Public defence: Christine R. Stenersen

Christine R. Stenersen will defend her PhD degree in humanities, cultural and educational sciences. The dissertation investigates how learning outcomes-oriented policy takes shape in policy documents and classroom practice.

09 Dec

Practical information

  • Date: 9 December 2025
  • Time: 10.00 - 15.00
  • Location: Vestfold, Vestfold, A1-30 Larvik and Zoom
  • Download calendar file

    • Link to digital participation (Zoom)

    Programme

    10:00 - 10:45 
    Trial lecture: «Reflections on national education policy’s influence on classroom practices and student engagement considered in relation to other influencing factors, and in light of the past fifty years of research on implementation and organizational change.»

    12.00 - 15.00: Public defence

    Assessment committee

    • First opponent: Professor Bruce Fuller, University of California, Berkely.
    • Second opponent: Professor Christina Segerholm, Umeå University.
    • Administrator: Sigrun Svenkerud, University of South-Eastern Norway.

    Veiledere

    • Hovedveileder: Professor Tine Sophie Prøitz, University of South-Eastern Norway.
    • Med-veileder: Professor Petter Aasen, University of South-Eastern Norway.

    The public defence will be hosted by vice dean Tonje Stenseth.

Any questions?

Christine Rendahl Stenersen is defending her dissertation for the degree philosophiae doctor (PhD) at the University of South-Eastern Norway. Portrettbilde av dame med brunt hår

The doctoral work has been carried out at the Faculty of Humanities, Sports, and Educational Science.

You are invited to follow the trial lecture and the public defence.

Summary

This doctoral thesis explores how learning outcomes-oriented policy takes shape both in policy documents and in classroom practices in Norwegian lower secondary schools.

The study takes as its point of departure the Knowledge Promotion Reform of 2006, which introduced a more outcomes-focused approach to education in Norway.

Through an analysis of government reports to Parliament from 2003-2017, the thesis demonstrates how the reform’s initial emphasis on fostering a culture for student learning gradually evolved into a system that prioritises individual student results. Over time, the concepts of culture for learning and learning outcomes became increasingly intertwined, reflecting a growing perceived need for measurable indicators to monitor quality in Norwegian schools.

The classroom studies show how teachers navigate the tension between diverse policy goals and students’ needs. They strive to combine elements that are easily assessed with competencies that are more challenging to evaluate, such as student engagement in learning processes and the development of collaboration skills. At the same time, the analyses demonstrate how students actively shape classroom practice in a more results-oriented direction. Students seek clear assessment criteria and are reluctant to engage in tasks without knowing how their efforts will be evaluated. In this way, students act as policy actors, influencing how education policy is enacted in the classroom and contributing to a narrowing of focus that reinforces a results-oriented practice. 

Finally, the thesis proposes a framework for analysing the relationship between education policy and classroom practice offering new insights into how national reforms unfold in everyday school life. The analyses highlight how subtle, situated changes, referred to as nuance shifts, emerge through the interaction between policy frames and practice. These shifts tend to strengthen the emphasis on what is easily assessed and graded, with substantial implications for political ambitions to promote student collaboration and engagement in learning processes.