Immigrant students’ experiences of assessment methods used in Icelandic universities

ABSTRACT

The paper comes from the first extensive qualitative research project on immigrant students’ experiences of higher education in Iceland. The aim of the paper is to explore immigrant students’ experiences of different assessment methods, such as summative, formative and group assessment, applied in three Icelandic universities. The analysis of the participant interviews revealed that teachers still frequently apply summative assessment methods involving high-stakes examinations, which the participants regarded as not beneficial. The participants highlighted the fact that high-stakes examinations neither motivate them nor promote active learning. The study also revealed that culturally responsive assessment is almost non-existent in Icelandic universities. Additionally, the participants wished for standardisation of the policies regarding special support during the examination periods for students whose native language is not Icelandic. The paper is highly relevant for teachers, policymakers and other academic personnel of universities with diverse student populations.

KEYWORDS:

• Assessment
• higher education
• immigrant students
• qualitative research
• Iceland

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank all participants for sharing their experiences and knowledge. The authors are also grateful to the staff members of University of Iceland, University of Akureyri and Reykjavik University for showing interest in this project and assisting the researchers with providing additional information on matters related to the research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Geolocation information

Reykjavík. Iceland 64°08′N 21°56′W

Akureyri. Iceland 65°41′N 18°06′W

Additional information

Funding

This work was funded by the Icelandic Centre for Research.

Notes on contributors

Artëm Ingmar Benediktsson

Artëm Ingmar Benediktsson is a doctoral candidate at the School of Education, University of Iceland. His research focuses on immigrant students’ experiences of learning environment and teaching methods used in Icelandic universities. He completed a BS degree in geology from the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia in 2008, a BA degree in Danish from the University of Iceland in 2013 and a MA degree in Nordic studies from the University of Iceland in 2015.

Hanna Ragnarsdóttir

Hanna Ragnarsdóttir is a professor at the School of Education, University of Iceland. Her research has mainly focused on immigrants and refugees (children, adults, and families) in Icelandic society and schools, multicultural education, and school reform. She completed a BA degree in anthropology and history from the University of Iceland in 1984, a MSc degree in anthropology from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1986, and a Dr.philos. in education from the University of Oslo in 2007.