Elisabeth Bjørnestad

Elisabeth Bjørnestad is a Professor in the Department of Kindergarten Teacher Education at the Faculty of Teacher Education and International Studies, Oslo Metropolitan University. Her research focuses on early childhood education, particularly kindergarten quality, classroom research, preschool pedagogy, and the transition from kindergarten to school.

• University: Oslo Metropolitan University
• School: Faculty of Teacher Education and International Studies
• Department: Department of Kindergarten Teacher Education
• Role: Professor and Study Leader Area 2

Her research interests span a wide range of topics in early childhood education, including qualitative and quantitative research methods, classroom conversations, learning and teaching, kindergarten employees, young children's development, and the physical environment of kindergartens. She is particularly interested in longitudinal studies and comparative kindergarten pedagogy.

Her recent publications reflect a strong trend in evaluating educational quality, interaction dynamics, play, and policy impacts in Norwegian early childhood education. She frequently employs observational methods and standardized assessment tools such as the ECERS-R and ITERS-R. Her work often addresses practical and policy-relevant issues, such as the effects of educational reforms and the pandemic on early learning environments.

Elisabeth Bjørnestad has been actively involved in multiple research projects, including the longitudinal 'Gode barnehager for barn i Norge' (GoBaN) project and the evaluation of the six-year reform in classrooms. She collaborates extensively with national and international researchers and contributes regularly to academic conferences and public outreach.

• Klasserommets praksisformer 20 år etter - en evaluering av seksårsreformen (2024)
• Koronapandemiens konsekvenser for overgang mellom barnehage og skole (2022)
• Informasjonswebinar - GoBaN studien (2021)

She is a key member of research groups such as Beginner training, Classroom research, and Language and learning environment in kindergarten and school (SAMBA), which reflect her commitment to interdisciplinary and applied research in early education.