“The workload diminishes my interest in continuing in this profession”: The experiences of compulsory schoolteachers

• Main Authors: Harðardóttir, Sigrún, Karlsdóttir, Ingibjörg, Johnson, Margaret Anne
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: Icelandic
• Published: Menntavísindasvið Háskóla Íslands 2023
• Subjects: primary school teachers; learning difficulties; workload; solutions; professional support; grunnskólakennarar; námserfiðleikar; vinnuálag; úrræði; faglegur stuðningur; Iceland
• Online Access: https://ojs.hi.is/index.php/netla/article/view/3927

Over the past years, compulsory schools have been expected to take on many new roles without increased professional supports for teachers. Teachers are tasked with increasing responsibility and face many challenges in meeting the diverse range of student needs. Research in Iceland shows an increased workload on teachers and the need for a wider range of professionals within the school to meet the needs of students with specific learning difficulties and developmental challenges. The teachers themselves attest to a lack of preparation in their education to meet the reality of the situation. They do not possess the necessary specialist knowledge, and no professional services or support routes are available. It is common knowledge that in Iceland, there are long waiting lists for schoolchildren to have their developmental needs assessed within the school system and other systems, such as the health system. This study relates the situation and experiences of teachers and other professionals within compulsory schools and the type of support available for students who have been assessed with ADHD, autism, general and specific learning difficulties, and Tourette’s syndrome, as well as students who struggle with emotional and social challenges. This study stems from a larger body of research regarding support services for primary school students with diverse learning needs. It comprises qualitative interviews with eight focus groups with professionals from 19 primary schools teaching Years 3 – 10. Altogether, 49 individuals participated in the study. The interviews were designed to obtain the participants‘ opinions about the main challenges they face on the job, what works well, and what needs to be improved. The results show that the participants experience different challenges due to the responsibility they carry in their daily work to fulfil the education and student welfare laws. The study’s results also reveal that the challenging situations described by the participants create extra workloads that, over time, ...