May Sissel Rognstad

May Sissel Rognstad is a Researcher and PhD Candidate at the Department of Pedagogy, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, affiliated with the Faculty of Teacher Education and Pedagogy. Her doctoral project focuses on 'Participation and learning: On quality of life for young people with intellectual disabilities,' emphasizing student perspectives in upper secondary education. She holds bachelor's and master's degrees in Special Needs Education from the same institution.

Her research examines conditions in secondary schools that influence quality of life through semi-structured interviews, adopting a subjective psychological framework. Key themes include social belonging, learning mastery, and self-determination within a socio-ecological context. Her work contributes to understanding how educational environments impact the well-being of students with intellectual disabilities.