Formal and informal support at Icelandic universities: experiences of staff members and immigrant students

Susan Rafik Hama,Hanna Ragnarsdóttir,Kriselle Lou Suson Jonsdottir,Artëm Ingmar Benediktsson,Börkur Hansen

doi:10.24270/tuuom.2020.29.3

Abstract

Due to increased migration in recent decades, universities must adapt their practices to meet the needs of a changing student body. Many immigrant students desire to complete their studies at universities, yet factors such as language of communication and cultural traditions limit their possibilities. This paper comes out of a study titled Educational Aspirations, Opportunities and Challenges for Immigrants in University Education in Iceland. The findings are based on individual interviews with immigrant students and university staff members and focus group interviews with immigrant students. The theoretical framework of the study draws from the ideas of culturally competent counselling. This helps to analyse immigrant students’ experiences of formal and informal support during their university studies (Arredondo et al., 1996; Maunonen-Eskelinen, Kaikkonen & Clayton, 2005). Formal support constitutes institutional support provided by the universities, such as orientation programs and social activities of various kinds. Informal support, in contrast, incorporates other means of assistance to immigrant students either through those whom they trust, such as instructors, or community members in the role of cultural brokers. Immigrant students also get support through their present and former friends and through their extended family members. The findings indicate that, despite the challenges that immigrant students face at Icelandic universities, the majority were quite positive about their experiences as they described different types of formal and informal support which they obtained throughout their studies.

Highlights

The languages, cultures and religions of Iceland’s population have become increasingly diverse in the past years
The main findings are grouped into two different types of assistance: formal support from the institutional domain and informal support students sought from their social domains
The findings indicate that immigrant students pursuing higher education in universities in Iceland sought different types of support both from the institutions and personal networks

Summary

Introduction

The languages, cultures and religions of Iceland’s population have become increasingly diverse in the past years. Student populations at all levels of education reflect this development (Statistics Iceland, 2018c, 2018d, 2018e). Educational institutions are working to acknowledge immigrant students’ diverse needs and provide academic and social support during the learning process. While this awareness has increased significantly at the level of compulsory education, higher education institutions lag behind in their understanding of the needs of immigrant students (Boesch, 2014). Various other studies show that immigrant students experience different challenges during the education process, such as language related issues, lack of social support and insufficient knowledge about local educational systems (Franke, 2015; Ragnarsdóttir & Blöndal 2007; Sinacore & Lerner 2013)

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