| Abstract: | This paper probes the relationship between educational policy and actual changes in the field of education in Iceland. It attempts to relate previous analysis of the role of the State in changing education and give some reasons why it may sometimes be less effective than expected. Educational change is inspected from three different perspectives: First, from the perspective of expansion of participation in education; secondly, from a perspective that involves probing the nature of educational problems; and, finally, from a perspective which demands a birds-eye view of the educational debate in order to expose inconsistencies or contradictions that may not normally be appreciated. The data brought forward, related to the first perspective, suggest that governmental intervention is not clearly visible and intervention by central authorities does not account for educational expansion. Two examples related to the second perspective suggest that if the problems at hand are not appropriately analysed, policies to deal with them will not be effective. The third perspective brings forward a number of contradictions inherent in major educational goals and it is argued that if these are not addressed properly the impact of any policies involving them will be lessened. It is concluded that educational research may fruitfully inform educational policy from the perspectives discussed in the paper. |
