Petter Erik Leirhaug

Associate Professor Department of Teacher Education and Outdoor Studies

Email: petterel@nih.no
Phone: +47 23 26 22 57

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Background and experience

Petter Erik Leirhaug is associate professor at the Department of Teacher Education and Outdoor Studies at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences (NIH).

Petter Erik has a background as general teacher and as a specialist teacher in physical education and sports. He has previously worked in primary school, secondary school and folk high school. He has also been a department head in a kindergarten and has had various engagements as a guide and instructor in friluftsliv (outdoor activities). Since 2008, he has worked in higher education, first at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL), and from 2020 in his current position at NIH. He has been engaged multiple times by national authorities to participate in or lead work on curricula for physical education and guidelines for teacher education.

Petter Erik is responsible for and coordinates Practical-Pedagogical Education (PPU) at NIH, a one-year qualification program to become a Physical Education teacher, and he has developed and coordinates an online program in Continuing Education in Physical Education for teachers. He teaches in and supervises the department's bachelor's, master's and PhD programs in teacher education, outdoor studies and research education. His doctoral dissertation was on assessment for learning in physical education in upper secondary school

Petter Erik is a member of the Research Group for Physical Education and Pedagogy (PE-PED) at NIH and has previously been the leader of the National Network for Research on Physical Education and Sports.

Teaching

Pedagogy, Learning activities in Physical Education and Sport, Teacher Professionalism, History of Physical Education, Qualitative methods, Outdoor Education in School and Teacher Education. The Concept of Slow Friluftsliv, and Ecophilosophy.

Research

Physical Education and Sport in school, Pedagogy, Movement learning, Learning Outdoors and Nature Experience, History and Pedagogy of Friluftsliv, Nature Philosophy, Teacher Education, Assessment, and Curriculum studies.

Linnestad, Ingvild Eia; Leirhaug, Petter Erik & Larsson, Håkan (2026). Taken-for-granted truths about digital technology in physical education during upper secondary practicum. European Physical Education Review. ISSN 1356-336X. doi: 10.1177/1356336X261488747. Full text in Research Archive
Gerdin, Göran Nils; Philpot, Rod; Leirhaug, Petter Erik & González-Calvo, Gustavo (2026). Transcending boundaries: enacting social justice through practices of freedom in health and physical education curricula. Curriculum Studies in Health and Physical Education. ISSN 2574-2981. doi: 10.1080/25742981.2026.2699664. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
In this paper, we explore how the enactment of Health and Physical Education (HPE) curricula can transcend national boundaries. Based on data from Aotearoa New Zealand, Norway, Spain and Sweden, the paper examines how teachers’ enactment of HPE curricula reflects, reproduces and resists social justice goals. Utilizing Foucault’s concept of ‘practices of freedom’, we explore how teachers navigate power-laden curricular and institutional discourses to foster inclusion, equity and social cohesion. Using data generated from curriculum documents, school-based field visits, classroom observations and interviews with HPE teachers, we draw on thematic analysis to identify how teachers adapt content, build relational pedagogical spaces and exercise critical judgement to resist exclusionary norms. Our analysis emphasizes the role of teachers as agents who negotiate curricular frameworks in ways that respond to students’ lived realities and transcend traditional disciplinary and national boundaries. By conceptualising HPE curricula as both regulatory structures and sites of possibility, the paper argues for an approach to HPE that recognises teachers’ capacity for ethical reflection, local adaptation and transformation. Such an approach is central to disrupting inequitable power relations and enabling both students and educators to contribute to a more just and inclusive world.
Haraldsen, Heidi Marian; Stornæs, Annett Victoria; Hordvik, Mats; Hembre, Oda Julie; Ellefsen, Veslemøy & Leirhaug, Petter Erik (2026). Professional digital competence in physical education and performing arts teacher education: transformative learning in the learning Avatar project. European Journal of Teacher Education. ISSN 0261-9768. p. 1–23. doi: https:/www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02619768.2026.2717701. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Drawing on transformative learning theory, we explored the transformation processes related to professional digital competence (PDC) in teacher education in physical education and performing arts. Positioned in practitioner research and self-study, eight teacher educators with interdisciplinary expertise participated in a 3-year PDC research and development project. Data were transcripts of peer debriefing sessions and structured individual reflection notes, all analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The results revealed several distinct layers of tensions related to the nature of each subject’s versus digitised ways of learning, nurturing ambivalence towards own assumptions, competence, authority and practices that triggered a need for agency and development. The transformative learning process, influenced by (a) learning as doing and reflecting, (b) learning with peers, (c) restructuring theory of practice and (d) organisation and contextual settings, revealed a cumulative change in our PDC. The results emphasise that developing PDC is a subject- and context-sensitive process.
Vikene, Odd Lennart; Fretland, Frode; Lundvall, Suzanne & Leirhaug, Petter Erik (2025). Understandings of the concept of friluftsliv among Norwegian and international students in a changing world. Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning. ISSN 1472-9679. p. 1–19. doi: 10.1080/14729679.2025.2547231. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
This study explored how Norwegian and international outdoor education students understand friluftsliv. Twenty-five undergraduate students participated in focus group interviews conducted at two time points: 2015 (n=15) and 2024 (n=10). Thematic analysis was applied, using a historical perspective as the theoretical framework. The Norwegian students associate friluftsliv in a broad context, arguing that some activities are more about friluftsliv than others. The international students lean towards the more romantic and eco-philosophical approach to the term, highlighting simplistic lifestyle, contact with nature and the right mindset. Both student groups agreed that the current development of friluftsliv is influenced by societal trends and increased sportification. A key difference between the cohortswas a growing concern in 2024 for local and global environmental issues. A concrete implication from the study is that higher education and pedagogical work in friluftsliv should emphasise the human relationship with nature as being at the core of Friluftsliv.
Horgen, Andre; Porsanger, Lise & Leirhaug, Petter Erik (2025). Friluftslivets aktsomhetsdiskurs. Journal for Research in Arts and Sports Education. 9(2), p. 22–38. doi: 10.23865/jased.v9.6886. Full text in Research Archive
Rustad, Hilde; Abelsen, Kristian & Leirhaug, Petter Erik (2025). Upper secondary school students’ perspectives on dance in physical education. Research in Dance Education. ISSN 1464-7893. p. 1–18. doi: 10.1080/14647893.2025.2455677. Full text in Research Archive
Tøstesen, Gustav Bille Lundager & Leirhaug, Petter Erik (2025). Friluftsliv i skolen – et potentiale for dannelse og bærekraftige menneske-natur relationer? Speki. Nordisk pedagogisk-filosofisk tidsskrift. 2(1), p. 52–67. doi: 10.5617/speki.11578. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
This article explores how posthumanist theory can contribute to new understandings of Bildung, sustainability, and environmental awareness within outdoor education (Friluftsliv) in Norwegian schools. Drawing on Karen Barad (2007), it investigates new understandings of ontological, epistemological, and ethical perspectives on Bildung processes in the context of outdoor education in the Physical Education subject. A posthumanist understanding of Bildung ontologically assumes that educational relationships encompass both human and more-than-human agencies. Consequently, we must rethink the student as a subject of learning and view their agency as extended and shared with a more-than-human world. Epistemologically, this has consequences for how students and teachers understand and interact with nature, and ultimately, how sustainable behavior and environmental awareness are cultivated. The student's formation in nature must be viewed as dynamic nature-cultural inter-actions, which entails an ethical responsibility for non-human creatures and life processes. The article thereby develops new dimensions on how outdoor education within physical education can articulate a potential for students' formation towards sustainable behavior and environmental awareness in their encounters with nature.
Porsanger, Lise; Horgen, André & Leirhaug, Petter Erik (2024). Uaktsomhet i kroppsøving: En kritisk diskursanalyse av rettsavgjørelser. Journal for Research in Arts and Sports Education. 8(1), p. 1–19. doi: 10.23865/jased.v8.5835. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Denne studien er designet som en dokumentanalyse. Artikkelen undersøker hvordan uaktsomhet konstrueres i rettsavgjørelser hvor læreres handlinger i kroppsøving er vurdert som uaktsomme. Domstolene representerer den dømmende makten i Norge, og i erstatningssaker vurderer domstolene hvorvidt noen har skyldansvar for en annens skade. Norman Faircloughs kritiske diskursanalyse er det utvalgte metodologiske rammeverket som benyttes til å ramme inn studien og analysere rettsavgjørelsene. Artikkelen retter oppmerksomheten mot diskurser som konstruerer uaktsomhet i domstolenes begrunnelser. Resultatene viser at rettsavgjørelsene bæres av en juridisk genre, som trekker på diskurser om kroppsøving, risiko og handlingsnormer i kroppsøving. Rettsavgjørelsene synes å fremme en til dels deduktiv undervisningspraksis og at risikovurdering og kontroll med elever har prioritet. For kroppsøving kan det innebære at bevegelsesaktiviteter uten tydelige regler, mangelfull planmessig progresjon og utforskning og øving uten tydelig instruksjon forstås som uforsvarlig. Videre tegnes fysisk størrelse å utgjøre en risiko i faget. En av hovedhensiktene i erstatningsrett er prevensjon. Fra et kroppsøvingsfaglig perspektiv stilles det spørsmål til konsekvensene av disse rettsavgjørelsene og hva de kan medføre for kroppsøvingsfaget.
Midthaugen, Per & Leirhaug, Petter Erik (2024). Hva vet vi (ikke) om idrettsfag? – en forskningsoversikt for utdanningsprogram idrettsfag fra 1972 til 2022. Norsk pedagogisk tidsskrift. ISSN 0029-2052. 108(3), p. 262–279. doi: 10.18261/npt.108.3.6. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Artikkelen presenterer en oversiktsstudie av forskning knyttet til idrettsfag gjennom 50 år fra 1972. Hovedmålet er å undersøke omfang og hvilke sider ved idrettsfag forskningen har belyst. Oversikten inkluderer 13 fagfellevurderte publikasjoner og 63 hovedfags- og masteroppgaver. Innenfor åtte programfag på idrettsfag avdekkes friluftsliv som tema, med vekt på ulykker og sikkerhet, og programfaget toppidrett som mest belyst. For fagene idrett og samfunn, lederutvikling og treningsledelse finnes det derimot knapt forskning. Analysen viser at hele bredden av idrettsfag mangler kunnskap og forskning for å sikre kvalitet i undervisning, lærerutdanning og fagutvikling. På bakgrunn av det etterspørres strategisk planlegging av empirisk og praksisrelevant forskningsinnsats innen idrettsfag.

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Porsanger, Lise; Leirhaug, Petter Erik & Horgen, Andre (2026). Uaktsomhet i kroppsøving: Læreres oppfatninger. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
BAKGRUNN En rekke rettsavgjørelser viser at kroppsøvingslærere har blitt funnet uaktsomme av domstolene. I erstatningsrett forstås handlinger både som aktive handlinger og som unnlatelser. Det er det interessant å lære mer om hvordan lærere oppfatter uaktsomhet i kroppsøving. METODE Dette er en pågående studie hvor det gjennomføres fokusgruppeintervju med lærere i grunn og videregående skole. To rettsavgjørelser fra høyesterett brukes som stimulus materiale i intervjuene. To forskere fungerer som moderatorer i intervjuene og det er gjennomført en innledende tematisk analyse av materialet. RESULTAT De foreløpige resultatene antyder at lærere oppfatter uaktsomhet som en følge av ukjent risiko og noe de kan være uvitende om, at uaktsomhet foreligger ved at lærere bevisst ignorerer risiko involvert og at rettens tolkning og norm er restriktiv for undervisning og læring i kroppsøvingsfaget. Lærere beskriver risiko for ulykker som et iboende aspekt ved kroppsøvingsfaget, at risiko ikke kan forstås eller kontrolleres fullt ut, og at det ikke alltid kan beskyttes mot. Lærere peker på uvitenhet og hensynsløshet når de snakker om uaktsomt i faget. Det er tegn til at vektlegging av lek, læring og utfoldelse i faget står i konflikt med normer for sikkerhet satt av retten. KONKLUSJON Studien foreslår at læreres oppfatninger av uaktsomhet i kroppsøving avviker fra domstolenes vurderinger.
Vikene, Odd Lennart; Fretland, Frode; Lundvall, Suzanne & Leirhaug, Petter Erik (2026). Understanding the concept of friluftsliv among Norwegian and international students in a changing world. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
This study explored how Norwegian and international outdoor education students understand friluftsliv. Twenty-five undergraduate students participated in focus group interviews conducted at two time points: 2015 (n=15) and 2024 (n=10). Thematic analysis was applied (Braun & Clarke, 2006), using a historical perspective as the theoretical framework (Tordsson, 2007, 2010). The Norwegian students associated friluftsliv in a broad context, arguing that some activities are more about friluftsliv than others. The international students lean towards the more romantic and eco-philosophical approaches to the term (Breivik, 2021; Eikje, 2024), highlighting simplistic lifestyles, contact with nature and the right mindset. Both student groups agreed that the current development of friluftsliv is influenced by societal trends and increased sportification. A key difference between the cohorts was a growing concern in 2024 for local and global environmental issues. A concrete implication from the study is that higher education and pedagogical work in friluftsliv should emphasise the human relationship with nature as being at the core of friluftsliv.
Leirhaug, Petter Erik; Eide, Lars Harald & Berg, Ellen (2025). Investigating Nine Pedagogies of Social Justice in HPE Curricula and Educational Act Documents in Norway. Full text in Research Archive
Porsanger, Lise; Leirhaug, Petter Erik & Horgen, AndrÃ© (2025). Negligence in physical education: Teachers' perceptions. Full text in Research Archive
Tøstesen, Gustav Bille Lundager; Leirhaug, Petter Erik & Abelsen, Kristian (2024). Friluftsliv as a part of the PE curricula – potentials for more sustainable human-nature relations? An investigation of PE teachers' understanding of nature and sustainability. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Friluftsliv as a part of the PE curricula – potentials for more sustainable human-nature relations? An investigation of PE teachers' understanding of nature and sustainability The Norwegian friluftsliv has been a part of the Norwegian school since 1936 and is deeply rooted in Norwegian culture. In its original concept, it emphasizes the value of nature experiences and encourages individuals to engage with natural environments in holistic ways that foster appreciation and respect for nature (Leirhaug et al., 2020). The new curricula from 2020 for the Norwegian school (Meld. St. 18 (2015–2016) see friluftsliv and nature experiences as part of the students learning about sustainable development and to prepare them for challenges related to the environmental crisis. However, Leirhaug and Arnesen (2016) show that there is little knowledge about what kind of teaching the teachers put into practice or what kind of learning the students experience in connection with friluftsliv in the school. Similarly, little has been investigated about how teachers understand and implement sustainable development in their teaching (Lund, 2022). This presentation is about an ecocritical study of interview material from 4 Norwegian PE teachers. Concepts of nature tropes have been used to analyze the teacher’s understandings of friluftsliv, nature experience and sustainability. The analysis had a specific focus on exploring the human and nature relationships in the teachers' descriptions of their teaching practice. The findings show clear nature-culture dichotomies in the teachers' understandings of nature and the natural environments where the teaching took place. This was expressed through a dominant anthropocentric focus on activities and acquisition of skills, and less emphasis on how nature could contribute to the student's learning about sustainability and the more-than-human world. However, two of the teachers also problematize the nature-human relationship by collecting plastic and the distribution of microplastic in nature. References Leirhaug, P. E., Abelsen, K. Høyem, H. & Grøteide, H. (2020). Naturopplevingar, miljøbevisstheit og livsmeistring i vidaregåande skule. Norsk Pedagogisk Tidskrift, (3), s. 226–240. https://doi.org/10.18261/issn.1504-2987-2020-03-02 Leirhaug, P. E., & Arnesen, T. E. (2016). Friluftsliv - et hovedområde i kroppsøvingsfaget? I A. Horgen, M. L. Fasting, T. Lundhaug, L. I. Magnussen, & K. Østrem, Ute! Friluftsliv - pedagogiske, historiske og sosiologiske perspektiver (s. 129–151). Fagbokforlaget. Lund, T. (2022). An ecocritical perspective on friluftsliv students’ relationship with nature. Journal for Research in Arts and Sports Education, 6 (2). https://doi.org/10.23865/jased.v6.3033 Meld. St. 18 (2015–2016). (2016). Friluftsliv – Natur som kilde til helse og livskvalitet. Hentet fra: https://www.regjeringen.no/no/dokumenter/meld.-st.-18-20152016/id2479100/?ch=1&q=
Leirhaug, Petter Erik (2024). Friluftslivsstudenters ord om hva de forbinder med friluftsliv og angivelse av hva som har hatt betydning for deres friluftslivsinteresse. Full text in Research Archive
Porsanger, Lise; Horgen, André & Leirhaug, Petter Erik (2024). A critical discourse analysis of teacher negligence in physical education. Full text in Research Archive
Abelsen, Kristian; Snaprud, Rune; Furuly, Cathrine Dunker & Leirhaug, Petter Erik (2024). Nye takter for friluftsliv og dans i kroppsøving Fagartikkel: Lærere, elever og forskere har sammen arbeidet med å realisere dans og friluftsliv som en prioritert del av kroppsøvingsfaget i videregående skole. Bedre Skole. ISSN 0802-183X. p. 41–47. Full text in Research Archive
Leirhaug, Petter Erik (2024). Student assessment and homeschooling in physical education during COVID-19. Full text in Research Archive
Øiseth, Philip Puru & Leirhaug, Petter Erik (2023). Omvendt undervisning med video i kroppsøving. Elevenes erfaringer og motivasjon. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Bakgrunn: Presentasjonen er tilknyttet et masterprosjekt gjennomført ved Norges Idrettshøgskole med tittelen «Omvendt undervisning i kroppsøving». Forskningsprosjektet er utformet som en selvstudie med formål om å undersøke egen praksis systematisk og på en strukturert måte. Bruken av omvendt undervisning i egen praksis har resultert i forskningsspørsmål som undersøker (1) hvordan omvendt undervisning påvirker elevenes motivasjon for å delta i kroppsøving på videregående skole, og (2) elevenes opplevelser og erfaringer med å følge omvendt undervisning. Metode: 46 elever på VG2 deltok i forskningsprosjektet over fire uker. En klasse (N=20) fulgte tradisjonell undervisnings (kontrollgruppe). En annen klasse (N=26) fulgte undervisningsstrategien omvendt undervisning (intervensjonsgruppe) ved å se på videoer produsert av egen lærer i forkant av skoleundervisning. For å måle motivasjon ble et motivasjonsspørreskjema (SIMS) besvart før og etter intervensjonen for begge gruppene. Et utvalg elever (N=6) fra intervensjonsgruppen deltok i et fokusgruppeintervju i etterkant av intervensjonen. Resultater: Kvalitative resultater indikerer at elevene opplever omvendt undervisning som læringsrikt, meningsfylt og motiverende, til tross for at det innebærer en større arbeidsbelastning å forberede seg til undervisning. Elever opplever det mer meningsfylt å delta i kroppsøving og har en større forståelse for fagets formål og betydning som et resultat av omvendt undervisning. Elevene kobler omvendt undervisning til dybdelæring. Kvantitative resultater viste imidlertid ikke noe signifikant endring i motivasjon. Konklusjon: Vi konkluderer med at omvendt undervisning tilbyr en alternativ undervisningstilnærming til kroppsøving, hvor elevene opplever faget som mer meningsfylt, men også følelse av økt kompetanse. Prosjektet har resultert i større innsikt og forståelse for egen praksis og hvordan kunne forbedre den. Vi argumenterer videre for at økt kompetanse blant elevene på sikt, vil kunne resultere i større grad av motivasjon for å delta i kroppsøvingsaktivitet. Derfor foreslår vi at lignende studier i fremtiden gjennomføres over lengre tid.
Sæther, Sondre; Leirhaug, Petter Erik & Borgen, Jorunn Spord (2023). Play in Phyiscal Education - How teachers understand and include play in their teaching. Full text in Research Archive

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Published Oct. 17, 2023 1:12 PM - Last modified Feb. 13, 2025 6:34 AM