Åse Strandbu

• Richards, Kadija A. & Strandbu, Åse (2026). Navigating dynamics and dilemmas in Southern African sport for development collaborations: Analyses of Global North perspectives on safe sport policy development with a framing and postcolonial lens. International Review for the Sociology of Sport. ISSN 1012-6902. doi: 10.1177/10126902261447609. Full text in Research Archive
• Nagel, Siegfried; Fahlen, Josef; Stenling, Cecilia; Schlesinger, Torsten; Elmose-Østerlund, Karsten & Ibsen, Bjarne [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2026). Willingness of voluntary sports clubs to implement integration programmes – A construction of organisational identity ideal types. International Review for the Sociology of Sport. ISSN 1012-6902. doi: 10.1177/10126902251411555. Full text in Research Archive
• Solstad, Bård Erlend; Hordvik, Mats; Strandbu, Åse & Bentzen, Marte (2026). Forcing, pushing, encouraging, or accepting? Parental dilemmas when teenagers seek to disengage from organised youth sport. Sport, Education and Society. ISSN 1357-3322. doi: 10.1080/13573322.2026.2631037. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Before teenagers decide to disengage from organised youth sport, parents often face multiple dilemmas as they navigate their child’s contemplation of disengagement. This study explores parents’ perceptions of ideals and dilemmas inherent in these disengagement situations. Based on focus group interviews with parents of teenagers transitioning from lower- to upper-secondary school in Norway, we employed an abductive approach, integrating theoretical knowledge to inform our interpretation. Our analysis generated three primary themes: (i) The perceived value of sport, where parents generally viewed sport participation as beneficial for fun, social engagement, and a healthy lifestyle, while also acting as a protective factor against potentially unhealthy behaviours; (ii) Dilemmas in interpreting disengagement situations, as parents struggled to discern temporary challenges from genuine, long-term disinterest in sport; and (iii) Dilemmas in parental responses, as parents balanced respecting autonomy with a sense of responsibility to encourage continued engagement, believing in long-term benefits. The data from this study suggest that the parents in this sample navigated disengagement through a distinct two-step process: First, they sought to communicate and collaborate with their children to understand their perspective. Second, they utilised strategies based on that understanding to facilitate continued engagement. These insights illustrate a specific mode of parental involvement and serve as a foundation for future research to examine how these strategies might differ or adapt across diverse socio-economic contexts and more complex disengagement scenarios.

• Johansson, Susanne; Sølvberg, Nina; Strandbu, Åse; Broms, Lovisa & Hedenborg, Susanna (2025). Sexual harassment and abuse in the equine sector. International Review for the Sociology of Sport. ISSN 1012-6902. p. 1–21. doi: 10.1177/10126902251384141. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Sexual harassment and abuse (SHA) are recognized problems in sport contexts, yet little is known about their occurrence in the equine sector. This study examined reported experiences of SHA among participants in the Swedish and Norwegian equine sector. An intersectional framework was applied to analyze the interplay of social characteristics and culturally informed inequalities associated with SHA. A retrospective, cross-sectional survey ( N  = 653) using the Interpersonal Violence Against Children in Sport Questionnaire (IVACS-Q) measured lifetime self-reported experiences of SHA in a self-selected sample, the majority of whom were women. Over half (54.9%) of respondents reported lifetime experiences of SHA in equine environments, including contact and noncontact forms. The vast majority of those reporting SHA were women, often in subordinate roles such as grooms or stable staff, who spent extensive time in equine environments. Reported perpetrators were most often older men in positions of authority linked to equine-centered power, such as riding instructors, stable owners, and horse owners. The findings highlight structural and organizational vulnerabilities in equine culture, where gender, age, and equine-centered power intersect to shape conditions associated with SHA. Therefore, preventing SHA in the equine sector requires context-sensitive, culturally and intersectionally informed safeguarding efforts.

• Espedalen, Lars Erik & Strandbu, Åse (2025). Blind spenders? The social meaning of money in youth sport. International Review for the Sociology of Sport. ISSN 1012-6902. doi: 10.1177/10126902251393816. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This study explores parents’ views and practices regarding expenses in club-organized youth sport (OYS), inspired by Zelizer's theory of the social meaning of money. Our ambition is twofold: (a) to develop a typology of the meaning of money spent on teenage children's sport participation—from the parents’ point of view, and (b) to examine how the meaning of money (the typology) is anchored in social class and familiarity with sport. Our data material is qualitative interviews with 40 parents of teenagers in organized football and/or cross-country skiing. Through our analyses, we developed a three-fold typology: Blind spending encompasses not knowing the amount spent on their children's sport. The expenses are considered worthwhile irrespective of how much they are. Concerned spending encompasses spending what is considered necessary, but accompanied by some reflections and restrictions on the spending. Painful spending is far from blind and includes struggling to pay expenses. We conclude that the meaning of money in youth sport is both related to class and the available economic resources in the family, as well as the meaning families imbue sport with. Our study contributes to the understanding of social mechanisms behind class differences in sport participation.

• Solstad, Gerd Marie & Strandbu, Åse (2025). Idrettslags håndtering av økonomi som barriere for barn og unges idrettsdeltakelse Etiske dilemmaer når frivillighetsmoral møter profesjonsetikk. In Loland, Sigmund & Sæle, Ove Olsen (Ed.), Å løpe en risiko: Etiske refleksjoner om å lede praksis i kroppsøving, idrett og friluftsliv. Fagbokforlaget. ISSN 9788245047844. p. 355–378. doi: 10.55669/oa610714. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  I ethvert menneskelig møte står noe etisk på spill. Lærere, trenere og veiledere i profesjonsfag som kroppsøving, friluftsliv og idrettsfag i skolen, eller i friluftsliv og organisert idrett på fritiden, møter stadig krevende etiske spenninger og dilemmaer de må ta stilling til. Denne antologien, med tittelen Å løpe en risiko – etiske refleksjoner om å lede praksis i kroppsøving, idrett og friluftsliv, har en bred faglig profil, der forskere fra ulike høyskoler og universiteter i Norge bidrar med sine perspektiver. Det finnes få publikasjoner i Norge som tar opp etiske refleksjoner knyttet til ledelse i disse praksisfeltene, selv om tematikken er svært aktuell. Det er fjorten kapitler i antologien med ulike tematiske vinklinger. De samler seg rundt tre hovedoverskrifter: verdibasert ledelse, kroppsyn og inkludering. I første del, «Å våge verdibasert ledelse», diskuteres sirkusbarn i tidligere norsk idrettshistorie, fotball og bærekraftsprinsipper i kroppsøvingsfaget, samt etiske dilemmaer blant idrettstrenere. I andre del, «Å våge å stole på kroppen», belyses etiske utfordringer knyttet til bruk av kroppsnær teknologi i trening, kroppsbildeproblematikk i kroppsøvingsfaget og verdien av pedagogisk tilrettelagt risiko i friluftslivet. I siste del, «Å våge å inkludere alle», drøfter forfatterne transkjønnede elevers erfaringer i kroppsøvingsfaget, bruk av crossfit-inspirerte aktiviteter i skolen, likhetsprinsippet i organisert idrett, rollekonflikter i ungdomsidrett og idrettslags håndtering av økonomi som barriere for idrettsdeltakelse. Kapittelbidragene har sitt utgangspunkt i ulike fag- og forskningsområder. Noen kapitler har en teoretisk orientering, mens andre bygger på empiriske undersøkelser. Antologiens målgruppe er studenter i høyere utdanning, fagkolleger og forskere på området.

• Stefansen, Kari & Strandbu, Åse (2025). Social Closure in the Youth Sport Field: The Pull of the Game on Class-Privileged Parents. Sociology. ISSN 0038-0385. doi: 10.1177/00380385251344488. Full text in Research Archive
• Skilbred, Anette; Strandbu, Åse & Loland, Sigmund (2024). Youth athletes’ framing of nutritional supplements: Performance enhancement and food. International Review for the Sociology of Sport. ISSN 1012-6902. 60(1), p. 45–63. doi: 10.1177/10126902241260923. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Prior studies have revealed how some nutritional supplements used to enhance performance in sports are considered problematic because they are associated with doping. In this study, frame analysis is applied to scrutinise interviews conducted with 24 ambitious youth athletes enrolled in elite sport schools. The analysis enables exploration of the athletes’ understanding and meaning-making concerning the so-called grey zone supplements in terms of two major frames. The first performance frame is expected as the context is elite youth sport, and many aspects of the athletes’ lives revolve around athletic progress. However, the more interesting finding is that this performance frame permeates almost all aspects of the young athletes’ lives, including how food is both understood and consumed. The second frame implies the framing of nutritional supplements as food. Here, the use of supplements is rationalised by practical concerns such as hectic training and teaching schedules that leave little time for meals, with supplements becoming a quick fix to meet energy needs. Hence, meaning-making concerning the grey zone supplements gives rise to an alternative framing linked to food and eating, although an overarching logic of performance also exerts a significant impact.

• Skilbred, Anette; Loland, Sigmund & Strandbu, Åse (2024). Young networked athletes and performance-enhancing substances: who are the actors in their network, and how do the actors shape athletes’ meaning-making? European Journal for Sport and Society (EJSS). ISSN 1613-8171. 21(4), p. 317–336. doi: 10.1080/16138171.2024.2335578. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Ambitious youth athletes continually strive to enhance their performance, and as they age, more people are involved in this process. Athletes are immersed in a network of actors who wield significant influence over their performance-enhancing endeavours, encompassing training, nutrition, and at times, the use of various performance-enhancing substances. Our study predominantly revolves around various permitted substances, primarily in the form of nutritional supplements of various kinds. Also relevant in this regard is anti-doping, as knowledge of and a critical attitude towards supplements are a central part in this preventative educational work. More specifically, in this study, we explore the actors that contribute to young athletes meaning-making of nutritional supplements and anti-doping and examine how the young athletes describe these actors’ contribution. Twenty-four athletes from private elite upper secondary sport schools (PEUSS) in Norway were interviewed, with a semi-structured approach to facilitate the various tales. Our analysis revealed seven actors/actor groups in athletes’ network. The actors/actor groups were diverse and contributed to athletes meaning-making in different ways. We argue that the diversity of actors illustrates the relevance of the networked athlete concept and that the concept should be further developed by interactionist perspectives.

• Agergaard, Sine; Redelius, Karin & Strandbu, Åse (2024). Children’s Rights to and in Sport: A Comparative Analysis of Organizational Policies in the Scandinavian Countries. Social Sciences. 13(4). doi: 10.3390/socsci13040216. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  It has long been stated that children have the rights to protection from, e.g., abuse and to the provision of age-appropriate leisure, play, and recreational activities along with participation in all matters that concerns them. Yet, the full range of children’s rights to and in sport has not yet been explored in detail. To do so, it is relevant to turn to the Scandinavian countries, which are praised for promoting children’s rights and well-being, with organized sport forming part of the daily lives of many children and youths. In this paper, we examine the organizational policies in Scandinavian sport in order to develop foundational knowledge about how the range of children’s rights to and in sport may be supported. Comparing key policy documents of the major sports confederations in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, these analyses identify great variety in the following: 1. when and how children’s rights to and in sport have been made explicit in the three countries; 2. whether the emphasis is on protection and/or provision of sport to children and youths or their participation in shaping sporting activities; 3. the degree to and ways in which such rights are regulated. In sum, our findings reflect a disparity between organizational policies in the three countries, with a more liberal and individualistic approach to public policy in the Danish context, providing some explanation of the only recent development in and scattered enaction of regulations to support children’s rights to and in sports. Furthermore, we identify that political attention has mainly been drawn to the protection and provision of sports to children and youths, while their participation in shaping sport is a shared challenge for sport confederations in the Scandinavian countries and beyond.

• Skilbred, Anette; Strandbu, Åse & Loland, Sigmund (2024). Performing performance: young aspiring athletes’ presentation of athletic identity. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living. 6. doi: 10.3389/fspor.2024.1383559. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Youths are in the process of figuring out answers to the question “who am I?” and young athletes are searching for athletic identity in interaction with their friends, teammates, coaches, and so on. This study explores athletes' presentations of athletic identity based on 24 interviews with ambitious young athletes attending upper secondary sport schools. Anchored in Goffman's theory of the self and the presentation of the self, as well as Markus and Nurius' concept of possible selves, the study views identity as socially constructed in interaction. Utilising this theoretical perspective alongside thematic analysis resulted in four themes that reveal characteristics that are deemed central in an athletic identity. First, the theme I am a dutiful athlete constitutes integral facets of the athletes' self-presentation as committed and diligent individuals. The interviews also bring to light variations in the athletes' attitudes and approaches towards these expectations and concepts. The remaining three themes: I must be unique, We must be unique, and I must have fun, illustrate how being a performing athlete extends beyond duties tied to training, resting, and eating. While the findings suggest the existence of certain dominant and desirable characteristics in an athletic identity, they also highlight variations in identities, emphasising negotiation and flexibility in handling the athlete role.

• Espedalen, Lars Erik & Strandbu, Åse (2023). Fotball, vafler, kioskvakt og dopapir : Minoritetsforeldres møter med norsk barne-og ungdomsidrett, Bevegelsesfellesskap i oppveksten : kritiske perspektiver på inkludering og mangfold. Fagbokforlaget. ISSN 9788245041415. p. 225–243. doi: 10.55669/oa230112. Full text in Research Archive
• Ehnold, Peter; Jarck, Henning; Doherty, Alison; Elmose-Østerlund, Karsten; Fahlen, Josef & Gohritz, Andreas [Show all 14 contributors for this article] (2023). Developing a multi-level framework for analyzing public sports-based programmes to integrate migrants and refugees into organized sports. Sport in Society: Cultures, Commerce, Media, Politics. ISSN 1743-0437. doi: 10.1080/17430437.2023.2276813. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Voluntary sports clubs (VSCs) are viewed by governments as an important catalyst for the integration of migrants/refugees. However, research has shown that only a small number of VSCs are directly involved in ‘integration through sport’ practices. To increase the ­number of VSCs that are willing and able to significantly implement targeted integration measures, it is necessary to understand how ‘integration through sport policies’ can actually reach the local level and impact practices. In this paper, we propose a conceptual framework that considers and bundles current integration research in organized sports. To address the complexity, a multi-level framework will be developed that helps to understand the roll-out strategies and implementation processes of integration programmes for migrants in organized sports. Additionally, it helps to support practitioners in developing appropriate evaluation schemes, or revising existing integration programmes at the local, regional or national level in order to increase the number of integrative VSCs.

• Strandbu, Åse; Solstad, Gerd Marie; Stefansen, Kari & Frøyland, Lars Roar (2023). Seksuell trakassering og andre krenkelser i ungdomsidretten: Forekomst og mønstre i utsatthet. Nordisk tidsskrift for ungdomsforskning (NTU). 4(1). doi: 10.18261/ntu.4.1.2. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Denne artikkelen undersøker forekomsten av ulike typer krenkelser i ungdomsidretten, noe det er forsket lite på. Vi analyserer data fra undersøkelsen Ung i Oslo 2021 (svarprosent = 53%, 13–19 år). Deltakere som var aktive i idrett på undersøkelsestidspunktet (n = 2 283) ble spurt om de var blitt truet, mobbet eller utestengt samt utsatt for seksuell trakassering og overgrep i idretten i løpet av det siste året. Vi undersøker 1) hvor utsatt ungdom er for slike krenkelser i idretten, 2) forskjeller i utsatthet etter kjønn, sosioøkonomisk status og innvandrerbakgrunn, individuell idrett versus lagidrett og treningsmengde og 3) hvem som utøver krenkelsene. Analysene viser at i overkant av ti prosent hadde fått negative, upassende eller sårende seksuelle kommentarer. Like mange var blitt truet, mobbet eller frosset ut. Fire prosent var blitt befølt på en seksuell måte mot sin vilje, mens tre prosent av de som gikk i videregående skole (spørsmålet ble bare stilt til denne gruppen) oppga «en annen form for seksuelt overgrep». Samlet viser analysene at ungdomsidretten – i tillegg til å være et sted der mange trives – også er en arena der en ikke ubetydelig andel ungdommer utsettes for krenkelser.

• Charway, Derrick & Strandbu, Åse (2023). Participation of girls and women in community sport in Ghana: Cultural and structural barriers. International Review for the Sociology of Sport. ISSN 1012-6902. 59(4), p. 559–578. doi: 10.1177/10126902231214955. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Despite numerous international and national policy documents promoting girls’ and women's empowerment and participation in community sports, the actual access to sport for women and girls is still restricted in several countries. This paper explores the situation in Ghana. Through the analytical lens of Cooky and Messner’s theory of ‘the unevenness of social change’, we analyse the cultural and structural barriers that prevent girls and women from participating in sport in Ghanaian communities. The data material is document analysis, focus groups and semi-structured interviews with male and female officials representing state-funded regional and district sports organisations as well as non-state sports organisations in Ghana. The findings reveal that cultural barriers, rooted in deep-seated cultural norms and structural hindrances that undermine gender-inclusive policies, contribute to the limited participation of girls and women in community sport. Furthermore, the interplay between these cultural and structural factors leads to gender-specific practices and fewer women in leadership positions. Based on our analyses, we suggest that structural changes (enforcing and implementing gender policies) can result in cultural changes (positive gender equality outcomes) over time.

• Strandbu, Åse; Solstad, Gerd Marie; Stefansen, Kari & Sandvik, Morten Renslo (2022). Sexual Harassment or Just Coaching? Sport Students Making Sense of Possibly Sexualising Coach Behaviours. Social Sciences. 11(12), p. 1–13. doi: 10.3390/socsci11120543. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Research has shown that athletes are divided in their assessment of possibly sexualising behaviours from coaches towards athletes. How they arrive at their conclusions has received less attention—yet it is crucial to understand as a basis for safeguarding measures. Using video-elicitation focus group interviews with sport students, we zoomed in on different types of ‘grey area’ situations involving coaches and athletes. We drew on social script theory to highlight the cultural tools sport students use to distinguish between acceptable and unacceptable coaching behaviours. Our analyses showed that the students drew on two types of scripts in their interpretative work: (1) sport scripts, denoting templates for ‘normal’ coach–athlete interactions (typically with a performance and/or caring rationale), and (2) sexual harassment scripts, encompassing beliefs and expectations of how sexual transgressions play out and among whom. We discuss how the students evaluated concrete grey area situations by comparing and contrasting them with both scripts. In these assessments, the students relied on cues and clues from the portrayed interactions, including the gender of the coach and athlete and knowledge about the specific sport setting. Our analyses demonstrate how views about sexual harassment in sport relate to the specificities of the sport setting and the gendered social dynamics in the situation.

• Sogn, Hanne Elisabeth; Skirstad, Berit & Strandbu, Åse (2021). Ytre press, indre driv?: En analyse av Norges idrettsforbunds arbeid med å endre kjønnsbalansen i organisasjonen (1971 til 2020). In Tjønndal, Anne (Eds.), Idrett, kjønn og ledelse. Fagbokforlaget. ISSN 9788245035353. p. 245–263. Full text in Research Archive
• Solstad, Gerd Marie; Stefansen, Kari & Åse, Strandbu (2021). An Eliasian analysis of students’ views on guidelines against sexual harassment and abuse in sport. International Review for the Sociology of Sport. ISSN 1012-6902. doi: 10.1177/10126902211053539. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This article explores an important measure in current prevention policies in sport: guidelines against sexual harassment and abuse. Because little is known about how people involved in sport understand and relate to such guidelines, it fills a gap in current research on sexual harassment and abuse prevention in sport. We draw on ‘video elicitation’ focus group interviews with sport students in Norway. Our analysis is guided by Norbert Elias's sociology of knowledge and particularly his concept of ‘degrees of involvement and detachment’. First, we found that the students had limited knowledge about the sexual harassment and abuse guidelines. Second, we saw how their discussions alternated between different positions when reflecting upon the guidelines’ usefulness. From a relatively detached position, the students supported the general idea of guidelines. From the more involved position they voiced concern related to conduct regulations that conflicted with valued aspects of sport practice and mentioned problematic aspects of sport culture that the guidelines do not target. In a blend of involvement and detachment, the students drew on their sport experiences to reflect critically on both the potentials and limitations of the sexual harassment and abuse guidelines. Finally, we draw some implications of the analysis for the improvement of prevention work.

• Strandbu, Åse; Stefansen, Kari; Smette, Ingrid & Seippel, Ørnulf (2021). Ungdomsidrettens spenninger. In Ødegård, Guro & Pedersen, Willy (Ed.), UNGDOMMEN. Cappelen Damm Akademisk. ISSN 9788202732998. p. 135–152. doi: 10.23865/noasp.142.ch6. Full text in Research Archive
• Persson, Marlene; Stefansen, Kari & Strandbu, Åse (2020). Fotball som kjønnet mulighetsrom. Hvilken betydning har metafortellingen om kvinnefotball for unge jenters idrettsprosjekt? Tidsskrift for kjønnsforskning. ISSN 0809-6341. 44(3), p. 231–245. doi: 10.18261/issn.1891-1781-2020-03-05. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Denne artikkelen handler om idrett og kjønn. Vi tar utgangspunkt i fotball – som i dag er den mest populære idretten blant både jenter og gutter, samtidig som den er tydelig kjønnet på elitenivå. Kvinnefotball framstilles ofte som annenrangs sammenlignet med herrefotball. Dette kan forstås som vår kulturs «metafortelling» om kvinnefotball. På forbunds- og klubbnivå jobbes det samtidig med ulike «jentesatsinger» og «jentetiltak» for å øke jenters motivasjon og motvirke frafall. Hensikten med analysen her, er å belyse hva slags idrettsprosjekt unge jenter opplever er mulig for dem – i denne spesifikke idrettskonteksten. Vi bygger på intervjuer med spillere på to jentelag for aldersgruppa 14-15 år, som ble gjennomført som del av et mer omfattende feltarbeid. Vi argumenterer for at fotball fortsatt representerer en særlig kjønnet kontekst som snevrer inn hva jenter opplever fotball kan være for dem, det vi omtaler som deres «idrettsprosjekt». Vi finner at metafortellingen om kvinnefotball har en sentral rolle her. Selv om jenter opplever metafortellingen som både feil og urettferdig, er den også inkorporert, en del av dem, og viser seg gjennom vurderingene de gjør av hva som er bra fotball og hvordan de snakker om kjønnet ulikebehandling i egen klubb.

• Solstad, Gerd Marie & Strandbu, Åse (2019). Culturally ‘safe sport’: on political mobilisation against abuse in Zambian sport. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics. ISSN 1940-6940. 11(4), p. 625–637. doi: 10.1080/19406940.2019.1615975. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Formalisation of safeguarding in sport occurs in increasingly diversecontexts to address abuse of athletes and promote‘safe sport’. Moreover, safeguarding policies are occasionally integrated in transna-tional Sport for Development (SfD) partnerships as a condition for fund-ing. In this article, we draw from social movement theory to explorepolitical mobilisation against abuse in Zambian sport associations thathave a Norwegian SfD partner. Using the concept of‘cultural framing’,we examine how safe sport is captured, presented and understood bycoaches and sport leaders involved in Zambian sport. The analysis showsthat there was considerable support for formalised safeguarding, eventhough ambivalence was expressed regarding the extent of abuse insport. With motivation grounded in resonance with sport priorities andhumanistic values, safeguarding seemingly equipped the sport associa-tions with a practicable formula for confronting a morally evocativeproblem. Coupled with a strong network of local mobilising actorschampioning this cause and a conducive political climate for connectingsport with broader social responsibilities, we suggest that this culturalframing facilitated political mobilisation against abuse in Zambian sport.Lastly, we outline some implications of ourfindings for safeguarding insport and for the politicisation of sport issues.

• Strandbu, Åse; Bakken, Anders & Sletten, Mira Åboen (2019). Exploring the minority–majority gap in sport participation: different patterns for boys and girls? Sport in Society: Cultures, Commerce, Media, Politics. ISSN 1743-0437. 22(4), p. 606–624. doi: 10.1080/17430437.2017.1389056. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This paper examines the participation of minority and majority youth in organized sport based on the Young in Oslo 2015 survey (response rate: 72%, N = 9.774). Four possible explanations of the minority–majority gap are introduced: (i) culture, (ii) religion, (iii) discrimination/racism and (iv) class and socio-economic resources. Class and religion are further examined in the paper. Initially, among the boys, there are no differences between the minority and majority groups. When taking socio-economic resources into account, the minority boys have a slightly higher participation rate than the majority boys. Among the girls, the likelihood of participating in sport clubs is considerably lower for those with a minority background than for those with a majority background. The analyses show that socio-economic resources have an effect on both girls and boys and that religious denomination also explains, to some extent, the minority–majority gap that exists among girls.

• Strandbu, Åse; Bakken, Anders & Stefansen, Kari (2019). The continued importance of family sport culture for sport participation during the teenage years. Sport, Education and Society. ISSN 1357-3322. 25(8). doi: 10.1080/13573322.2019.1676221. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Growing up in a family with an affinity for sports increases the likelihood of participating in club-organised sports. Few studies to date have addressed whether the importance of family sport culture is stable or changes during the teenage years. This article examines the association between family sport culture and participation in club-organised sports during teenage years and whether it differs between boys and girls. We utilise data from Norway and the comprehensive ‘Young in Oslo 2015’ survey (N = 6121; 79% response rate; ages 13–18). Three questions were combined into a measure of family sport culture in the present study: the importance of sport in the family, parents’ training habits, and whether parents would like their children to participate in sports. We observed a clear positive relationship between family sport culture and participation in club-organised sports. Except for a slightly weakened relationship with age among girls, the relationship was equally strong in all age groups. We suggest that the overall continuity in the relevance of family sport culture for young people’s sport participation reflects a prolonged socialisation effect that we utilise Bourdieu’s theory of habitus to understand.

• Stefansen, Kari; Solstad, Gerd Marie; Strandbu, Åse & Hansen, Maria Louise (2019). Young athletes’ perceptions of coach-athlete sexual relationships: Engaging with competing ethics. Sociology of Sport Journal. ISSN 0741-1235. 36(4), p. 339–346. doi: 10.1123/ssj.2019-0007. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In this paper, we use data from focus group interviews with young athletes to explore their thinking about coach-athlete sexual relationships (CASRs). Our aim is to further the understanding of the ambivalence surrounding CASRs in the sports field, which are simultaneously viewed as ethically problematic and acceptable – at least when they involve high-profile adult athletes. Inspired by Swidler’s toolkit approach to culture, we analyse how athletes understand and justify CASRs. We found that three different ethics were activated in the interviews: the safeguarding, love, and athletic-performance ethics. We discuss how these ethics are linked to different underlying ‘imaginaries’, or cultural frames, about the meaning of sport in society and offer thoughts on how the results can inform sporting organisations’ future prevention efforts.

• Persson, Marlene; Espedalen, Lars Erik; Stefansen, Kari & Strandbu, Åse (2019). Opting out of youth sports: how can we understand the social processes involved? Sport, Education and Society. ISSN 1357-3322. doi: 10.1080/13573322.2019.1663811. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Sports researchers often examine the subject of youth quitting sports through quantitative surveys using fixed-choice questionnaires. In this paper, we analyze 1,248 descriptions offered by youth in the survey Young in Oslo 2018 when asked to explain why they had left organized sports. We examine their reasons for opting out of sports and how different reasons may interact. Similar to studies with fixed-choice questions, we found both sports-internal and sports-external reasons for quitting. Our main finding concerns how sports-internal and sports-external processes appear together and reinforce the challenges some youth experience in their day-to-day lives in terms of their sports participation.

• Stefansen, Kari; Smette, Ingrid & Strandbu, Åse (2018). Understanding the increase in parents’ involvement in organized youth sports. Sport, Education and Society. ISSN 1357-3322. 23(2), p. 162–172. doi: 10.1080/13573322.2016.1150834. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  As part of an ethnographic study on young people and learning (the knowledge in motion across contexts of learning project, set in Norway), we interviewed a diverse sample of parents of young teenagers, many of whom were active in organized sports. The parents described their level of involvement in sport in a way that contrasted sharply to our own experiences participating in youth sports in the 1970s and 1980s. Back then most parents were absent from the sports fields. This new role of sports in the practice of parenthood is what we investigate in this study. The purpose is to further the understanding of the cultural processes that drive what we see as a marked generational change in the relationship between organized sports and the practice of parenthood. In contrast to previous studies, we also focus on the relationship between generational change and classed patterns in parenting. Our data suggest that across social classes, parents see involvement in sports as normal, and as a way to connect to the child emotionally and to further the child’s development. We interpret the significance of sports in the parent–child relationship as related both to the normalization of youth sports that the parents experienced when they grew up, and to the new cultural ideas of parenthood that they encounter as adults. We find that there are tensions embedded in this new form of parenthood that are particularly evident in what we call ‘deep involvement’, an intensified form of parental engagement with youth sports that is practiced primarily by fathers in the economic fraction of the middle class. We conclude that the new role of sport in the practice of parenthood is a classed as well as a generational phenomenon.

• Seippel, Ørnulf Nicolay & Strandbu, Åse (2017). Populist political right opinions and political trust among Norwegian youth. Journal of Youth Studies. ISSN 1367-6261. 20(4), p. 415–429. doi: 10.1080/13676261.2016.1241863. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Recent decades have seen the growth of various strands of rightwing populist political orientations, where populism and critique of immigration policies have been central. These ideological developments have caused concern for the legitimacy of social and political institutions. The question explored in this paper, based on Norwegian survey data, is ‘Which types of right political orientations exist among young people, and how do these political attitudes affect trust in social and political institutions?’ The results reveal the existence of both a populist ‘new right’ political orientation similar to the ideology of the Progress Party and a nativist ideology. The new right orientation contains two sets of variables: (i) economic liberalism/state scepticism and (ii) nationalist values. For trust in political institutions, the emerging picture is complex because the nationalist dimension of both the populist orientation and the nativist ideological orientation implies a high level of trust in political institutions. To the extent the new right political orientations causes mistrust, it seems to come from the liberal economic, anti-statist values included in this ideology. Based on these findings, future researchers should distinguish more clearly between the ideological dimensions going into populist political right orientations and the relationship between attitudes and more practical implications of such ideologies.

• Strandbu, Åse; Gulløy, Elisabeth; Andersen, Patrick Lie; Seippel, Ørnulf Nicolay & Dalen, Håvard Bergesen (2017). Ungdom, idrett og klasse: Fortid, samtid og framtid. Norsk sosiologisk tidsskrift. 1(2), p. 132–151. doi: 10.18261/issn.2535-2512-2017-02-03. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  I denne artikkelen undersøker vi den klassebaserte rekrutteringen til ungdomsidretten i Norge over en 60 års periode. Vi har analysert tilgjengelige publikasjoner om klasseforskjeller i ungdoms idrettsdeltakelse, og vi har satt denne analysen inn i en teoretisk og historisk sammenheng. Spørsmålene vi stiller er hvordan sammenhengen mellom idrettsdeltakelse og klassebakgrunn har vært forstått historisk og teoretisk, hvordan klasseforskjeller i idrettsdeltakelse er målt i landsrepresentative ungdomsundersøkelser, hvilke klasseforskjeller som er funnet, hvordan disse er forklart og hvordan vi kan tenke oss at klassebakgrunn kommer til å få betydning framover. Vår gjennomgang viser at mens det var store klasseforskjeller i idrettsaktivitet på begynnelsen av 1950-tallet, finner vi ikke slike tydelige klasseforskjeller i undersøkelser fra 1980- og 1990-tallet og heller ikke fra tidlig 2000-tall. Derimot har vi vist, med ulike målemetoder som en mulig feilkilde, at det er tegn til tydeligere forskjeller i senere studier. Vi foreslår også at tre prosesser – profesjonalisering av idretten, økende kostnader og krav om mer intensiv foreldreinvolvering – kan tenkes å bidra til en mer ekskluderende barne- og ungdomsidrett i framtida.

• Strandbu, Åse; Stefansen, Kari; Smette, Ingrid & Sandvik, Morten Renslo (2017). Young people’s experiences of parental involvement in youth sport. Sport, Education and Society. ISSN 1357-3322. 24(1), p. 66–77. doi: 10.1080/13573322.2017.1323200. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Recently parental involvement in youth sport has intensified, challenging the understanding of youth sports as an arena where adolescents can develop their identity and autonomy. On this background, our study explores how adolescents understand and negotiate their parents’ involvement in sport and how they define ideal and undesirable forms of parental involvement. Our empirical setting is Norway, and we draw on data from 16 focus group interviews among 13–14-year-olds (n = 92) recruited from two lower secondary schools. The analysis shows that young people distinguish between different aspects of the sport activity when defining ideal and undesirable forms of parental involvement. When discussing sport as a healthy activity necessary for physical and social development, the young people interviewed approve of parents’ role in regulating and encouraging participation. When considering the athletic aspects and peer sociability, however, they see parental involvement as mostly undesirable. The analysis also shows that the adolescents generally describe their parents as attentive to the boundaries their children draw for them about levels and types of involvement. Therefore, young people should be seen not only as subjected to parental involvement but also as active co-constructors of valid parental roles in and beyond the sporting arena.

• Solstad, Gerd Marie & Strandbu, Åse (2017). Faster, higher, stronger… safer? : Safety concerns for young athletes in Zambia. International Review for the Sociology of Sport. ISSN 1012-6902. 54(6), p. 738–752. doi: 10.1177/1012690217742926. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This article draws attention to safety concerns affecting young people in the setting of organized sport in Zambia. Our primary aim is to explore ways in which aspects of sport culture may constitute a threat to athlete safety. Secondly, we try to understand sport-specific safety concerns in light of more general concerns for young people’s safety in Zambia. The study is based on interviews with athletes, coaches and sports leaders from Zambian sport. Although sport was mainly described as a positive recreational arena for youth, concerns were raised about unequal power relations and problematic ideals in the sport culture. Our findings suggest a need to discuss critically how glorification of toughness and resilience might contribute to normalize harmful practices in sport. Further, we indicate that divergent and elusive understandings of violence and abuse – in research and in practice – can influence athlete safety in significant ways. We conclude that safeguarding in sport continues to exist in the tension between protecting athletes from harm on the one hand and subscribing to a culture that promotes the ideals ‘faster, higher, stronger’ on the other.

• Hegna, Kristinn; Eriksen, Ingunn Marie; Sletten, Mira Åboen; Strandbu, Åse & Ødegård, Guro (2017). Ungdom og psykisk helse - endringer og kontekstuelle forklaringer. In Bunting, Mette & Moshuus, Geir (Ed.), Skolesamfunnet. Kompetansekrav og ungdomsfellesskap. Cappelen Damm Akademisk. ISSN 9788202555177. p. 75–94. Full text in Research Archive
• Strandbu, Åse; Stefansen, Kari & Wiig, Camilla (2017). Læring i idrett og skole. In Erstad, Ola & Smette, Ingrid (Ed.), Ungdomsskole og ungdomsliv. Læring i skole, hjem og fritid. Cappelen Damm Akademisk. ISSN 9788202533335. p. 74–93. Full text in Research Archive
• Stefansen, Kari; Strandbu, Åse & Smette, Ingrid (2017). Foreldre som "bakkemannskap" for ungdomsskoleelever: klasserelaterte forskjeller. In Erstad, Ola & Smette, Ingrid (Ed.), Ungdomsskole og ungdomsliv. Læring i skole, hjem og fritid. Cappelen Damm Akademisk. ISSN 9788202533335. p. 113–132. Full text in Research Archive
• Smette, Ingrid; Stefansen, Kari & Strandbu, Åse (2017). Den lille og den store selvstendigheten - ungdoms fortellinger om å lære selvstendighet. In Erstad, Ola & Smette, Ingrid (Ed.), Ungdomsskole og ungdomsliv. Læring i skole, hjem og fritid. Cappelen Damm Akademisk. ISSN 9788202533335. p. 136–149. Full text in Research Archive
• Strandbu, Åse; Stefansen, Kari & Smette, Ingrid (2016). En plass i jevnalderfellesskapet. Idrettens betydning i ungomdstida. In Seippel, Ørnulf Nicolay; Sisjord, Mari Kristin & Strandbu, Åse (Ed.), Ungdom og idrett. Cappelen Damm Akademisk. ISSN 9788202449674. p. 113–132. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Dette kapitlet handler om hvordan ungdom gir mening til idretten både som individuell praksis og som grunnlag for integrasjon og grensedragninger i jevnaldergruppa. Med utgangspunkt i gruppeintervjuer med ungdommer finner vi - som en rekke andre studier - at ungdom først og fremst trener fordi det er gøy og sosialt. Videre utforsker vi hva som ligger i insisteringen på at idretten har disse egenskapene. Et tema som trer fram gjennom våre analyser, er at idretten tilbyr en form for beskyttelse. På individuelt nivå mot inaktivitet (slappe av, se på tv, spille dataspill, osv.) og på det sosiale nivået mot det å havne utenfor eller i ytterkanten av jevnalderfellsskapet. Idretten fungerer som en symbolsk markør: De som driver med idrett, har en klar plass i jevnalderfellesskapet, de oppfattes som "en av oss". For de som ikke driver med idrett, er det mer åpent om de får en plass innenfor eller om de oppfattes som "de andre". En konklusjon er at i lokalsamfunn der idretten står sterkt, gjør det å delta ungdommen sosialt inkludert - både i konkret og symbolsk forstand.

• Stefansen, Kari; Smette, Ingrid & Strandbu, Åse (2016). "De må drive med noe": Idrettenes mening i ungdomstida, fra foreldrenes perspektiv. In Seippel, Ørnulf Nicolay; Sisjord, Mari Kristin & Strandbu, Åse (Ed.), Ungdom og idrett. Cappelen Damm Akademisk. ISSN 9788202449674. p. 154–172. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Ungdomstida er forbundet med løsrivelse og selvstendiggjøring, og ungdomskulturen framstilles ofte som autonom, avgrenset og frikoplet fra de voksnes verden. I den klart mest populære organiserte fritidsaktiviteten blant norsk ungdom, idretten, gjør samtidig foreldre en stor innsats. De er både idrettens og barnas støttemannskap. Men hvorfor engasjerer foreldre seg i idretten, hva er det som motiverer dem? Med utgangspunkt i kvalitative intervjuer med foreldre til 14-åringer belyser vi nettopp dette.

• Sandvik, Morten Renslo; Strandbu, Åse & Loland, Sigmund (2016). Talking Doping : A Frame Analysis of Communication About Doping Among Talented, Young, Norwegian Road Cyclists. Sociology of Sport Journal. ISSN 0741-1235. doi: 10.1123/ssj.2016-0073. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In everyday communication, participants can critically explore their understanding of morally complex phenomena. There has been little effort within the social sciences to provide insight into whether and how athletes communicate among themselves about morally contested topics. This study attempts to fill this gap in the literature. Through focus group interviews and with the help of Goffman's frame analysis, we explore how a group of young, Norwegian road cyclists communicates about doping. The article demonstrates that this communication is strongly norm-regulated and often appears as brief, assertive, and evasive. We show how the communication reflects a hegemonic discourse of doping as immoral and inexcusable. We conclude that this discourse limits explorative communication and may limit young athletes' preparation for doping-related dilemmas and social pressures.

• Seippel, Ørnulf Nicolay; Broch, Trygve B; Kristiansen, Elsa; Skille, Eivind Åsrum; Wilhelmsen, Terese & Strandbu, Åse [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2016). Political framing of sports: the mediated politicisation of Oslo’s interest in bidding for the 2022 Winter Olympics. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics. ISSN 1940-6940. 8(3), p. 439–453. doi: 10.1080/19406940.2016.1182047. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Sport is a malleable phenomenon: it is not obvious what might be contentious about sports and how sports eventually turn into political questions. For years, there had been discussions on whether the city of Oslo should make a bid for the Winter Olympics 2022. In 2012, it was decided that the issue should be the topic for an advisory referendum in 2013. This guaranteed the presence of a sport issue on the public agenda for a longer period. We used the occasion of the referendum to study how a sports issue was framed politically through a content analysis of articles on the issue in a selection of Norwegian papers the year leading up to the election (N = 362). We first give a basic overview of number of articles, the papers in which they occur, article type, and timing. Then, we present the stand taken on the issue and identify the actors involved. Two groups of actors, both positive to making a bid, dominated the debate: sport organisations and Oslo politicians. Finally, we look at the issues discussed. The dominant themes were sport facilities, economic questions, urban development, and sport goods. In our conclusion, we emphasised three aspects of the debate. First, Norwegian regional politics were central in giving meaning to the issue and sports-specific benefits became more marginal. Second, the core argument became that we need a large sports event primarily because of indirect effects. Third, sports as a political issue lacks ‘severity’ and ‘efficacy’ and sports are lacking ‘propriety’.

• Sletten, Mira Åboen; Strandbu, Åse & Gilje, Øystein (2015). Idrett, dataspilling og skole – konkurrerende eller «på lag»? Norsk pedagogisk tidsskrift. ISSN 0029-2052. 99(5), p. 334–350. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Artikkelen undersøker sammenhengen mellom skoleprestasjoner, dataspilling og trening i idrettslag blant ungdom. Analysene viser en positiv sammenheng mellom trening i idrettslag og skolekarakterer, og en negativ sammenheng mellom mye dataspilling og gode karakterer. Artikkelen nyanserer resultatet ved å vise at det å spille mye dataspill i mindre grad er relatert til svake skoleprestasjoner når ungdommene også er med i et idrettslag. Videre presterer ungdom som spiller mye, kun dårligere i norsk og matematikk, ikke i engelsk. Noe av denne negative effekten av mye dataspilling, veies sannsynligvis opp av en positiv læringseffekt – dataspilling medfører ofte mye praktisering av muntlig og skriftlig engelsk.

• Strandbu, Åse & Kvalem, Ingela Lundin (2014). Body Talk and Body Ideals Among Adolescent Boys and Girls: A Mixed-Gender Focus Group Study. Youth & society. ISSN 0044-118X. 46(5), p. 623–641. doi: 10.1177/0044118X12445177. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This study explores how body ideals are discussed among adolescent boys and girls in 5 mixed-gender focus groups (n = 37). The ways in which boys and girls talk about bodies differed clearly within the focus group conversations as well as in the everyday situations described in the interviews. The boys were more concrete in their description of ideal bodies in the focus groups but reported less engagement in everyday body talk. The study demonstrates that self-derogating “fat talk” is normative in the meaning “easy to fall into” but not normative in the meaning “approved of”: Fat talk is more or less required in some situations but not really appreciated. Both girls and boys agreed on this description of fat talk among girls. They also agreed that fat talk rarely occurred among boys. It was a general consensus that body issues are more sensitive and problematic for girls than for boys.

• Walseth, Kristin & Strandbu, Åse (2014). Young Norwegian-Pakistani women and sport: How does culture and religiosity matter? European Physical Education Review. ISSN 1356-336X. 20(4), p. 489–507. doi: 10.1177/1356336X14534361. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Studies from several countries show that girls with an immigrant background participate in organized sports to a lesser extent than other young people. Barriers related to culture and religion serve in many of these studies as explanations. In this article we suggest that the notions of culture and religion in this field of studies could be elaborated and we distinguish between three different approaches: (a) culture and religiosity as restricting factors; (b) culture and religiosity as embodied dispositions for action; and lastly (c) culture and religiosity as the basis for reflexive praxis. Analyses of qualitative interviews with young Norwegian-Pakistani women show the relevance of the three perspectives. The study’s most important contribution is to illustrate how culture and religiosity have multiple meanings. The three perspectives presented in this paper might be used as analytical tools in future research on minority women and sports.

• Kvalem, Ingela Lundin & Strandbu, Åse (2013). Body Talk-Group Specific Talk? A Focus Group Study of Variations in Body Ideals and Body Talk among Norwegian Youth. Young - Nordic Journal of Youth Research. ISSN 1103-3088. 21(4), p. 327–346. doi: 10.1177/1103308813506147. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The study investigates how body ideals are discussed and conceptualized among groups of Norwegian youth. Altogether 48 girls and 15 boys, most aged 17 years, took part in nine focus groups, in order to study subcultural body ideals. Major differences were found between east-end and west-end boys (representing socioeconomic differences), where the former were more concerned about being big. Even though the ideals were more or less the same across the groups, the ways of addressing, conceptualizing and discussing body ideals clearly differed between the groups. The analyses reveal that body talk within peer groups seems to contribute to define adequate levels of effort that should be put into reaching the dominating body ideal.

• Hegna, Kristinn; Ødegård, Guro & Strandbu, Åse (2013). En "sykt seriøs" ungdomsgenerasjon? : unges liv og levekår. Tidsskrift for Norsk psykologforening (Psykologtidsskriftet). ISSN 0332-6470. 50(4), p. 374–377. Full text in Research Archive
• Seippel, Ørnulf & Strandbu, Åse (2012). Political framings of biological diversity: The case of the Norwegian Nature Index. Norsk Geografisk Tidsskrift. ISSN 0029-1951. 66(5), p. 279–289. doi: 10.1080/00291951.2012.743167. Full text in Research Archive
• Strandbu, Åse & Seippel, Ørnulf (2012). "Ungdom uten framtid rystet hele England" : ungdomsopptøyene i England i norske aviser. Tidsskrift for ungdomsforskning. ISSN 1502-7759. 12(1), p. 43–66. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  I denne artikkelen undersøkes framstillingen av opptøyene i England sommeren 2011 i norske aviser. Problemstillingen er hvorvidt opptøyene framstilles som politiske protester eller som ren kriminalitet og vandalisme, med to sett underspørsmål: 1) Hva mener avisene ligger til grunn for opptøyene? 2) Kan det spores forskjeller i framstilling etter avisenes politiske profiler? En kvalitativ samt en kvantitativ innholdsanalyse av artiklene om opptøyene i fire norske aviser viser at det er relativt lite forskjell i dekningen etter avisenes politiske profiler. Opptøyene blir i hovedsak framstilt som lite politisk motivert, selv om livsvilkårene for fattige ungdommer og budsjettnedskjæringer trekkes inn som viktige forutsetninger for opptøyene.

• Strandbu, Åse & Steen-Johnsen, Kari (2012). Bourdieu knew more than how to play tennis! An empirically based discussion of habituation and reflexivity. Sport, Education and Society. ISSN 1357-3322. 19(8), p. 1055–1071. doi: 10.1080/13573322.2012.728527. Full text in Research Archive
• Støckel, Jan Toftegaard; Strandbu, Åse; Solenes, Oskar; Jørgensen, Per & Fransson, Kristin (2010). Sport for children and youth in the Scandinavian countries. Sport in Society: Cultures, Commerce, Media, Politics. ISSN 1743-0437. 13(4), p. 625–642. doi: 10.1080/17430431003616332. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In the course of less than 100 years, children's sport in the Scandinavian countries has been going through a remarkable transition. By the turn of the twentieth century, voluntary sport participation was primarily an adult domain, and children's opportunities for participation were generally limited to a small selection of sports and primarily through the public school system. Today, children's sport is an important public health and welfare issue in all of the Scandinavian countries, and children are far more sport active than adults, and the majority of children's sports participation takes place in voluntary sport clubs or in commercial sport settings. The comparative analyses show that the states of Denmark, Norway and Sweden have willingly and frequently sought to regulate school sport. By contrast, traditions regarding the voluntary sport organizations have been much more diverse and ranged from heavy interference in Norway to almost no interference in Denmark.

• Skogen, Ketil; Stefansen, Kari; Krange, Olve & Strandbu, Åse (2008). Sluttreplikk til Skarpenes og Sakslind. Tidsskrift for samfunnsforskning (TfS). ISSN 0040-716X. 49(3), p. 435–439. Full text in Research Archive
• Skogen, Ketil; Stefansen, Kari; Krange, Olve & Strandbu, Åse (2008). En pussig utlegning av middelklassens selvforståesle. En kommentar til Ove Skarpenes. Tidsskrift for samfunnsforskning (TfS). ISSN 0040-716X. 49(2), p. 259–264. Full text in Research Archive
• Strandbu, Åse; Storvoll, Elisabet & Kvalem, Ingela Lundin (2007). Endringer fra 1992 til 2002 i selvrapportert slanking og problematiske spisemønster blant ungdom. Tidsskrift for Norsk psykologforening (Psykologtidsskriftet). ISSN 0332-6470. 44(1), p. 4–10. Full text in Research Archive
• Strandbu, Åse (2007). Intervjuer, refleksivitet og sen-moderne identiteter. Sosiologi i dag. ISSN 0332-6330. 37(2). Full text in Research Archive
• Solenes, Oskar & Strandbu, Åse (2007). Beckham gikk ikke mye langrenn : kontroverser om ungdom og idrett, før og nå, Ung i Norge : skole, fritid og ungdomskultur. Cappelen Damm Akademisk. p. 159–176. Full text in Research Archive
• Strandbu, Åse (2006). Experiences of body and gender identity among young female Norwegian basketball players. Sport in Society: Cultures, Commerce, Media, Politics. ISSN 1743-0437. 9(1), p. 108–127. Full text in Research Archive
• Strandbu, Åse (2005). Identity, embodied culture and physical exercise - stories from Muslim girls in Oslo with immigrant background. Young - Nordic Journal of Youth Research. ISSN 1103-3088. 13(1), p. 27–45. Full text in Research Archive
• Strandbu, Åse (2005). Uforenlige kroppskulturer? Minoritetsjenters tilpasning, refleksivitet og overskridelse. Tidsskrift for ungdomsforskning. ISSN 1502-7759. 5(1), p. 27–50. Full text in Research Archive
• Strandbu, Åse & Hegna, Kristinn (2005). Experiences of Body and Gender Identity among Young Female Norwegian Basketball Players. Sport in Society: Cultures, Commerce, Media, Politics. ISSN 1743-0437. 9(1), p. 108–127. Full text in Research Archive

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• Seippel, Ørnulf Nicolay; Sisjord, Mari Kristin & Strandbu, Åse (2016). Ungdom og idrett. Cappelen Damm Akademisk. ISBN 9788202449674. 342 p. Full text in Research Archive

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• Strandbu, Åse & Sogn, Hanne Elisabeth (2026). When children entered sports: The making of and discussions of Regulations on child sport and Children’s rights in sport in Norwegian sport. Idrottsforum.org - Nordic Sport Studies Forum. Full text in Research Archive
• Strandbu, Åse & Sogn, Hanne Elisabeth (2026). Da barna inntok idretten. Etablering av og diskusjoner om Bestemmelser om barneidrett og Idrettens barnerettigheter i norsk idrett. Idrottsforum.org - Nordic Sport Studies Forum. doi: https:/idrottsforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/strandbu-sogn260209.pdf. Full text in Research Archive
• Stefansen, Kari & Strandbu, Åse (2025). Da "overskuddsfamiliene" tok over norsk langrenn. Full text in Research Archive
• Skilbred, Anette; Sogn, Hanne Elisabeth; Røe, Lene & Strandbu, Åse (2024). 10 år med forskning på barne- og ungdomsidrett. Kunnskapsoversikt 2014 – 2024. Full text in Research Archive
• Agergaard, Sine; Redelius, Karin; Strandbu, Åse & Kilger, Magnus (2024). Rights-based Youth Sport: An Overlooked Area of Importance for Youth Studies. Young - Nordic Journal of Youth Research. ISSN 1103-3088. 32(4), p. 353–359. doi: 10.1177/11033088241262877. Full text in Research Archive
• Stefansen, Kari; Strandbu, Åse & Solstad, Gerd Marie (2024). Seksuelle krenkelser i ungdomsidretten: Hva handler det egentlig om? Full text in Research Archive
• Stefansen, Kari & Strandbu, Åse (2022). Er det foreldrenes skyld at barne- og ungdomsidretten har blitt så alvorlig? https://forskersonen.no/barn-og-ungdom-kronikk-meninger/er-det-foreldrenes-skyld-at-barne-og-ungdomsidretten-har-blitt-sa-alvorlig/2029245. Full text in Research Archive
• Andersen, Patrick Lie; Bakken, Anders; Stefansen, Kari & Strandbu, Åse (2019). Social inequality in organized sport participation. The importance of class origin and “family sport culture”. Full text in Research Archive
• Stefansen, Kari; Strandbu, Åse & Solstad, Gerd Marie (2018). Coach-athlete sexual relationships (CASR). Young athletes’ views (Paper). Full text in Research Archive
• Sletten, Mira Åboen; Strandbu, Åse & Gilje, Øystein (2016). Storspillere, motivasjon og skoleprestasjoner. Full text in Research Archive
• Smette, Ingrid; Stefansen, Kari & Strandbu, Åse (2016). Personhood and gendered risks Parents narratives of teenage children’s development. Full text in Research Archive
• Stefansen, Kari & Strandbu, Åse (2016). Hvorfor finner foreldre det så meningsfylt å involvere seg i tenåringenes idrett? Det ville forskere se på. [Journal]. Aftenposten. Full text in Research Archive
• Stefansen, Kari; Smette, Ingrid & Strandbu, Åse (2016). Hvorfor er dagens foreldre blitt så idrettsgale? [Internet]. Viten & Snakkis HIOA podkaster. Full text in Research Archive
• Smette, Ingrid; Stefansen, Kari; Strandbu, Åse & Lavold, Hallvard (2016). Hvorfor har dagens foreldre blitt så idrettsgale? [Internet]. HiOA Podcast. Full text in Research Archive
• Smette, Ingrid; Stefansen, Kari & Strandbu, Åse (2015). Teenage Boys' Struggles with School and Social Relationships. Understanding Parental Expectations and Approaches. Full text in Research Archive
• Strandbu, Åse; Smette, Ingrid & Stefansen, Kari (2015). Young people's views on the ideal parenting in youth sport. Full text in Research Archive
• Strandbu, Åse; Smette, Ingrid & Stefansen, Kari (2015). Parents' involvement in organised youth sport. Beyond harmful pressure and "the optimal push". Full text in Research Archive
• Seippel, Ørnulf Nicolay; Broch, Trygve B; Kristiansen, Elsa; Skille, Eivind Åsrum; Strandbu, Åse & Thorjussen, Ingfrid M. [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2014). Political Framings of Sport? A content analysis of the media coverage of Oslo’s bid for the 2022 Olympics. Full text in Research Archive
• Ødegård, Guro; Hegna, Kristinn & Strandbu, Åse (2013). En flink og seriøs generasjon. Full text in Research Archive
• Strandbu, Åse & Seippel, Ørnulf (2011). Political Framings of Biological Diversity: On the Norwegian Nature Index. Full text in Research Archive
• Strandbu, Åse & Sletten, Mira Åboen (2011). ”Du skal se en vakker dag hun gutten når”. Kjønnsforskjeller i norske ungdommers treningsvaner og idrettsdeltakelse. Tidsskrift for ungdomsforskning. ISSN 1502-7759. 11(2), p. 93–113. Full text in Research Archive
• Strandbu, Åse (2011). Status og utfordringer knyttet til innvandrere og idrettsdeltakelse. Full text in Research Archive
• Strandbu, Åse (2011). Ungdom og idrett i et flerkulturelt samfunn. Full text in Research Archive
• Skogen, Ketil; Krange, Olve; Stefansen, Kari & Strandbu, Åse (2008). Den ydmyke middelklassen. Full text in Research Archive
• Skogen, Ketil; Krange, Olve; Stefansen, Kari & Strandbu, Åse (2008). Hvem forsvarer ”vanlige folk”? Full text in Research Archive
• Sogn, Hanne Elisabeth; Espedalen, Lars Erik; Merødningen, Kristian Magnetun; Skjeldal, Gudmund & Strandbu, Åse (2026). Barn og unge i sentrum. En kunnskapssammenstilling om rettigheter, utfordringer og muligheter i den organiserte barne- og ungdomsidretten. Norges idrettshøgskole. doi: https:/www.idrettsforbundet.no/contentassets/ff754128875f4106b19a863326019d4c/rapport-1_2026-kunnskapssammenstilling---barn-og-unge-i-sentrum.pdf. Full text in Research Archive
• Heian, Mari Torvik; Strandbu, Åse; Berge, Ola Kveseth; Sogn, Hanne Elisabeth & Haugsevje, Åsne Dahl (2025). Trygge arenaer? Skeives erfaringer i idretten. Telemarksforsking. ISSN 9788233607654. doi: https:/cms.bufdir.no/siteassets/rapporter/lhbt/Trygge_arenaer_skeives_erfaringer_i_idretten_revidert.pdf. Full text in Research Archive
• Strandbu, Åse & Bakken, Anders (2024). Barna og idretten. Organisering, verdier og sosial ulikhet. Norges idrettshøgskole. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Denne rapporten handler om idrettens plass i barns liv. I rapportens første del går vi gjennom hvordan barns idrettsaktivitet og organisatoriske rammer for barns idrettsdeltakelse har endret seg historisk. Vi gir også en oversikt over nyere norsk forskning om barns idrettsliv. I den andre delen undersøker vi noen sider ved norske 10 til 12-åringers treningsvaner og idrettsliv gjennom analyser av et stort spørreskjemamateriale – Ungdata junior. Vi er mest opptatt av om idealet om idrett for alle er realisert i norsk barneidrett – eller om noen grupper er systematisk underrepresentert. Vi undersøker også om det er noen sammenhenger mellom idrettsdeltakelse og andre sider ved barns liv. Problemstillingene i rapporten er:<p> <ol> <li> Hva vet vi fra tidligere forskning om barns treningsvaner og idrettsaktivitet?</li> <li> Hvor ofte trener 10-12-åringer? Hvem er de som driver med regelmessig trening? Er det store forskjeller mellom gutter og jenter, mellom barn fra ulike sosioøkonomiske grupper og mellom barn i storbyer, byer, og på landsbygda? </li> <li>Skiller barn som driver fast med idrett seg fra andre barn når det gjelder deltakelse i andre faste fritidsaktiviteter, vennskapsrelasjoner og generell trivsel?</li> </ol>

• Sogn, Hanne Elisabeth; Strandbu, Åse; Aune, Lotte Stang & Sølvberg, Nina (2024). Trygg på trening med Redd Barna: Sluttrapport fra et følgeforskningsprosjekt. Norges idrettshøgskole. Full text in Research Archive
• Bakken, Anders & Strandbu, Åse (2023). Idrettsdeltakelse blant ungdom – før, under og etter koronapandemien. OsloMet - storbyuniversitetet. ISSN 9788278948255. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Denne rapporten har to siktemål: Det ene er å gi en oppdatert beskrivelse av ungdoms treningsvaner og deltakelse i idrett. Hvor ofte trener ungdom på ulike arenaer - i idrettslag, på treningsstudio, på egen hånd og på mer selvorganiserte arenaer? Er det forskjeller i idrettsdeltakelse mellom ulike grupper av ungdom basert på kjønn, alder og sosial bakgrunn? Det andre siktemålet er å undersøke betydningen covid-19-pandemien har hatt for idrettsvanene til norsk ungdom, en pandemi som varte i nær to år og som til tider satte store begrensninger for sosiale møter, samvær og deltakelse i fritidsaktiviteter. Førte pandemien til store endringer i hvor mange som trente og drev med idrett? Og hva med de sosiale forskjellene i idrettsdeltakelse? Har disse blitt større – eller har de blitt mindre – med pandemien? Rapporten undersøker også hvorvidt det er forskjell på hvordan pandemien rammet deltakelsen i den organiserte idretten og andre typer organiserte fritidsaktiviteter.

• Sandvik, Morten Renslo; Aune, Lotte Stang; Strandbu, Åse & Sogn, Hanne Elisabeth (2022). Trygg på trening med Redd Barna. Første delrapport i et følgeforskningsprosjekt. Norges idrettshøgskole. Full text in Research Archive
• Ødegård, Guro; Bakken, Anders & Strandbu, Åse (2016). Idrettsdeltakelse og trening blant ungdom i Oslo : Barrierer, frafall og endringer over tid. Senter for forskning på sivilsamfunn og frivillig sektor. ISSN 9788277635231. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Denne rapporten gir en oversikt over hvor mange Osloungdommer i alderen 13-19 år som deltar i organisert idrett og som driver med ulike treningsaktiviteter. Foruten å rette et særskilt fokus på minoritetsjenters deltagelsesmønster, ser vi på ungdoms motiver for å drive med fysisk aktivitet og hvordan deltakelsesmønster har endret seg over tid. Studien viser at idrett og trening utgjør en sentral fritidsaktivitet for svært mange. I løpet av de siste 20 årene har det samlet sett vært en liten økning i andelen ungdommer som deltar i idrett, men denne økningen gjelder kun ungdom med norskfødte foreldre – ikke unge med to utenlandskfødte foreldre (minoritetsungdom). For minoritetsgutter har det vært en nedgang i deltakelse, mens andelen minoritetsjenter som deltar i idretten har vært konstant lav over tid. Rapporten retter søkelyset mot både individuelle, kontekstuelle og subjektive betingelser for deltakelse, og diskuterer ulike drivere og barrierer for unges idretts- og treningsdeltakelse. Analysene bygger på ungdataundersøkelsene Ung i Oslo 2015, 2006 og 1996. Rapporten er et samarbeid mellom Senter for forskning på sivilsamfunn og frivillig sektor , forskningsinstituttet NOVA/HiOA og Norges Idrettshøgskole.

• Krange, Olve; Seippel, Ørnulf; Strandbu, Åse & Figari, Helene (2013). Kontroverser om biologisk mangfold i norske skoger. En analyse av mottakelsen av Naturindeks for Norge 2010. Norsk institutt for forskning om oppvekst, velferd og aldring (NOVA). ISSN 9788278944622. Full text in Research Archive
• Dæhlen, Marianne; Danielsen, Kirsten; Strandbu, Åse & Seippel, Ørnulf Nicolay (2013). Voksne i grunnskole og videregående opplæring. nova. ISSN 9788278944684. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  I Norge har alle voksne, som har behov for opplæring for å få grunnskolevitnemål, en lovfestet rett til slik opplæring. Voksne harogså rett til videregående opplæring dersom en ikke har fått dette tidligere. Første del av denne rapporten handler om voksne igrunnskoleopplæring, mens andre del handler om voksne i videregående opplæring. Problemstillingene i begge disse delene er: (1) Hva kjennetegner deltakerne i voksenopplæringen? (2) Hva kjennetegner opplæringstilbudene? (3) I hvilken grad fullfører deltakerne opplæringen, og hva er utbytte av fullført voksenopplæring for videre studier og arbeidsmarkedstilknytning? (4) Hvordan vurderer deltakere og ansatte i voksenopplæringen tilbudet som gis? Vi bruker både kvantitative og kvalitative datakilder for å svare på disse spørsmålene. Oppdragsgiver er Utdanningsdirektoratet og Vox.

• Seippel, Ørnulf; Abebe, Dawit Shawel & Strandbu, Åse (2012). Å trene, trener, har trent? En longitudinell undersøkelse av sammenhengen mellom treningsvaner i tenårene og tidlig voksen alder. NOVA - Norsk institutt for forskning om oppvekst, velferd og aldring. ISSN 9788278944424. Full text in Research Archive
• Seippel, Ørnulf; Sletten, Mira Aaboen & Strandbu, Åse (2011). Ungdom og trening. NOVA - Norsk institutt for forskning, om oppvekst, velferd og aldring. ISSN 9788278943724. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Rapporten handler om ungdoms treningsvaner i 2010 og endringer i treningsvaner fra 1992 til 2010. Deltagelse i tre typer trening omtales spesielt: idrettslag, treningssentre og det vi kaller egentrening. Videre undersøkes sosiale for-skjeller og ungdomskulturelle skillelinjer mellom ungdom som trener på ulike arenaer, og ungdom som ikke trener. Analysene er basert på tre landsrepresentative spørreskjemaundersøkelser og omfatter elever i alle trinn på ungdoms-skolen samt elever på de to første trinnene i videregående. Det overordnede inntrykket er stabilitet, både når det gjelder andelen som er medlem i idrettslag, og hvor ofte ungdom trener på ulike arenaer. Flest unge trener i idrettslag eller på egenhånd. Trening på treningssenter er imidlertid i vekst. Rapporten viser også at jenter med minoritetsbakgrunn trener mindre enn andre i idrettslag og på treningssentre, men at det er mindre kjønnsforskjeller når det gjelder egentrening. Ser man all trening under ett, er det majoritetsjentene som trener mest. Det er videre slik at en relativt større del av fritiden til unge som ikke trener, brukes foran PC-skjerme

• Smette, Ingrid; Strandbu, Åse & Dæhlen, Marianne (2011). Ungdomsskolelevers meninger om skolemotivasjon. NOVA - Norsk institutt for forskning om oppvekst, velferd og aldring. ISSN 9788278943731. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This report investigates what pupils in the 9th grade believe affect their school motivation and effort at school. The background of this study is a concern that many pupils, both high and low achievers, are unable to realize their potential for learning in secondary schools. For pupils with poor grades, this seems to have particularly negative consequences. Previous research has found that the relatively high drop-out rates in the Norwegian upper secondary school is partly to be explained by low grades from lower secondary school and of pupils not having acquired the necessary skills before entering upper secondary school. The purpose of this report is to obtain the pupils’ opinions about what contributes to their school motivation and educational effort. To investigate this, we conducted eight focus group interviews and nine individual interviews. We talked to a total of 52 pupils at two different schools. We asked the pupils about various aspects of school life. In addition, we explored the importance of parents and other aspects of the lives of young people for school motivation and efforts. Four major findings stand out as central to this report: 1) The majority of the pupils asks for variation in activities during the school day and have clear opinions about how a good teacher should be. Variation during the school day and characteristics of the teachers are more important for motivation and effort among the low achievers compared to the high achievers. 2) Many pupils relate their own school performance and school motivation to grades and remarks. A hope for good grades influences several pupils to do their homework and to work hard at school. On the contrary, several low achieving pupils state that grades have reduced their motivation for school work. 3) High achievers have a high status among peers, and none of the participants in this study seem critical to the role education plays in the society. 4) The majority of the pupils claims that there is too much homework and they experience a dilemma between homework and their leisure activities. Organized leisure activities are justified as something important and acceptable to prioritize. Activities like watching TV, playing computer games and chatting online are described mainly as temptations.

• Strandbu, Åse & Seippel, Ørnulf (2011). «Aktiv på dagtid» i Oslo. En undersøkelse av deltakernes erfaringer. NOVA - Norsk institutt for forskning om oppvekst, velferd og aldring. ISSN 9788278943847. Full text in Research Archive
• Strandbu, Åse & Seippel, Ørnulf (2011). Biologisk mangfold som politikk. En fokusgruppestudie av mottakelsen av Naturindeks for Norge blant ungdomspolitikere. NOVA - Norsk institutt for forskning om oppvekst, velferd og aldring. ISSN 9788278943847. Full text in Research Archive
• Øia, Tormod & Strandbu, Åse (2010). 15-åringer - hvem drikker? En undersøkelse av tiendeklassinger i Oslo 2009. NOVA. ISSN 9788278943410. Full text in Research Archive
• Strandbu, Åse & Bakken, Anders (2007). Aktiv Oslo-ungdom. En studie av idrett, minoritetsbakgrunn og kjønn. NOVA. ISSN 9788278942529. Full text in Research Archive
• Strandbu, Åse (2006). Idrett, kjønn, kropp og kultur. Minoritetsjenters møte med norsk idrett. NOVA. ISSN 9788278942390. Full text in Research Archive
• Strandbu, Åse & Krange, Olve (2004). Ungdom, idrett og friluftsliv. Skillelinjer i ungdomsbefolkningen og endringer fra 1992 til 2002. NOVA. ISSN 9788278941973. Full text in Research Archive

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