Iceland University of Education

About: Iceland University of Education is a based out in . It is known for research contribution in the topics: Icelandic & Early childhood education. The organization has 28 authors who have published 58 publications receiving 2398 citations.

Online data collection in academic research: advantages and limitations

Abstract: Online data collection in academic research might be replacing paper-and-pencil surveys or questionnaires in the near future. This paper discusses the advantages and limitations of online data collection, with particular reference to the conduct of two qualitative studies involving upper secondary school teachers and students in Iceland in 2002. Email was used for contacting the participants to ask them to visit a designated website in order to complete the questionnaire. Some problems arose with the use of an online web-based programme for data collection. Among them were the unreliability of the email address lists and the lack of willingness, particularly among students, to participate. The paper concludes that while online surveys can access large and geographically distributed populations and achieve quick returns, they may no longer be as universally appealing as was once believed. Reaching the population sample remains a problem in online as well as in traditional data collection.

Research with children: methodological and ethical challenges

Abstract: Methodological and ethical challenges that researchers face when they conduct research with children are the focus of this article. The discussion is based on a study conducted with 2–6‐year‐old children in Iceland, where the purpose was to shed light on children's perspectives on their early childhood settings. The study is built on the conviction that children, just like adults, are citizens who hold their own views and perspectives, they have competencies and the right to be heard, and they are able to speak for themselves if the appropriate methods are used. The article reflects on methodological dilemmas and challenges as well as ethical issues related to informed consent, confidentiality, protection and interactions. Les defis methodologiques et moraux qui confrontent les chercheurs quand ils conduisent des recherches avec des enfants sont consideres dans cet article. La discussion est basee sur une etude entreprise avec des enfants de 2‐6 ans en Islande ou le but etait de jeter la lumiere sur les p...

Playschool in Pictures: Children's Photographs as a Research Method.

Abstract: The paper focuses on children’s photographs as a method to use in research with children Studies using photographs with children are reviewed and compared and a study conducted in one Icelandic playschool is described The playschool was involved in a project where the purpose was to look at the ways children think about their early childhood educational setting and to develop methods for listening to children’s perspectives The paper describes and compares two approaches where cameras were used One group used digital cameras to take pictures in their playschool while they showed the researcher important places and things in the playschool The other group was given disposable cameras that they could use unsupervised for a period of time The results show that using cameras and children’s photos is a notable method to use when seeking children’s perspectives on their life in an early childhood setting

Objective measurements of daily physical activity patterns and sedentary behaviour in older adults: Age, Gene/Environment Susceptibility-Reykjavik Study

Abstract: Background: objectively measured population physical activity (PA) data from older persons is lacking. The aim of this study was to describe free-living PA patterns and sedentary behaviours in Icelandic older men and women using accelerometer. Methods: from April 2009 to June 2010, 579 AGESII-study participants aged 73–98 years wore an accelerometer (Actigraph GT3X) at the right hip for one complete week in the free-living settings. Results: in all subjects, sedentary time was the largest component of the total wear time, 75%, followed by low-light PA, 21%. Moderate-vigorous PA (MVPA) was <1%. Men had slightly higher average total PA (counts × day−1) than women. The women spent more time in low-light PA but less time in sedentary PA and MVPA compared with men (P < 0.001). In persons <75 years of age, 60% of men and 34% of women had at least one bout ≥10 min of MVPA, which decreased with age, with only 25% of men and 9% of women 85 years and older reaching this. Conclusion: sedentary time is high in this Icelandic cohort, which has high life-expectancy and is living north of 60° northern latitude.

Tracking of overweight from early childhood to adolescence in cohorts born 1988 and 1994: overweight in a high birth weight population.

Abstract: To investigate the prevalence and tracking of overweight and obesity in childhood cohorts born 1988 and 1994 in a population of high birth weight. Icelandic cohorts born in 1988 and 1994. Out of 1328, 9- and 15-year-old children from 18 randomly selected schools all over Iceland, 934 participated (71%). Height and mass were measured by the investigators. Also, height and mass at birth, and at age 2.5, 6, 9, and 12 years, were collected from maternity wards and school health registers. The prevalence of overweight children ranged from 10.1% for 2.5-year-olds to 18.7% for 9-year-olds. No difference was observed between the two cohorts or sex. The prevalence of obesity in the 1994 cohort (4.3%) was significantly higher (P=0.01) at age 6 years, compared to the 1988 cohort (1.1%). The children who were overweight at age 2.5 years were more likely to be overweight at age 6 (OR=12.2) and 9 years (OR=4.9), but not significantly at age 12 or 15 years, compared with normal weight 2.5-year-olds. Overweight children at age 6 or 9 years were much more likely (OR 10.4 and OR 18.6, respectively) to be overweight at age 15 years compared to their normal weight peers. Of overweight 6-year-olds, 51% were overweight at 15 years, and were about one-third of all overweight children at that age. The children that weighed above the 85th percentile at birth were more likely than the other children to be overweight at the age of 6 years (OR=1.8), 9 years (OR=2.1), and 15 (OR=2.0) years. The results show high prevalence of overweight and obesity even before the start of compulsory schooling. Approximately, 51% of overweight 6-year-olds were still overweight after puberty. Therefore, preschool overweight prevention, along with prevention at school age, seems to be of uttermost importance.