In this survey, a total of 157 primary school teachers teaching students in 8th through 10th grade and 127 secondary school teachers participated. The majority of participants were female, comprising 81.3% of the total respondents. This percentage rate is slightly higher than the percentage rate of female teachers teaching at school level in Iceland as reported by Statistics Iceland in 2021, which was 80.4%. However, this figure is reflective of the gender imbalance present in the Icelandic school system, with 77.2% of respondents at the upper secondary level being female.

Age-wise, a significant proportion of respondents belonged to the 35-44 and 45-54 years old age group. The average age of teachers in Iceland is higher than that of other European countries, measuring 44.6 years at the primary school level (OECD, 2016). The largest age group of teachers teaching at the primary school level in Iceland in 2021 was within the 40-44 and 45-49 years of age (Icelandic Teachers´ Union, 2023; Statistics Iceland, 2023). The age groups in the survey align with these outcomes, as the largest age group of respondents at the upper primary and secondary levels were between the ages of 35-44 and 45-54, indicating that teachers in Iceland tend to be comparatively older.

Table 1 shows that a greater percentage of surveyed secondary school teachers had completed a master's degree. Since 2012, teachers in Iceland have been required to complete a masters's degree in education or their field of study as well as Teacher Certification Studies to teach at compulsory and upper secondary school level (OECD, 2016). However, the pedagogical training differs for these two groups, with primary school teachers being required to complete three years of education in pedagogy, while upper secondary teachers are only required to complete a year and a half (OECD, 2016). The highest rate of teachers with a bachelor's degree was recorded for upper primary school teachers with a percentage rate of 52.9%, while a lower rate of 44.6% had completed a master's degree. Comparatively, a larger number of secondary school teachers (69.3%) had completed a master's degree, highlighting a higher educational attainment rate among teachers at the secondary level.

In terms of teaching experience, a range of teachers with varying lengths of service answered the survey. The largest groups of upper primary and secondary school teachers who participated had more than 20 years of teaching experience, with percentages of 28.7% and 37.3%, respectively. The second largest group of primary school teachers who participated consisted of teachers with 1-5 years of teaching experience, whereas secondary school teachers were more likely to have at least 11-15 years of teaching experience.

Overall, the results of this survey provide valuable insights into the gender and age distribution, educational attainment, and teaching experience of primary and secondary school teachers in Iceland.