Service innovation in a small Nordic business environment; how managerial procedures frame employee involvement.
Kristín Halldórsdóttir
The service sector has grown rapidly over the past decades and has increased in importance in most developed economies. This Nordic study aims to improve our knowledge of managerial factors of service innovation by accessing in-depth insights from personnel in service firms. Employing qualitative methods, using a Case Study approach, this research explores how innovation takes place within services in a small domestic market. The paper is based on interviews with five managers in service companies operating in Engineering, Finance, Auditing, Tourism and Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The findings show that the service companies use a variety of project management tools, but lack strategic approaches in managing service innovation. Furthermore, service innovation within the companies was mostly managed through a top down approach. Although employee involvement in service innovation was often considered, it was not generally practised within these firms. I argue that these results not only provide new understandings about the small business environment, but also offer clear pointers to where service development needs to focus.
Participatory, Open Ended and Inclusive Music Education.
Lessons Learned from a Dynamic and Diverse Classroom Environment
Adam Switala
Music schools in Poland only serve an extremely small percentage of the population of all schoolchildren (less than 0,02) and the admission procedures are highly competitive. The necessity of defining a more flexible framework for both formal and informal music education appears urgent in order to make it more accessible. Participatory music education based on an open ended learning process has not gained much attention among researchers in Poland so far. There are very few published papers in this field and the majority of renowned foreign subject literature has not been translated into Polish. The research presented here is a case study of a music education programme based on a participatory approach, and introduced in a community after-school centre in Praga–Południe, an underprivileged district of Warsaw. The main principles of the applied approach were having an open-ended learning process and practical curriculum-making (Elliott, 1995). The children were offered free access to a variety of music instruments. The main research methods were participant observation, auto-ethnography and free-form interviews. The research was conducted from June to November 2017, the research team consisted of 4 people: 2 music educators and 2 music sociologists. The participants in the study were children attending music lessons (age group 7-14, with a slight predominance of 10-and-less year olds). Due to its short duration and narrow range of research activities, the study is of exploratory nature. This research paper is an attempt to depict and analyse the characteristics of informal music education based on the presented approach, and to shed light on relevant research areas, as well as to define specific research topics for further investigation. The study does not provide sufficient data for general conclusions about the influence of the applied music education model on social behaviours. Nonetheless, a strong correlation between the participant’s overall emotional disposition and the preferred kind of musical expression was observed and further investigation appears necessary in order to create a substantial background for providing support to teachers and to support a more holistic and more inclusive approach to music education in Poland.
Academic Before Vocational: Parental influence on Icelandic Upper Secondary School Students’ Educational Trajectories
Heiður Hrund Jónsdóttir
University of Iceland
hhj@hi.is
Icelandic students are often pressured into choosing an academic track at upper secondary school instead of vocational, regardless of their academic interests (Blondal, Jónasson, & Sigvaldadóttir, 2016; Blondal, Jónasson, & Tannhäuser, 2011; Eiríksdóttir, Ragnarsdóttir, & Jónasson, 2018). Making the right educational choice has been shown to reduce the risk of early school leaving, giving students a better chance of a successful future (Blondal et al., 2011; Markussen, Frøseth, & Sandberg, 2011). Knowing how parental educational emphasis affects adolescents will help students make educational choices that will give them a better chance of graduating upper secondary school. This paper explores the relationship between parental educational emphasis and students’ trajectories, with a specific focus on students’ academic interest.
The baseline sample was the population of all students attending their last year of compulsory education (10th grade) in 44 public schools in the capital area of Reykjavik in the autumn 2014 out of which approximately 80% of cohort participated (N=1947). In a self-report questionnaire, the students were asked about their background, their academic interest and how they perceived their parents’ educational emphasis and support. Registered data on academic achievement in the 10th grade was provided by the Directorate of Education and registered data on students’ trajectories through upper secondary school was provided by Statistics Iceland.
Early findings show that the stronger the educational emphasis of parents the more likely it is for students with low or medium academic interest to choose the academic track instead of vocational when they transition from compulsory school to upper secondary school. This is true even when family background, gender and previous academic achievement is held constant. The influence that parents have on the educational choice of adolescents shows how important parent-focused interventions are when it comes to guiding students when they are choosing a track at their next school level. This is particularly important for students with low or medium academic interest since parental emphasis plays a bigger role in their educational choice than for students with high academic interest.
The study contributes to our understanding of how to reduce early school leaving that is affected by students choosing a stream that does not fit their academic interest. It has potential implications for interventions, including informing parents on the educational options that are available and guiding them on how to advise their children. With time and additional data in the longitudinal setting of the study, there will be further research on the graduation rate for these students to see if and how their educational trajectories are affected by this parental pressure.
References
Blondal, K. S., Jónasson, J. T., & Sigvaldadóttir, S. (2016). Sérkenni námsferils starfsnámsnemenda í framhaldsskóla: Afstaða og skuldbinding til náms, líðan og stuðningur foreldra og skóla. Reykjavík. Retrieved from https://skemman.is/bitstream/1946/26433/1/serkenni_starfsnams.pdf
Blondal, K. S., Jónasson, J. T., & Tannhäuser, A.-C. (2011). Dropout in a Small Society: Is the Icelandic Case Somehow Different? In S. Lamb, E. Markussen, R. Teese, N. Sandberg, & J. Polesel (Eds.), School Dropout and Completion. International comparative studies in theory and policy (pp. 233–251). London, UK: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9763-7_1
Eiríksdóttir, E., Ragnarsdóttir, G., & Jónasson, T. (2018). Þversagnir og kerfisvillur ? Kortlagning á ólíkri stöðu bóknáms- og starfsnámsbrauta á framhaldsskólastigi. Netla – Veftímarit Um Uppeldi Og Menntun. Sérrit 2018 – Framhaldsskólinn í Brennidepli. Menntavísindasvið Háskóla Íslands. https://doi.org/10.24270/serritnetla.2019.7
Markussen, E., Frøseth, M. W., & Sandberg, N. (2011). Reaching for the Unreachable: Identifying Factors Predicting Early School Leaving and Non-Completion in Norwegian Upper Secondary Education. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 55(3), 225–253. https://doi.org/10.1080/00313831.2011.576876
Magnifier, captain or compass? Reflecting on the role of the facilitator in a school based participatory action research project
Ruth Jörgensdóttir Rauterberg
The paper describes an action research study, executed in the preparational phase on a larger PhD study. The PhD study is a participatory action research project in cooperation with a compulsory school in Iceland with the aim to identify, develop and implement inclusive practices. In this process the school is seen as a learning community of students, parents and school personnel who collectively find ways to work together and find solutions.
In this paper the researcher reflects on her role as a facilitator in the participatory action research process, focusing on the expectations of school personnel towards the role and using this information to identify its core responsibilities.
The researcher met with the school personnel on twice in a two-month period and collected data through conversation and group work, where the participants were asked to discuss their expectations towards the process in the whole and towards the facilitator´s role.
Participants embraced the opportunity of being listened to. They emphasized the importance of the facilitator being accessible for everyone and giving advice and guiding the way without taking control. She should empower participants to find and discover their own strengths and create cooperative spaces where people can work together on an equal basis where everyone is included and has ownership in the process.
Thus, the researcher saw her role as being a leader (captain) who listens to all participant´s voices and makes sure that every voice is heard (magnifier). She collects the participant´s dreams, ideas and experiences, leads them together and assists them with finding collective goals and ways to pursue them (compass).
Utilization of external evaluation feedback for development in schools: who participates and to what extent?
Björk Ólafsdóttir
- Research topic/aim
In 2013, a new approach to external compulsory school evaluation was introduced into the Icelandic education system. Based on evaluation criteria, recommendations for improvements are provided to the school, which is required to develop an improvement plan.
Some scholars have pointed out that if external evaluation is to have the desired effect on quality development in schools, then two factors are key – (1) the extent to which the school is a learning organisation and (2) whether the personnel are involved in a joint process of discussion and generation of improvement actions (Kools & Stoll, 2016; Landwehr, 2011; Penninckx, 2017).
The purpose of this study is to shed light on the process initiated by individual schools when they receive a report with recommendations following an external school evaluation. The two main research questions are: How do schools work with the external evaluation findings and recommendations they receive in the evaluation report? How do they appear as learning organisations in that process?
- Theoretical framework
Direction for exploration of the process of working with evaluation findings in schools is through the lenses of an integrated model of a school as a learning organisation (Kools & Stoll, 2016) introduced in a publication from OECD and UNICEF.
- Methodological design
This study draws on a survey research conducted on behalf of the Ministry of Education and the Icelandic Association of Local Authorities. The target population for the survey consists of all the 22 Icelandic schools, which were evaluated externally between January 2013 and May 2015. An online questionnaire surveyed principals (n = 22, RR = 100%) and teachers (n= 330, RR = 60%) in 2016. In addition to the surveys, the study is based on an examination of evaluation reports and the school website.
- Conclusions/findings
Preliminary results indicate that findings from external evaluation are discussed in different forums in the schools. However, the most common arrangement in deciding actions for improvements is that the principal or the management team construct an improvement plan and present it to the teachers for approval. In most schools, teachers and school council participate to some extent in discussion about the findings, although teachers are generally not reading the full evaluation report. The limited participation of teachers in the improvement process gives reason to question their ownership of the external evaluation results and their willingness to use the results to improve their own practices. This may indicate that the external evaluation doesn’t have the desired effect – at least not on the core of schooling, learning and teaching.
- Relevance to Nordic educational research
In connection to the congress theme, Rethinking the futures of education in the Nordic countries, this study produces evidence on policy-relevant questions concerning the situation in Icelandic schools and their maturity as learning organisations. It can serve as a guide and a support in further policy-making and decisions and may assist in developing future evaluation design and creating support systems, which will help enhance school improvement. It may also give directions on the need for systematic intervention in continuing professional development of teachers.
References
Kools, M., & Stoll, L. (2016). What makes a school a learning organisation? Retrieved from Paris: http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/download/5jlwm62b3bvh-en.pdf?expires=1505943700&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=40BFFD79E0E160911BF991D77832C792
Landwehr, N. (2011). Thesen zur Wirkung und Wirksamkeit der externen Schulevaluation. In C. Quesel, V. Husfeldt, N. Landwehr, & P. Steiner (Eds.), Wirkungen und Wirksamkeit der externen Schulevaluation. Bern: hep verlag ag.
Penninckx, M. (2017). Effects and side effects of school inspection: A general framework. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 52, 1-11.
3D printed surimi from cod byproducts: the effect of the pH-shift method compared to conventional washing
Romauli Juliana Napitupulu, University of Iceland (rjn1@hi.is)
Introduction: Demand for seafood products is increasing due to global population growth. However, an ongoing fish supply decline, and need for reduction in fishing has led to a great interest in using underutilized seafood byproducts, created through processing. Byproducts can be difficult to process but can be significant sources of protein and other high-value added ingredients. Byproduct utilization can occur through surimi processing and in this study we tested both pH shift and conventional washing for surimi processing. With the implementation of 3D food printing there can be reduction in food waste and utilization of seafood byproducts.
Objectives: to investigate the possible utilization of cod by-products and the effects of preparing surimi for 3D printing from it by pH-shift method or by conventional washing.
Methods: Fresh cod (Gardus morhua) byproduct mince was obtained from a local fish processing company in Reyjkavik, Iceland. Surimi was prepared with two different processing methods in a cold (refrigerated) room: (1) conventional washing and by the (2) pH-shift process. The resulting surimi paste was frozen in amounts of 500 g in polyethylene bags at -25oC for 7 days. The surimi paste was analysed and used to make surimi gels through 3D printing regularly at day 0, 4 and 7 days of cold storage. The cod surimi was partially thawed in cold room and was tested and standardized for 80% moisture. The raw material from the two washing treatments was divided into three group each, and salt (NaCl) was added to reach concentration of 1.5% and 3% levels, and raw material was left unsalted (0%) as a control. The surimi material was printed in a 3D food printer, the Foodini 3D food printer. After printed, the samples were then steam, cooked for 20 min at 90 oC.
Results: Cod surimi paste made by the conventional washing was easy to print, gave more texture, and there was a slight variation in prints when salt was added into surimi. On the other hand, 3D printed cod surimi paste starts prepared by pH-shift process showed more gaps between the deposited layers. The samples were sticky, and the material did not fully keep its shape after printing. The printability of the pH-shift treated surimi after refrigerated storage for 7 days was poor, and texture influence by the protein cross-linking. Hardness of the pH-shift samples was generally lower than in the conventionally treated samples. Furthermore, the hardness increased with the increased salt content in the conventionally prepared samples at all sampling days, but not until at day 7 in the pH-shift treated samples.
Conclusion: The printability observed was highly dependent on the quality of the starting raw material. Cod surimi by-product made from two washing methods was successfully printed although it was affected by both salt concentration and length of the cold storage. The conventionally washed surimi seemed to benefit more from salt addition, whereas the pH-shift process surimi paste with 0% salt was barely printable on day 7. Further studies and product development will thus have to take place prior to industrial setup of a 3D printable surimi production line.
Home or away? A policy review of internationalisation in higher education
Sue Gollifer
The concept of internationalisation can be separated into two aspects, internationalisation abroad (IA) and internationalisation at home (IaH). While the former largely reflects transnational mobility, the second invites a focus on the curriculum through an intercultural and international lens, as well as a deeper examination of student and faculty experiences, especially for those who have limited options to go elsewhere to gain this valuable knowledge. In this paper, we discuss the extent to which the University of Iceland’s (UI) laws and policies are responsive to immigrant students who have settled in Iceland.
We conducted a concept analysis of the term internationalisation and its application in the UI’s laws, policies and other strategic papers. Concept analysis is a useful tool that allows for a critical review of conceptual clarity. It allowed us to identify and resolve gaps and inconsistencies as regards how internationalisation is understood and applied at the UI and how it relates to the ISEP student population. The documents that we analysed include the University’s strategic plans (2006-2011; 2011-2016 and 2016-2021); its language and equity policies; and the Icelandic higher education legal framework (Lög um opinbera Háskóla nr. 85/2008).
The UI laws and policy documents use the term international almost exclusively in the context of international collaboration or relating to the university as an international research institution. UI holds internationalisation to be the more traditional form of transnational mobility. Whilst this reflects one of the critical aspects of internationalisation in terms of the international involvement of faculty, administration and students, it does not sufficiently refer to the immigrant population living in Iceland.
We propose a broader definition of internationalisation to reflect and respond to all international students in order to better serve the immigrant student population. We further suggest increased recognition of the contribution of university programmes that have been specifically designed to accommodate the educational needs of students of foreign origin who have settled in Iceland.
University policies that do not reflect the changing demographics in the student population risk neglecting the academic and social needs of students who are part of the Icelandic social, cultural and economic community. Disparity between students’ achievement and satisfaction based on ethnicity is a social justice concern that negates the right of all students to quality higher education.
Effects of packaging methods and storage temperature on the quality of Cobia (Rachycentron canadum) fillets during frozen storage
Thi Hang Nguyen, Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Iceland,
Cobia (Rachycentron canadum) is emerging as a favorable candidate for aquaculture due to its fast growth rate, low production cost, high commercial value and excellent quality of its flesh. Studies of how best to store cobia are increasingly important for the industry.
Previous studies showed that farmed cobia is a fatty fish with about 34% of the total lipids in cobia are mono unsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and 15.5% are polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Major PUFA are ω-3 fatty acids, such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, C20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6n-3). The lipids present in cobia muscle thus have a high nutrient value. However, with those lipid properties, cobia lipids may be susceptible to lipid oxidation during processing and storage.
The aim of this study was to investigate the quality and stability of air and vacuum packaged cobia fillets during frozen storage for up to 5 months at -18 oC and -25 oC. Cooking yield, water content, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), phospholipid content (PL), lipid hydrolysis (free fatty acid (FFA), and oxidation (lipid hydroperoxide values (PV) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS)) were measured every month of the storage period to evaluate the effects of packaging methods and storage temperature on the quality degradation of cobia fillets.
The study found that phospholipid content decreased significantly, whereas concentration of FFA increased during storage, indicating enzymatic activity throughout the storage period for all treatments. Formation of PV and TBARS increased significantly with storage time. Storage temperature and time proved to be important factors with regards to lipid degradation. Lipids were more stable at the lower storage temperature. Furthermore, results obtained in the present study demonstrated the inhibitory effects of vacuum packaging of cobia fillets on lipid oxidation, compared to air packaging. Interestingly, vacuum packaged cobia fillets stored at -18 oC had somewhat better quality compared to using traditional packaging and stored at a lower temperature of -25 oC.
The findings suggest that frozen cobia fillets should be vacuum packaged, then stored at temperature at least -25 oC to maintain its quality. Further research is needed on the treatment cobia fillets with antioxidative compounds, especially natural antioxidants. It would also be of interest to study the lipid oxidation during frozen storage in different portions of the cobia fillets.
Key words: Cobia, lipid oxidation, free fatty acids, vacuum packaging, air packaging, storage temperature
From Non Policy to Practice: Staff’s perspectives on teaching and supporting students of immigrant background in Icelandic universities
Hanna Raganarsdottir, Anh-Dao Tran, Susan Rafik Hama
The increase in number of immigrants in Icelandic universities calls for a response from university authorities, teachers and campus communities which needs to be cognizant of various factors, including language difficulties, cultural precepts and social marginalization (Anderson, 2008; Rizvi & Lingard, 2010). Research shows that access to education for immigrants is crucial in counteracting their marginalization and isolation, encouraging active participation in society, and ensuring societal equality. This includes factors ranging from suitable teaching methods for diverse student populations, understanding the need of individualized support for students, to responsive
administrative infrastructure (Lillie, 2013; Ragnarsdóttir, 2010). Different studies have been conducted on immigrant students and their participation in higher education in the Nordic countries. The findings show that one of the reasons behind immigrant participation in higher education is positive attitude and motivation for better integration within the society (Geiger & Lund, 2010; Nordisk Ministerråd, 2004). However, according to the Bologna ProcessImplementation Report, the percentage of immigrants pursuing and culminating tertiary studies are considerably less than native-born students (EAHEA, 2015).
This paper derives from the qualitative research project Educational aspirations, opportunities and challenges for immigrants in University education in Iceland (2016-2018) funded by the Icelandic Research Fund. The theoretical background includes critical multicultural studies which focus on the analyses of the position of minority groups in societies from a critical perspective on these societies and their educational systems (Parekh, 2006).
Data was collected in semi-structured interviews with 35 students and 16 support staff and teacher at three Icelandic universities as well as documents such as policies. This paper presents the findings of the interviews with the staff of the universities.
Findings from the document analysis suggest that while the policies and other official documents of Icelandic universities reveal an awareness of the diversification of their students there is little documentation and evaluation available on how these universities are addressing student diversity in practice (Wozniczka & Ragnarsdóttir).
Nevertheless, despite the lack of policies, findings from the interviews indicate many staff use their life experience in working, teaching and personal friendship with people of diverse background for teaching and for providing support for these students. They expressed the importance for being culturally sensitive when communicating with students of foreign background. Their understanding was drawn on their knowledge of working as language teachers, counsellors, interpreters, living abroad and learning languages etc. The support for these students was different from the three universities. They are from allowing extra time for taking examinations, providing them with mentors to facilitate their social and integration process, to special BA, MA program that has focus on cultural responsive teaching for students of diverse background. Nevertheless, the findings also showed that many staff do not make the distinction between immigrant students whose Iceland is their home and international and exchange students.
Images of saints in seals from Hólar and Skálholt dioceses
-Their cultural context
Guðrún Harðardóttir, PhD History
The cult of saints was an integral part of medieval life, touching on all aspects of living, slightly changing in emphasis through time. Seal images can reflect many aspects in medieval society including attitude towards saints, both institutional and personal preference in that matter.
Seals were used to verify important documents in the middle ages. Because of this, medieval seals are in nature an expression of the identity of their owners. Seals contained both an image of some kind, somehow related to the owner as well as a written legend around the edges. The recognition of the seal owner was primarily through the visual reception of the seal image. Since seals have such strong ties to the identity of each seal owner they can be considered a trustworthy source material on the presentation of a saint at each time in each context. The time frame of this research reaches from the earliest preserved seals from around 1280 up until the reformation in 1550.
This study is a byproduct of my ongoing PhD thesis on images in medieval Icelandic ecclesiastic seals in the context of the Nidaros archdiocese. It is the initiation of mapping what saints are presented and how they are presented in the various categories of the Icelandic seal material. That is, in bishop´s seals of dignity and their contra seals or secrets and in the seals of monasteries and monastic officials. This can only been done to the extent of preservation, which varies a bit between the two dioceses Hólar and Skálholt.
Rather little work has been done on the Icelandic seal material which makes this the first to discuss this aspect of it. On the other hand, studies have been made in some of the other dioceses from within the Nidaros archdiocese of which Hólar and Skálholt formed part. The same applies for the study of saints in Iceland.
Mapping seals with saint images of the highest ecclesiastic level of the Icelandic clergy will reveal both institutional and personal preference of the choice of a saint for a seal image. This aspect of the seals is a way of exploring the Icelandic ones in a larger cultural context, mainly within the North Atlantic cultural area. This study provides exploration of the popularity of certain saints which were popular in Bergen and Nidaros dioceses in later Middle Ages. The connection between known church dedication and the presentation of a saint in the relevant seals is also explored. This study will also reveal the iconographic styles in these images and how they change over time.
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