 2010)
Provision
•suitable teaching methods
•individualized support
•responsive administrative infrastructure (Lillie, 2013; Ragnarsdóttir, 2010)
Hanna Ragnarsdottir, hannr@hi.is & Anh-Dao
Tran, adt@hi.is

4. EAO (2016-2018)
Educational aspirations, opportunities and challenges for immigrants in
university education in Iceland
Findings from policies review:
•No clear distinction between immigrant students and foreign exchange
students.
•Services targeted exchange, learning disable students (Wozniczka and
Ragnarsdóttir, 2016)
•Equality often refers to gender equality
•Culturally responsive teaching methods are important role for a good
learning environment (Hanna Ragnarsdóttir & Hildur Blöndal, 2014).
Hanna Ragnarsdottir, hannr@hi.is & Anh-Dao Tran, adt@hi.is

5. Present paper
16 staff interview
How the staff at three Icelandic universities
attend to the needs of students of
immigrant background systematically and
purposefully in spite of lack of clear
policies?
Hanna Ragnarsdottir, hannr@hi.is & Anh-Dao
Tran, adt@hi.is

6. Staff’s perspectives
• Background and experiences
• No clear distinction between immigrant students and
foreign exchange students
• No standard rule in practice
• The goal is to help
• Support for students and possibly benefitting students of
foreign background
Hanna Ragnarsdottir, hannr@hi.is & Anh-Dao
Tran, adt@hi.is

7. Overall result
• Staff activated their fund of knowledge
individually to assist immigrant students
• No indication of guiding light or policies
Hanna Ragnarsdottir, hannr@hi.is & Anh-Dao
Tran, adt@hi.is

8. Conclusion
• Clear policies for:
– Strengthening multicultural competencies
among staff
– Ensuring equity
– Regulating practices
Hanna Ragnarsdottir, hannr@hi.is & Anh-Dao
Tran, adt@hi.is