Ole Johan Sando

Ole Johan Sando is an Associate Professor at Queen Maud Memorial College for Early Childhood Education, specializing in physical activity and health. Since joining the institution in 2010, he has focused on the role of physical environments in kindergartens, risky play, children's well-being, and virtual reality applications in behavioral research.

• Education: Bachelor (2007), Master (2009), and PhD (2021) in Sports and Movement Science/Educational Sciences from NTNU; Practical Pedagogical Education (2010); University Pedagogy (2017).

His research bridges environmental design, child development, and health outcomes, emphasizing how physical spaces (indoor and outdoor) influence children's play, risk assessment, and well-being. He employs innovative methods like VR to study these dynamics, contributing to injury prevention and educational frameworks.

The 15 most recent publications highlight his work on risky play, psychometric assessments of motor competence, virtual reality simulations, and the impact of outdoor environments on children's behavior. These span fields such as developmental psychology, environmental design, and health sciences, with sub-fields focusing on VR-based risk analysis, playground safety, and movement entropy.

As a leader in the EnCompetence and ViRMa projects, he has advanced understanding of how physical environments shape early childhood experiences. His dissemination includes lectures, webinars, and interviews on topics like movement joy, play environments, and safety practices in Norwegian kindergartens.