Ingfrid Mattingsdal Thorjussen

• Aasland, Erik; Strand, Emilie; Thorjussen, Ingfrid M. & Walseth, Kristin (2026). Teachers’ constructions of female Students of Color as ‘the other’ in physical education. Sport, Education and Society. ISSN 1357-3322. doi: https:/www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13573322.2026.2625140#abstract. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Researchers argue that there is a need for a shift in focus from the experiences of ‘the other’ toward investigating how institutionalized (white) pedagogical practices contribute to the reproduction of stereotypes and discriminatory practices towards Students of Color in physical education (PE). This paper addresses the following research question: What discursive representations emerge in the PE teachers’ narratives about female Students of Color? We conducted qualitative semi-structured interviews with five PE teachers working in Norwegian high schools and applied a critical whiteness perspective in our analysis of the empirical material. Our findings show that white students are constructed as the norm, appearing natural and unquestioned, while in contrast, the representations of female Students of Color in PE classes are: (i) ‘they don't dress appropriately to participate in our PE’, (ii) ‘they lack experience and skills within our movement culture’ and (iii) ‘they are passive and uninterested in contributing to PE classes’. In line with the existing research, the teachers’ narratives illustrate that ball games and basic training dominate the teaching content. The teachers’ narratives reflect a taken-for-granted emphasis on ball games and basic training, which aligns with and privileges white and/or male students. Within this context, female Students of Color are seen as lacking relevant experience, wearing inappropriate clothing (especially Muslim girls) and showing little interest – traits that clash with dominant ideals in PE. While we recognize the complexity and potential pitfalls of the category ‘female Students of Color’, it remains necessary to expose how prevailing norms in PE marginalize these students and reinforce white male dominance.

• Straume, Solveig; Thorjussen, Ingfrid M. & Wilhelmsen, Terese (2025). Adult minority women's experiences of belonging through sport and recreational activities. International Review for the Sociology of Sport. ISSN 1012-6902. 61(2026)(6), p. 1528–1545. doi: 10.1177/10126902251390175. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This paper explores how female participants with diverse cultural backgrounds construct experiences of belonging through participation in a community sport and recreation programme in Norway. The paper builds on data from two focus groups with 11 female participants who regularly followed programme activities and on direct observation field notes. In the presentation of the results, four composite characters are developed to ensure participants’ anonymity. The findings demonstrate experiences of belonging played out at the intersection of social identity markers such as cultural background, religion, language, education, socioeconomic status, gender, and/or age. Participants indicated that programme activities provided distractions from the reality of their situations and an arena to build friendships. The paper aligns with previous research by demonstrating that participation in sport activities can foster a sense of belonging among individuals with diverse cultural backgrounds but calls for more research illuminating how belonging may extend beyond the immigrant–non-immigrant divide.

• Thorjussen, Ingfrid M. (2024). Induktive metoder i kroppsøvingsfaget. In Røynesdal, Øystein & Thorjussen, Ingfrid M. (Ed.), Kroppsøving i praksis: læreplanbegreper, klasseledelse og undervisningsmetode. Universitetsforlaget. ISSN 9788215063744. Full text in Research Archive
• Grøthe, Guro & Thorjussen, Ingfrid M. (2024). Veiledning i kroppsøvingsundervisning : spørsmål som verktøy. In Røynesdal, Øystein & Thorjussen, Ingfrid M. (Ed.), Kroppsøving i praksis: læreplanbegreper, klasseledelse og undervisningsmetode. Universitetsforlaget. ISSN 9788215063744. p. 93–110. Full text in Research Archive
• Kvalvaag, Marius Wick & Thorjussen, Ingfrid M. (2024). Den gode lederen på tur. In Røynesdal, Øystein & Thorjussen, Ingfrid M. (Ed.), Kroppsøving i praksis: læreplanbegreper, klasseledelse og undervisningsmetode. Universitetsforlaget. ISSN 9788215063744. Full text in Research Archive
• Thorjussen, Ingfrid M. & Wilhelmsen, Terese (2024). Discourses of resistance: pre-service teachers’ reflections on the challenges of inclusion in physical education. Sport, Education and Society. ISSN 1357-3322. doi: 10.1080/13573322.2024.2329570. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Scholars have identified a need for more learner-centred pedagogical practices as one way to facilitate more inclusive learning in physical education (PE). In this regard teacher education plays an important part through the preparation of future teachers. Yet, disrupting pre-service teachers’ prior values or beliefs to transform PE, has proven difficult. Grounded in critical pedagogical perspectives and discursive psychology, the current study enquired into the following question: What discourses of resistance can be identified in PE pre-service teachers’ written reflections on the challenges of inclusion and the need for changed pedagogical practices in PE? The sample in this qualitative research comprised 11 PE pre-service teachers enrolled in a general teacher education programme, and the analytical approach involved textual analysis of reflection notes written by the pre-service teachers. The findings highlighted two discourses of inclusion (‘More gender inclusive PE is needed’, and ‘PE practices must embrace diversity’) and two discourses of resistance (‘Resistance to PE transformation’, and ‘Resistance to gender diversity in PE’). Drawing on discourses such as the assertion that education is better suited for girls, the students expressed resistance towards accommodating girls’ need in PE, with the use of interpretive repertoires such as ‘gender differences are natural and inevitable’ or ‘boys need PE because girls do better in other subjects’. Secondly, referring to discursive understandings of a general openness towards gender diversity in society, they exhibited resistance against breaking the gender binary in PE in fear of confusing vulnerable youth. Thus, although the pre-service teachers challenged how gender is reproduced through PE practice, their perspectives remained within a cis-normative frame of reference. We argue that with increased understanding of how pre-service teachers rehearse and reproduce interpretative repertoires in their written assignments, teacher educators are better equipped to help students develop their critical thoughts and arguments.

• Massao, Prisca Bruno & Thorjussen, Ingfrid M. (2023). Barn,unge og rasisme: Kritisk raseteori som utgangspunkt for utvikling av antirasistisk kompetanse i utdanning og idrett, Bevegelsesfellesskap i oppveksten : kritiske perspektiver på inkludering og mangfold. Fagbokforlaget. ISSN 9788245041415. p. 244–262. doi: 10.55669/oa230113. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Mange barn og unges første møter med rasisme eller etnisk diskriminering skjer enten i utdannings- eller fritidssammenheng, som organisert idrett. Under Black Lives Matter-demonstrasjonene i Norge sommeren og høsten 2020 kunne vi høre om erfaringer fra unge norske voksne med etnisk minoritetsbakgrunn. Flere fortalte om sine opplevelser av rasisme og etnisk diskriminering i skolen (Mathisen & Dogani, 2020) og i den organiserte idretten (Kristiansen & Sonne, 2021). Dette samsvarer med Fangen og Lynnebakkes(2014) undersøkelse som viser at noen skolebarn opplever ekskludering på grunn av deres synlige etniske minoritetsstatus som hudfarge, ansiktskjennetegn, eller klær og religiøse symboler. Selv om barn ikke alltid har tilegnet seg et språk til å fatte eller uttrykke sine opplevelser, viser forskning at de registrerer slike erfaringer i ganske ung alder og at disse erfaringene former og påvirker deres oppvekst (Wollscheid mfl., 2021; Zacheus mfl., 2019). I kapittelet anvendes kritisk raseteori1 (CRT) (se Delgado & Stefancis, 2016), herunder også nasjonal og internasjonal forskning innen utdanning og idrett som anvender CRT. Målet er å bidra til analytiske verktøy og faglig språk som gjør det mulig å snakke om rasisme.

• Goth, Ursula-Georgine Småland & Thorjussen, Ingfrid M. (2023). Verdier, holdninger og kompetanseutvikling. In Thorjussen, Ingfrid M. & Goth, Ursula-Georgine Småland (Ed.), Verdier, holdninger og kompetanseutvikling i et utdanningsperspektiv. Fagbokforlaget. ISSN 9788245045000. p. 10–21. doi: 10.55669/oa21000. Full text in Research Archive
• Thorjussen, Ingfrid M. & Kvalvaag, Marius Wick (2023). Inkludering, mangfold og kritisk pedagogikk i kroppsøvingsfaget. Erfaringer fra et samarbeidsprosjekt i grunnskolelærerutdanningen, Bevegelsesfellesskap i oppveksten : kritiske perspektiver på inkludering og mangfold. Fagbokforlaget. ISSN 9788245041415. p. 305–325. doi: 10.55669/oa230116. Full text in Research Archive
• Thorjussen, Ingfrid M. (2023). Inkludering og ekskludering i kroppsøving Fortellinger fra gutter med etnisk minoritetsbakgrunn, Bevegelsesfellesskap i oppveksten : kritiske perspektiver på inkludering og mangfold. Fagbokforlaget. ISSN 9788245041415. p. 112–130. doi: 10.55669/oa230106. Full text in Research Archive
• Thorjussen, Ingfrid M. (2022). ‘I’m not a horse girl’. Social divisions in students’ narratives and the implications for inclusive physical education. Sport, Education and Society. ISSN 1357-3322. doi: 10.1080/13573322.2022.2044302. Full text in Research Archive
• Thorjussen, Ingfrid Mattingsdal (2020). Social inclusion in multi-ethnic physical education classes: Contextualized understandings of how social relations influence female students’ experiences of inclusion and exclusion. European Physical Education Review. ISSN 1356-336X. doi: 10.1177/1356336X20946347. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Within increasingly diverse societies, school is considered an important arena for social inclusion, as it ensures that all students can participate in social life within and outside the class. The Norwegian national curriculum emphasizes physical education (PE) as a particularly relevant subject for social inclusion, yet studies have revealed that some students experience discrimination and marginalization in PE because of their ethnicity, race, religion, social class, sexuality, and/or gender. This paper aims to examine how female students’ diverse backgrounds influence their positioning among classmates and to investigate how inclusion and exclusion in PE can be understood in light of social relations in multi-ethnic classes. The article is based on an intersectional perspective. The data consist of written fieldnotes and semi-structured interviews from ethnographic fieldwork in two coeducational, multi-ethnic PE classes at a public school in Oslo, Norway. Three female students’ narratives are discussed. The findings reveal that gender was the most significant factor in the girls’ stories of inclusion and exclusion in PE. With regard to ethnic relations, the narratives show that ethnicity intersected with gender, social class, religion, and race, creating hierarchical boundaries in the peer group. However, these boundaries were less prevalent in the girls’ PE experiences. The findings indicate that gender overshadows other differences in PE, making it difficult to see how exclusion is also clustered around other parts of students’ positionalities.

• Thorjussen, Ingfrid M. & Sisjord, Mari Kristin (2019). Inclusion and exclusion in multi-ethnic physical education: an intersectional perspective. Curriculum Studies in Health and Physical Education. ISSN 2574-2981. doi: 10.1080/25742981.2019.1648187. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Current educational policies on inclusion emphasise viewing ethnically diverse populations as a resource, yet scholars have pointed out that the Norwegian school system seems to value diversity to an only limited extent. This critique applies to physical education (PE) in Western countries. In this article, based on students’ stories from a multi-ethnic PE context, an intersectional perspective is used to investigate how processes of inclusion and exclusion are revealed. Data consist of semi-structured interviews with 17 students of diverse backgrounds and fieldnotes from observation in 56 PE lessons. Three questions are addressed: How are students’ cultural backgrounds acknowledged by teachers and students in a PE class? How are aspects of culture and ethnicity present in the activities being taught? How are aspects of race, ethnicity, and culture reflected in the communication in two multi-ethnic PE classes? The findings indicate that knowledge of students’ cultural backgrounds is not considered important for PE and that taught activities silently reflect a taken-for-granted majority culture. This paper makes some reflections on the implications of those findings.

• Thorjussen, Ingfrid M. & Wilhelmsen, Terese (2019). Ethics in categorizing ethnicity and disability in research with children. Societies. 10(1). doi: 10.3390/soc10010002. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The use of categories is a contested subject in social sciences. The use of social categories allows researchers to explore similarities, differences, and inequalities between groups of people. However, by using social categories, researchers run the risk of essentializing differences. The aim of this article is to problematize the procedural and relational ethics of using categories in research with children. Based on two research projects studying inclusion and exclusion in physical education, we examine the ongoing ethical dilemmas of categorizing children in terms of disability and ethnic background. The reflections are grounded in intersectional and relational ethical perspectives with a focus on how power is manifested in practices and structures throughout the research process. The data consist of field notes, transcripts of interviews with children and their parents, and the authors’ reflective accounts. The results are organized into three main themes: (1) How categories frame the research in its initial phases (informed consent and voluntary participation), (2) power relationships in context (navigating meanings of categories in the interviews and the relational ethics of generational ordering in combined interviews with children and their parents), and (3) (re)constructing stories and ensuring anonymity. In the discussion, we reflect on how singling out groups of children framed the research, how categories and power relations were negotiated and navigated in interviews and fieldwork, and how, in the reporting of the results, understandings of the children and their experiences were constructed. We argue that by not reflecting on the ethics of categorizing children in research, researchers are in danger of reproducing rather than challenging social inequality and discrimination.

• Thorjussen, Ingfrid M. & Sisjord, Mari Kristin (2018). Students' physical education experiences in a multi-ethnic class. Sport, Education and Society. ISSN 1357-3322. 23(7), p. 694–706. doi: 10.1080/13573322.2018.1467399. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  As western countries have become increasingly diverse, education is often emphasized as one of the most important arenas for social integration. However, research within physical education over the past decades has highlighted how students with non-western backgrounds experience processes of ‘othering’, exclusion, and marginalization in the subject. In the Norwegian context, we have little knowledge about how these processes work within multi-ethnic PE lessons. In addition, scholars have pointed to the tendency of PE research on race/racism and ethnicity to focus on the minoritized ‘other’, while leaving out the complexity of the multi-ethnic encounter. By applying an intersectional lens, our aim is to investigate students’ experiences in a multi-ethnic co-educational PE context. Specifically, we ask how the students’ multiple identities may influence their experiences within PE, and what processes of inclusion and exclusion are revealed through their narratives. The study is based on ethnographic fieldwork in two PE classes, in an urban secondary school in Norway. Data for this article is drawn from one of the classes and consists of written field notes from observation of 26 PE lessons and semi-structured interviews with 11 students. Selection criteria for the interviews were based on gender, ethnic background, visible skills, and attitudes expressed towards the subject, as well as students belonging to different social groupings within the class. Data were analyzed using thematic narrative analysis. In the article, three students’ narratives are discussed. The findings indicate that, while the multi-ethnic learning context is experienced as an arena in which to develop social relations across cultural differences, the students’ stories also reveal how ethnic and cultural differences cause tensions in relation to students’ interaction during activities and in the changing room. In these tensions, power relations embedded across students’ ethnic, gender, and class identities become manifest.

• 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’.

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• Røynesdal, Øystein & Thorjussen, Ingfrid M. (2024). Kroppsøving i praksis: læreplanbegreper, klasseledelse og undervisningsmetode. Universitetsforlaget. ISBN 9788215063744. 232 p. Full text in Research Archive
• Thorjussen, Ingfrid M. & Goth, Ursula-Georgine Småland (2023). Verdier, holdninger og kompetanseutvikling i et utdanningsperspektiv. Fagbokforlaget. ISBN 9788245045000. 324 p. Full text in Research Archive
• Wilhelmsen, Terese; Berg, Ellen; Evensen, Kristin Vindhol; Solstad, Gerd Marie & Thorjussen, Ingfrid M. (2023). Bevegelsesfellesskap i oppveksten : kritiske perspektiver på inkludering og mangfold. Fagbokforlaget. ISBN 9788245041415. 413 p. Full text in Research Archive

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• Thorjussen, Ingfrid M. & Røynesdal, Øystein (2024). Kroppsøving i praksis - en introduksjon til boken. In Røynesdal, Øystein & Thorjussen, Ingfrid M. (Ed.), Kroppsøving i praksis: læreplanbegreper, klasseledelse og undervisningsmetode. Universitetsforlaget. ISSN 9788215063744. p. 13–24. Full text in Research Archive
• Thorjussen, Ingfrid M. & Røynesdal, Øystein (2024). God opplæring i kroppsøving trenger mer kunnskap. Magasinet Servus. Full text in Research Archive
• Aasland, Erik & Thorjussen, Ingfrid M. (2024). Constructions of Ethnic Minority Girls as ‘the Other’ in Physical Education. Full text in Research Archive
• Evensen, Kristin Vindhol; Thorjussen, Ingfrid M. & Wilhelmsen, Terese (2023). Kritisk blikk på inkludering og mangfold i barn og unges bevegelsesarenaer, Bevegelsesfellesskap i oppveksten : kritiske perspektiver på inkludering og mangfold. Fagbokforlaget. ISSN 9788245041415. p. 11–26. doi: https:/oa.fagbokforlaget.no/index.php/vboa/catalog/download/35/55/622?inline=1. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Kritiske perspektiver på inkludering og mangfold i barn og unges ulike bevegelsesarenaer er antologiens viktigste omdreiningspunkt. Kritiske blikk på inkludering og mangfold åpner opp for å favne ulike perspektiver samtidig som boka kapsler inn en essens på tvers av disse. Kritisk teori er et korrektiv til urettferdige, marginaliserende og undertrykkende strukturer og praksiser.

• Østerlie, Ove & Thorjussen, Ingfrid M. (2022). [Podcast, krø.no] Artikkelklubben 9 – Sosial inkludering i kroppsøving i et multi-etnisk perspektiv. [Internet]. www.krø.no. Full text in Research Archive
• Røynesdal, Øystein; Thorjussen, Ingfrid M. & Gjesdal, Beate Eltarvåg (2022). Nå skjønner jeg hva de mener: Om video som digitalt verktøy for å utvikle klasseledelse i kroppsøving - et pilotprosjekt. Full text in Research Archive
• Thorjussen, Ingfrid M. (2022). Induktive metoder i kroppsøvingsfaget. Full text in Research Archive
• Thorjussen, Ingfrid M. (2021). "What we learn is okay, but most of it I already know from my parents" – Physical education and inclusion at the intersection of social class and ethnic background. Full text in Research Archive
• Thorjussen, Ingfrid M. (2021). "Tror vi er en ganske aktiv familie..." - Betydning av elevers forskjellige bakgrunner for inkludering og ekskludering i kroppsøving. Full text in Research Archive
• Kvalvaag, Marius Wick & Thorjussen, Ingfrid M. (2021). Kroppsøvingsstudenters praksiserfaringer. Full text in Research Archive
• Thorjussen, Ingfrid M. (2021). ”Jeg tenker funnene som kommer frem i artikkelen kan være viktige å ha i bakhodet for meg som fremtidig lærer” – en studie av hvordan lærerstudenter jobber med å anvende forskningslitteratur innenfor tema mangfold og inkludering. Full text in Research Archive
• Thorjussen, Ingfrid M. & Wilhelmsen, Terese (2020). Ethics in Categorizing in Research with Children. Full text in Research Archive
• Thorjussen, Ingfrid M. (2019). Social relations in and beyond physical education - Implications for inclusive education in multi-ethnic contexts. Full text in Research Archive
• Thorjussen, Ingfrid M. (2019). Kroppsøvingsfaget i møte med det flerkulturelle klasserommet. Full text in Research Archive
• Thorjussen, Ingfrid M. (2018). Physical Education in a multi-ethnic class. Full text in Research Archive
• Thorjussen, Ingfrid M. (2020). Physical education, diversity and inclusion: Students’ narratives of inclusion and exclusion from an intersectional perspective. Norges idrettshøgskole. ISSN 9788250205857. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  An increasing number of international studies have shown both that some students experience exclusion and marginalization in physical education (PE) and that these phenomena often are linked to students’ gender, sexuality, social class, (dis)ability, religion, or ethnicity. However, knowledge of the processes that lead to exclusion in PE is lacking, especially in the Norwegian context. In addition, research on inclusion and exclusion has tended to focus only on single aspects of students’ identities. Based on an intersectional perspective, the purpose of this doctoral thesis is to provide more knowledge about inclusion in PE by investigating the experiences of students with diverse backgrounds. Intersectionality sheds light on the interplay between social categories like gender, ethnicity, social class, and ability in different contexts and on outcomes in terms of inclusion and exclusion. Moreover, intersectionality provides analytical and conceptual tools for understanding how power and power relations often appear natural and are thus reproduced within institutions and disciplines. The overall goal of the study is operationalized through two research questions: RQ1) What are the PE experiences of students in a multi-ethnic PE context? RQ2) What stories of inclusion and exclusion are revealed at the intersection between the researcher’s accounts, the curriculum, teachers’ practice, and students’ stories of PE in a multi-ethnic class? Data was generated through fieldwork in two secondary school classes at a school in Oslo, the capital of Norway. The data foundation consists of field notes from observations of 56 PE lessons and semi-structured interviews with 17 students. The data is presented in the form of four articles.

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