Public defence: Mathias Brekke Mandelid - Universitetet i Sørøst-Norge

Mathias Brekke Mandelid will defend his PhD degree in pedagogical resources and learning processes. His dissertation is about how physically active learning is constructed in practice, policy, and research and developed a physically active learning pedagogy.

09 May

Practical information

Date: 9 May 2025
10.00 - 15.00
Bø, Auditorium 6-103
Download calendar file

Link to digital participation on Zoom

Programme

10.00 Trial lecture

Kl. 12.00 Public defence: Movement-Centred Pedagogy? Conceptualising physically active learning in Norwegian education.

The public defence will be hosted by dean Per-Ludvik Kjendlie.

Assessment committee

First opponent: Associate Professor Natalie Lander, Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin University
Second opponent: Professor Sølvi Mausethagen, Senter for profesjonsforskning, OsloMet
Committee coordinator: Professor Lars Frers, Department of Culture, Religion and Social Studies, University of South-eastern Norway

Supervisors

Associate Professor Michael Reinboth, University of South-eastern Norway
Associate Professor Hege Eikeland Tjomsland, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences
Professor Miranda Thurston, University of Inland Norway

Mathias Brekke Mandelid is defending his dissertation for the degree philosophiae doctor (PhD) at the University of South-Eastern Norway.

Mathias Brekke Mandelid

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

Research over the past two decades has indicated a growing interest in integrating physical active learning (PAL) in several schools. However, limited insight exists into how teachers understand, actualize and use PAL. In this PhD project, Mathias Brekke Mandelid explored how PAL is constructed in practice, policy, and research, and developed a PAL pedagogy.

The thesis indicates that PAL is not a rigid strategy that can be implemented directly into teachers' pedagogy without regard to teachers' adaptation and reflections. Instead, the thesis shows how actors from policy, research and practice influence and form PAL. To illustrate the complexity inherent in the use of PAL, Mandelid introduces the PAL model "CAPAbLE", which highlights 12 core elements that encourage teachers to use their existing practice as a starting point for planning, organizing and evaluating PAL as part of their teaching.

Three of the four articles in the thesis examine teachers' perspectives on how PAL can be used in practice. Article 1 identifies how teachers’ educational values influence their understanding of PAL and shows what purposes it can serve. Article 2 offers an in-depth ethnographic study of teachers’ use of PAL, highlighting the importance of context and adaptability. Article 3 examines a practical framework for PAL together with teachers and presents the CAPAbLE model. Article 4 critically analyses Norwegian educational policy documents and uncovers a long tradition of combining physical activity and learning and different discourses that have enabled PAL in the Norwegian context.

Each individual article contributes to a more nuanced understanding of PAL in primary education, emphasizing the importance of teachers’ agency, building on existing practice and the need for a flexible and context-specific approach. Understood in context, the articles contribute to a renewed understanding of PAL as a teaching method where movement can be integrated with the aim of prioritizing the broader educational goals. The thesis as a whole contributes to demonstrating a gap between intentions in theory and practice and suggests that the term “movement-centred pedagogy” may be more appropriate to capture holistic intentions from health and education. In conclusion, Mandelid concludes that intentions from policy, research and practice should be more clearly linked to support further integration.