Multicultural learning community: Students’ experiences of studies in education program at the School of Education, University of Iceland

Abstract

In this research we take a specific look at the International Studies in Education program at the University of Iceland’s School of Education where we seek to explore if and how the program and its underlying ideology of critical pedagogy has influenced the lives of seven participating women who all have an immigrant background. Through their stories we learn more about if and how being a part of this particular program has affected them in a personal way. Drawing on the knowledge gained through personal narratives and focus group interviews we seek to answer these key research questions: How can education be a key element in the empowerment of immigrant students and provide them with opportunities to reach their full potential? Where do students seek support and guidance? How can a higher education program based on critical pedagogy facilitate the empowerment of students with an immigrant background? The study has two components, a personal narrative, where participants write about their educational experience in the International Studies in Education program and focus group interviews with 3–4 participants. With globalization we have seen increased global mobility and as a result societies that are more culturally diverse than just a few decades ago. These societal changes are an inspiration for the educational researcher. They bring with them new opportunities and new ideas for research. “Globalization is a multifaceted process with economic, social, political and cultural implications for higher education” (UNESCO, 2004). Societal changes in Iceland with growing numbers of immigrants in the past 15 years (Hagstofa Íslands, 2012) have led to increasing numbers of immigrant students in Icelandic universities. Some of these students have struggled with pursuing their studies in Icelandic and some previous research findings have indicated their marginalization in these programs (Hanna Ragnarsdóttir & Hildur Blöndal, 2007). As a response to this new reality, the decision was made to develop an international program in education that would be taught in English. Some elements of the program og specific courses have been documented in previous reserch (see Allyson Macdonald & Auður Pálsdóttir, 2011; Books et al., 2011; Hanna Ragnarsdóttir, 2012). The effects of the critical pedagogy that is the underlying ideology of the program have not been documented before, and neither have the female students´ empowerment, experience and thoughts on completing their studies within this program. This research aims to add to this. Nieto (2010) asks the important question of where empowerment fits into critical pedagogy. And the answer she gives is that empowerment is both the purpose and the outcome of critical pedagogy. The main findings reveal that all the participants experienced a sense of empowerment that they explained resulted from the critical pedagogy of the program. Having teachers that showed interest in their cultural backgrounds and prior experiences, educational and personal, shocked some of them at the beginning but as they gained a better understanding of how this was linked to the educational philosophy of the program and they associated their personal experiences with the theories being taught, they gained a deeper appreciation for the learning community that was being created. The students also expressed a need to reach out to their own communities to make a difference in other people´s lives as a result of the experiences and knowledge they had gained in the program. Having had the privilege to watch these students grow as both students and individuals we are thankful that a program like this has survived major budget cuts in the last three years because we firmly believe that, as Brockbank & McGill (2007) have claimed: “Higher education is rightly endeavoring to ensure that students can realize their aspirations after university as well as providing an enriching experience on the path to graduation and post-graduation.”