Marit Olave Riis-Johansen

Marit Olave Riis-Johansen is an Associate Professor in Norwegian didactics at the Department of Teacher Education, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). Since autumn 2021, she has served as head of the section for Norwegian. Her research focuses on early literacy education, communication in classrooms, and applied linguistics, with a particular emphasis on conversation analysis and forensic linguistics. She has led projects such as FUS (Functional Writing in the First School Years) and UTVEI (Development of the Counselling Interview in NAV), contributing to empirical-based workshops for professionals. Her work bridges educational theory and practice, addressing topics like writing instruction, police interrogations, and communication in social welfare contexts.

Education:

• Doctorate in Applied Linguistics
• Master's and PhD theses on police interrogations

Research Interests:

• Early childhood literacy
• Classroom communication dynamics
• Forensic linguistics (e.g., police interviews)
• Conversation analysis in education

Outreach & Engagement:

• Collaboration with NAV (Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration)
• Consultation on professional communication practices
• Public lectures and media contributions on communication challenges

Labs/Teams:

• Institute for Teacher Education
• Part of the FUS and UTVEI research teams