Uppeldi og menntun - 01.01.2010, Side 112

Uppeldi og menntUn/icelandic JoUrnal of edUcation 19(1–2)/2010112
trú á eigin færni og Hvati t i l námS
other scholars, about self-efficacy and student motivations were selected as the guiding
conceptual framework. Empirical research, for example among high school students
in the USA, shows that belief in their own ability enhances interest and encourages
them to deal with projects they receive at school. Bandura insists, on the other hand,
that people, who doubt their abilities in certain fields, try to avoid demanding projects,
for the fear of failing. They find it difficult to tackle the assignments, try less hard, and
give up at the smallest hindrance. Observations of this kind were seen as meaningful
to the experience of relevant staff at VMA.
The research design selected for the study was based on interviewing 10 randomly
selected students who had enrolled in the DGS program during the fall of 2001. All
these students were born in 1986. Two of these students had completed their studies
at VMA, two were still in school, and six had dropped-out. The interviews indicate
that nine of these students had learning disabilities. Eight of them had no or very little
belief in their own abilities to study when they began their stay in VMA. Their interest
in education was very limited and they had low belief in their own abilities regarding
learning. Two of these students acquired belief in their own abilities while studying
at VMA and two of them had a good belief in their own abilities from the beginning.
These two with high beliefs, realised while at VMA, that they were able to do much
better than they previously anticipated. Five of the students that dropped out, claimed
that they had with maturity (age 22) gained a belief in their ability to commence
studies again, if conditions allowed.
These findings suggest that there are many things that can be improved at VMA
to better meet the needs of students with learning disabilities and low belief in their
own abilities. The “support system” at VMA needs to be strengthened as well as the
role of supervising teachers. Furthermore, students with learning disabilities need to
be spotted at entry, but they usually do not ask for assistance. Nevertheless, all these
students spoke well of VMA.
aBout tHE autHors
Börkur Hansen (borkur@hi.is) is a professor at the School of Education, University of
Iceland. He finished a B.A.-degree in education and psychology from the University
of Iceland in 1982, and a Ph.D. in educational administration from the University
of Alberta in 1987. His major research interests are in the area of leadership, school
management, school development and educational governance.
Hjalti Jón Sveinsson (hjalti@vma.is) is the principal of Verkmenntaskólinn á Akureyri
(Akureyri Comprehensive College). He has been in office since 1999. He finished a
Cand.Mag.-degree in Icelandic literature from the University of Iceland in 1986 and a
M.Ed.-degree in 2009. His major interests are in the area of leadership, management
and development in the Icelandic upper secondary school system.