LIFE wants to achieve a new and improved understanding of life skills education (LSE) in Norwegian schools.
Life skills in theory and practice: Knowledge base, perceptions and implementation of an interdisciplinary topic in Norwegian schools
2023 – 2027
The Research Council of Norway: 10 million Nkr
Conduct a survey among staff at 1,000 schools about how they perceive and implement life skills as a subject and across subjects.
Conduct focus group interviews with school management, teachers and other personnel, as well as pupils and individual interviews with the school owner.
Planned observation in classrooms.
The goal is to be able to propose some clearer recommendations to school owners, principals and teachers.
LSE was introduced in the curriculum in 2020 as one of three cross curricular themes with vague explanations of what it was all about. The Norwegian word "livsmestring" has even broader connotation than the English term and when the concept is vague, this leads to problems for the practitioners who are implementing the curriculum. LIFE wants to achieve a new and improved understanding of life skills education (LSE) in Norwegian schools, against a backdrop of discussion and unclarity regarding the understanding of the concept and ideas about good practice.
LIFE will explore different understandings of LSE through reviews of international literature and will study LSE in practice in Ireland to get a reference point for discussing practice in Norway.
The main part of the study is focusing understandings and practices in Norwegian schools, both through a national survey and by conducting targeted case studies in 15-20 schools on different levels. The results from all these studies will be presented to a group of stakeholders from both practice and policy level, including school owners. They will assist the researchers in discussing both theoretical and practical aspects of LSE in Norwegian schools.
Based on the results of the research project and the reflections and feedback from stakeholders, LIFE will present suggestions both for understanding of what LSE is and how it can be practiced in schools, drawing on a well-founded knowledge basis. The project will even contribute to broader discussions about the relationship between education system and society at large, including questions about what is realistic to achieve through education.
Project managers
Norwegian Centre for Learning Environment and Behavioral Research in Education
Norwegian Centre for Learning Environment and Behavioral Research in Education