Gunn Helen Ofstad

Gunn Helen Ofstad serves as a Senior Lecturer in Reading Science/Special Education at the University of Stavanger's Faculty of Educational Sciences and Humanities. She is affiliated with the National Center for Reading Education and Reading Research, where she focuses on evidence-based literacy development across educational transitions.

Her research centers on early literacy acquisition, language stimulation in ECEC settings, and seamless transitions from kindergarten to school. Key interests include play-based literacy activities, handwriting versus keyboard writing effects, and addressing educational gaps in multilingual contexts. Her work emphasizes child-centered approaches and systemic collaboration between educational institutions.

Analysis of her 15 most recent publications (2021-2025) reveals consistent focus on transition pedagogy (78% of works), literacy interventions (65%), and extended education frameworks (42%). Notable trends include multinational comparative studies on educational policies and growing emphasis on children's perspectives in play-based learning environments.

Through the National Center for Reading Education, Ofstad leads collaborative projects like the 'Språkløyper' (Language Pathways) initiative and contributes to national programs such as 'Språksatsingen på Andøya'. Her dissemination efforts include designing professional development for kindergarten staff and advising municipalities on transitional practices.

Her work manifests in practical resources including textbooks ('Reading Seeds', 'The Good Foundation'), conference keynotes, and policy recommendations for Norway's Directorate for Education (UDIR). Current projects focus on establishing new 'Extended Education Pedagogy' programs and closing literacy pedagogy gaps between ECEC and primary school.