Reidar Säfvenbom

Dr. Reidar Säfvenbom serves as a Professor at the Department of Teacher Education and Outdoor Studies within the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences (NIH). His academic focus centers on Human Development and Positive Youth Development, particularly examining how physical activity contexts influence adolescent growth. He has investigated the relationship between vulnerable youth groups and sports participation, advocating for policy changes to create equitable movement opportunities outside traditional organized sports systems.

• Research Interests: Relational Developmental Systems Theories, Self-Organized Lifestyle Sports, Motivational Climate Analysis
• Teaching: General educational theory, child/adolescent development, educational philosophy

His NIH-based research group explores how physical education, organized sports, and self-organized activities shape adolescent experiences. Notably, he developed the Eagerness for Physical Activity Scale (EPAS) to measure motivational drivers.

Recent publications analyze self-organized activity benefits for youth development, comparative studies of egalitarian vs. elitist sports systems, and longitudinal investigations of motivational climate effects. His work with the School in Motion project examines physical activity's impact on academic performance and health metrics.