Research-Based Teaching and Collaborative Learning in Physical Education (FUSK)

The FUSK project (Research-Based Teaching and Collaborative Learning in Physical Education) was initiated in 2022 as a response to challenges and opportunities arising from the revised Norwegian curriculum (LK20) for physical education.

The project brings together researchers, teacher educators, teachers, student teachers, and pupils in a collaborative research effort to understand and develop the subject of physical education together.

It is anchored in the belief that learning about and improving a school subject requires engagement and mutual learning across these groups, rather than research conducted in isolation from practice.

The research group contributes knowledge about how teaching in physical education and sports subjects is designed, experienced, and developed in practice.

More about the project

FUSK aims to facilitate shared learning and joint development of physical education among pupils, teachers, student teachers, and teacher educators.

The project also seeks to generate research-based knowledge about how physical education is perceived and experienced after curriculum renewal, and to establish collaborative approaches that support ongoing professional and curricular development.

Relevance

The project is relevant for multiple stakeholders in education: it informs teachers and teacher educators about contemporary classroom practices; supports student teachers’ professional learning; and gives pupils a voice in research about their schooling. Its findings are significant for educational policy, teacher education programs, and school development.

Key research questions include: How do teachers and pupils experience and interpret physical education after the curriculum change? and What collaborative forms of development can emerge when practitioners and researchers work together?

Methodology

FUSK employs a variety of methods that integrates large-scale surveys with qualitative methods. Annual surveys target pupils and teachers to map perceptions and experiences, while qualitative interviews and collaborative research activities with schools and teacher education programs provide deeper insights into practice and development over time.

List of publications can be found on the project website of University of South Eastern Norway (usn.no in Norwegian).

Partner institutions

University of South Eastern Norway
NLA University College
Western Norway University of Applied Sciences

Project participants

Vegard Fånes Aaring
- Associate Professor
- +47 672 37 622
Jens Birch
- Associate Professor
- +47 672 37 309
Steinar Brattenborg
- Associate Professor
- +47 672 37 310
Anders L Hage Haugen
- Associate Professor
- +47 672 37 129
Rein M. Jensen
- Associate Professor
- +47 672 37 314
Andrea Hovstein Kruken
- Assistant Professor
- +47 672 37 837
Ingvild Kvikstad
- Professor
- +47 672 37 305
Martin Blaauw Sandell
- Associate Professor
- +47 672 37 024
Erlend Ellefsen Vinje
- Professor
- +47 672 37 058

External participants

Fredrik Lie Haugen, University of South Eastern Norway
Markus Vagle, University of South Eastern Norway
Johan Ludvik Lund, University of South Eastern Norway
Oda Eline Aasland, University of South Eastern Norway
Markus Aasland, University of South Eastern Norway
Karl Petter Fon, University of South Eastern Norway and The Norwegian School of Sport Sciences
Espen Berg-Johnsen, The Norwegian School of Sport Sciences
Per Midthaugen, The Norwegian School of Sport Sciences
Ingvild Eia Linnestad, The Norwegian School of Sport Sciences
Åge Lauritzen, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences
Ann-Kristin Nilsen, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences