Eli Smepla
Biographic Data
| ID | 4272872 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Eli Smepla |
| GIVEN NAMES | Eli |
| FAMILY NAME | Smepla |
| SIGNATURE | SMEPLA E |
| AFFILIATIONS | Norwegian University of Science and Technology |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-3357-8135 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 16 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 7 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 16 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2020 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Bilingualism as resource or obstacle? Educational tensions in contrasting Norwegian school settings
Increasing linguistic diversity in schools has intensified debates about how bilingualism is understood and handled within educational institutions. The analysis draws on empirical material from the Nordic Unequal Childhood project (2019–2024) and focuses on two contrasting Grade 5 classrooms in the same Norwegian city, situated in schools with markedly different socioeconomic and linguistic profiles. Using a qualitative, theoretically informed a…
Challenges in the Transition From Apprenticeships to Higher Education in England, Germany, and Norway
The transition from technical and vocational education and training to higher education is particularly challenging for apprenticeship graduates. These challenges are not only bureaucratic or logistical but also reflect deeper systemic inequalities. In many countries, apprenticeship routes at the upper secondary level are disproportionately chosen by disadvantaged groups in relation to class, gender, and/or race. As a result, the limited, time‐co…
Neo-institutional perspectives on VET: Organisational legitimacy and adaptation in institutional landscapes
Becoming morally equipped: A study of children’s public expressions
This article discusses the notion of a ‘morally equipped’ childhood and adolescence, and how such a notion can help us get a fresh perspective on the relation between young people’s participation and empowerment, and the formation of personal and the collective moral repertoires of modern society. Utilising a mixed-methods approach inspired by the sociology of conventions (SC) and the sociology of regimes of engagement (SRE), we analyse letters t…
Understanding how institutional dynamics can contribute to educational inequality in Nordic cities
This article explores the institutional dynamics that contribute to educational inequality within Nordic cities.The persistent issue of social inequality in education remains a prominent challenge for the Nordic welfare states.By investigating the gaps between educational policies and their practical implementation, this study sheds light on the mechanisms that drive educational inequality.Through the application of qualitative methods, the resea…
From regional colleges to global universities? The impact of academic drift on Norwegian higher education
Investigating adult learners' experiences from using slow reading as a pedagogical approach
This article explores the utilization of slow reading as a pedagogical tool aimed at enriching the learning experience in higher education, with a particular emphasis on fostering meaningful engagement with academic texts. Drawing upon insights from a qualitative case study conducted within a Norwegian vocational teacher training program, this research challenges the conventional belief that effective learning is synonymous only with speed and ef…
Potentials of Collaborative Educational Welfare Research - Theorizing Voice Plurality and Social Empowerment
Childhood marginalization is the result of complicated processes that appears difficult to address for policymakers worldwide. Neo-institutional theory enables studies of the complexity of educational organizations, showing how they evolve in responses to their contradictory surroundings and generate unintended social inequality. Three Nordic municipalities are currently participating in a project that focuses on the increasing polarization betwe…
Bridging gaps in vocational education and training systems in Norway
More than half of the youth in upper-secondary education in Norway choose programmes in vocational education and training. There is a larger risk of marginalisation in VET than in other educational programmes. One challenge facing VET is the mismatch between students' vocational education and the companies` need for apprenticeships. It is found that a great number of students lack apprenticeship after the second year in school, another matter of …
A study on Children perceptions of social exclusion and the structural drivers of discrimination in Norwegian elementary schools
This article explores children's understanding of social exclusion within their school contexts through a critical race theoretical lens and how social exclusion and repression occur in a country whose policy is typically linked with equality and diversity. Our research was conducted in two primary schools in a big city in middle Norway, where urban segregation creates significant differences in school composition. This qualitative study research…
Barriers to Equality and Cultural Responsiveness in Three Urban Norwegian Primary Schools: A Critical Lens for School Staff Perceptions
Literature regarding the gap between the conceptualization of inequality and school staffs’ perception of it in Norwegian schools is scarce. Therefore, we explore the challenges that Norwegian school staff have experienced as they work to ensure inclusive education at three schools. We address this challenge by examining three purposefully selected maximum variation schools that are located in a large Norwegian city. This is a qualitative study b…
Nordic challenges related to exclusion and local responses in Swedish, Finnish, and Norwegian urban compulsory education
Although the Nordic educational models have traditions of inclusion, researchers have found strong evidence that they can reproduce inequalities for minoritized groups attending primary and lower secondary schools. Following Luhmann’s system theory, this structurally orientated study identifies problems in the educational system that are caused by communication at the institutional level and in the translation of inclusive goals in urban educatio…
The Greta Thunberg Effect: A Study of Norwegian Youth's Reflexivity on Climate Change
This study reports on an unique opportunity to compare four quantitative/qualitative datasets from 2017 to 2021, before and after the activist Greta Thunberg became known to the general public. Through a mixed-methods approach, we develop a model to distinguish between three forms of climate reflexivity: (1) reflexivity as ranking; (2) reflexivity as recognising; and (3) reflexivity as qualifying. Our findings imply that in 2019 and the following…
A Widening Gap Between Official Teacher Training and Professional Life in Norway
A sociological case study of Norwegian teachers reveals how teacher education reforms have inadequate definitions of teacher competence. Legislators, officials and the media continue to uphold the image of a school system and teaching profession in crisis in several OECD countries. For the Nordic welfare states, education is a public good. Mediocre results in international comparisons cause public debate regarding the quality of the educational s…
Medicalization and Masculinities
presents original interdisciplinary research concerning feminist theory, gender, power, and inequality, both globally and locally promotes theoretical and methodological debates within gender research
Gør mændene en forskel i børnehaven: Rapport fra et studie af børnehavens pædagogiske kønskarakter
Do men make a difference in kindergartens? Report from a study of the gendered character of the kindergarten. Several kindergarten policies identify men as an exceptional educational resource in kindergartens. An increased male presence supposedly promotes gender equality, as men are thought better suited to meet the gender specific needs of the young boys. We investigate these assumptions in light of a major research project on gender dimensions…
Nordic challenges related to exclusion and local responses in Swedish, Finnish, and Norwegian urban compulsory education
Although the Nordic educational models have traditions of inclusion, researchers have found strong evidence that they can reproduce inequalities for minoritized groups attending primary and lower secondary schools. Following Luhmann’s system theory, this structurally orientated study identifies problems in the educational system that are caused by communication at the institutional level and in the translation of inclusive goals in urban educatio…
The Greta Thunberg Effect: A Study of Norwegian Youth's Reflexivity on Climate Change
This study reports on an unique opportunity to compare four quantitative/qualitative datasets from 2017 to 2021, before and after the activist Greta Thunberg became known to the general public. Through a mixed-methods approach, we develop a model to distinguish between three forms of climate reflexivity: (1) reflexivity as ranking; (2) reflexivity as recognising; and (3) reflexivity as qualifying. Our findings imply that in 2019 and the following…
Medicalization and Masculinities
presents original interdisciplinary research concerning feminist theory, gender, power, and inequality, both globally and locally promotes theoretical and methodological debates within gender research
Medicalization and Masculinities
presents original interdisciplinary research concerning feminist theory, gender, power, and inequality, both globally and locally promotes theoretical and methodological debates within gender research
Gør mændene en forskel i børnehaven: Rapport fra et studie af børnehavens pædagogiske kønskarakter
Do men make a difference in kindergartens? Report from a study of the gendered character of the kindergarten. Several kindergarten policies identify men as an exceptional educational resource in kindergartens. An increased male presence supposedly promotes gender equality, as men are thought better suited to meet the gender specific needs of the young boys. We investigate these assumptions in light of a major research project on gender dimensions…
A Widening Gap Between Official Teacher Training and Professional Life in Norway
A sociological case study of Norwegian teachers reveals how teacher education reforms have inadequate definitions of teacher competence. Legislators, officials and the media continue to uphold the image of a school system and teaching profession in crisis in several OECD countries. For the Nordic welfare states, education is a public good. Mediocre results in international comparisons cause public debate regarding the quality of the educational s…
Investigating adult learners' experiences from using slow reading as a pedagogical approach
This article explores the utilization of slow reading as a pedagogical tool aimed at enriching the learning experience in higher education, with a particular emphasis on fostering meaningful engagement with academic texts. Drawing upon insights from a qualitative case study conducted within a Norwegian vocational teacher training program, this research challenges the conventional belief that effective learning is synonymous only with speed and ef…
Potentials of Collaborative Educational Welfare Research - Theorizing Voice Plurality and Social Empowerment
Childhood marginalization is the result of complicated processes that appears difficult to address for policymakers worldwide. Neo-institutional theory enables studies of the complexity of educational organizations, showing how they evolve in responses to their contradictory surroundings and generate unintended social inequality. Three Nordic municipalities are currently participating in a project that focuses on the increasing polarization betwe…
Bridging gaps in vocational education and training systems in Norway
More than half of the youth in upper-secondary education in Norway choose programmes in vocational education and training. There is a larger risk of marginalisation in VET than in other educational programmes. One challenge facing VET is the mismatch between students' vocational education and the companies` need for apprenticeships. It is found that a great number of students lack apprenticeship after the second year in school, another matter of …
A study on Children perceptions of social exclusion and the structural drivers of discrimination in Norwegian elementary schools
This article explores children's understanding of social exclusion within their school contexts through a critical race theoretical lens and how social exclusion and repression occur in a country whose policy is typically linked with equality and diversity. Our research was conducted in two primary schools in a big city in middle Norway, where urban segregation creates significant differences in school composition. This qualitative study research…
Barriers to Equality and Cultural Responsiveness in Three Urban Norwegian Primary Schools: A Critical Lens for School Staff Perceptions
Literature regarding the gap between the conceptualization of inequality and school staffs’ perception of it in Norwegian schools is scarce. Therefore, we explore the challenges that Norwegian school staff have experienced as they work to ensure inclusive education at three schools. We address this challenge by examining three purposefully selected maximum variation schools that are located in a large Norwegian city. This is a qualitative study b…
Nordic challenges related to exclusion and local responses in Swedish, Finnish, and Norwegian urban compulsory education
Although the Nordic educational models have traditions of inclusion, researchers have found strong evidence that they can reproduce inequalities for minoritized groups attending primary and lower secondary schools. Following Luhmann’s system theory, this structurally orientated study identifies problems in the educational system that are caused by communication at the institutional level and in the translation of inclusive goals in urban educatio…
The Greta Thunberg Effect: A Study of Norwegian Youth's Reflexivity on Climate Change
This study reports on an unique opportunity to compare four quantitative/qualitative datasets from 2017 to 2021, before and after the activist Greta Thunberg became known to the general public. Through a mixed-methods approach, we develop a model to distinguish between three forms of climate reflexivity: (1) reflexivity as ranking; (2) reflexivity as recognising; and (3) reflexivity as qualifying. Our findings imply that in 2019 and the following…
Becoming morally equipped: A study of children’s public expressions
This article discusses the notion of a ‘morally equipped’ childhood and adolescence, and how such a notion can help us get a fresh perspective on the relation between young people’s participation and empowerment, and the formation of personal and the collective moral repertoires of modern society. Utilising a mixed-methods approach inspired by the sociology of conventions (SC) and the sociology of regimes of engagement (SRE), we analyse letters t…
Understanding how institutional dynamics can contribute to educational inequality in Nordic cities
This article explores the institutional dynamics that contribute to educational inequality within Nordic cities.The persistent issue of social inequality in education remains a prominent challenge for the Nordic welfare states.By investigating the gaps between educational policies and their practical implementation, this study sheds light on the mechanisms that drive educational inequality.Through the application of qualitative methods, the resea…
From regional colleges to global universities? The impact of academic drift on Norwegian higher education
Challenges in the Transition From Apprenticeships to Higher Education in England, Germany, and Norway
The transition from technical and vocational education and training to higher education is particularly challenging for apprenticeship graduates. These challenges are not only bureaucratic or logistical but also reflect deeper systemic inequalities. In many countries, apprenticeship routes at the upper secondary level are disproportionately chosen by disadvantaged groups in relation to class, gender, and/or race. As a result, the limited, time‐co…
Neo-institutional perspectives on VET: Organisational legitimacy and adaptation in institutional landscapes
Bilingualism as resource or obstacle? Educational tensions in contrasting Norwegian school settings
Increasing linguistic diversity in schools has intensified debates about how bilingualism is understood and handled within educational institutions. The analysis draws on empirical material from the Nordic Unequal Childhood project (2019–2024) and focuses on two contrasting Grade 5 classrooms in the same Norwegian city, situated in schools with markedly different socioeconomic and linguistic profiles. Using a qualitative, theoretically informed a…
Sociology (13 works) · Political science (10 works) · Norwegian (8 works) · Psychology (8 works) · Pedagogy (7 works) · Social science (7 works) · Global Educational Policies and Reforms (6 works) · Gender Studies (5 works) · Inequality (5 works) · Gender Studies (4 works)