Lene Vestad

Lene Vestad is an Associate Professor at the University of Stavanger, Faculty of Arts and Education, where she is affiliated with the Norwegian Centre for Learning Environment and Behavioral Research in Education. Her research centers on educational psychology, with a strong focus on social and emotional learning, student motivation, growth mindset, and inclusive education in lower and upper secondary schools. She actively contributes to national and international scholarly discourse through publications and conference presentations.

Her research interests include:

• Social and emotional competencies in educational contexts
• Teacher support and its impact on student motivation and mindset
• Inclusion of immigrant and newly arrived students
• Development of academic efficacy and engagement
• Implementation of interventions like ROBUST and Move-P

The most recent articles highlight a consistent focus on longitudinal modeling, teacher-student relationships, and the integration of socio-emotional development with academic outcomes. Her work frequently employs advanced statistical techniques such as latent change score modeling and cross-lagged panel models to understand developmental trajectories.

Lene Vestad has contributed to policy discussions through presentations to the Norwegian Knowledge Department and public engagement via media outlets and educational films. She has also supervised several master’s students, indicating her active role in academic mentoring.

• ROBUST: A social-emotional learning curriculum for lower secondary students, where she contributed to teacher training and content development on emotions and growth mindset.
• Move-P: A research-practice partnership project focused on motivation and mastery in upper secondary education, where she has led dissemination and implementation efforts.