Thomas Vold

Associate Professor Department of Teacher Education and Outdoor Studies

Email: thomasv@nih.no
Phone: +47 23 26 23 54
Mobile phone: +47 99 44 24 77

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Background and experience

Thomas Vold is associate Professor in friluftsliv at the Department of Teacher Education and Outdoor Studies. He has a master (2000), and PhD (2015), from the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences. His PhD involved guided tours in nature, researching the guides knowledge of relations. Thomas have previously been working as a nature guide at Spitsbergen/Svalbard (1997-2001), and as a lecturer at the University of Southeast Norway, campus Bø (2001-2003). Thomas have been chairman of the board in the Association for Friluftsliv in Higher Education since 2015-2019). He has also ben codirector of the book «Friluftsliv og guiding i natur» (2018).

Thomas Vold has been employed at NIH since 2003. Since 2015 he has been leading the work of developing a new bachelor program in Friluftsliv/Outdoor education. The program started up at fall 2018

Teaching

Relational competence in nature guiding, professionalism in friluftsliv/outdoors -based occupations. Sociocultural wives on friluftsliv, friluftsliv-history, friluftsliv and law, public and ideal management in friluftsliv. Didactics in friluftsliv.

Friluftsliv/outdoor activities; Sea kayaking, canoeing, Nordic skiing and mountaineering, Nordic tour skating, fishing and gathering (food plants, mushroom, berries etc).

Research

Nature based tourism and guiding in nature.

Magnussen, Leif Inge & Vold, Thomas (2024). Turledelse under press. In Torgersen, Glenn-Egil; Sæverot, Herner & Jermstad, Linnéa K. (Ed.), Samfunn og samhandling under press: Betydning for pedagogisk praksis og teori. Cappelen Damm Akademisk. ISSN 9788202829407. p. 271–289. doi: 10.23865/cdf.227.ch17. Full text in Research Archive
Beames, Simon; Høyem, Jannicke; Kraalingen, Imre van; Eriksen, Jørgen Weidemann; Vold, Thomas & Abelsen, Kristian [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2022). The Jacket: Making Sustainable Clothing Choices in Outdoor Education. Canadian Journal of Environmental Education (CJEE). ISSN 1205-5352. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Amidst a vast jungle of products, brands, materials, labels, and systems of global trade and production, it has become increasingly challenging to make consumption choices that may be considered “sustainable”. This inquiry examines the decision-making process of a team of university outdoor environmental educators, as they puzzled over the most appropriate shell jacket to purchase for their outdoor teaching. The project’s first aim was to determine the team’s most important features of sustainability with regard to clothing procurement, while the second was to interrogate these features in relation to germane literature and guidance. Driven by a practitioner inquiry approach, the team of eight interrogated their own beliefs, assumptions, and knowledge about outdoor clothing over seven months. Data were generated through four group discussions, where the content from each was thematically analyzed and then used as a platform for the following meeting. Ultimately, four factors emerged as central to informing their outdoor clothing purchases: (1) durability, (2) assurances of ecologically friendly production, (3) assurances of fair labour conditions, and (4) underlying socio-political motivators. Navigating the varied and shifting ground of eco-labels and certifications in relation to environmental sustainability and fair labour conditions is highlighted as a central challenge to making nature- and human-friendly purchases. Interrogating the drivers and surrounding information around material consumption is positioned as a valuable pedagogical enterprise in itself. Keywords: outdoor education; outdoor recreation; clothing; sustainability; eco-labels; practitioner inquiry

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Vold, Thomas & Magnussen, Leif Inge (2025). Naturguiding, Før, under og etter turen. Universitetsforlaget. ISBN 9788215034232. 244 p. Full text in Research Archive
Magnussen, Leif Inge & Vold, Thomas (2018). Friluftsliv og guiding i natur. Teori og praksis. Universitetsforlaget. ISBN 9788215028682. 256 p. Full text in Research Archive

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Beames, Simon; Nilsson, Elisabeth Kjeldahl; Abelsen, Kristian; Enoksen, Elisabeth; Eriksen, Jørgen Weidemann & Høyem, Jannicke [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2024). Make it tangible. Horizons. ISSN 1487-7090. Full text in Research Archive
Vold, Thomas (2023). Den nye folkelaksen. Full text in Research Archive
Høyem, Jannicke; Beames, Simon; Eriksen, Jørgen Weidemann; Rosenberg, Axel; Vold, Thomas & Kraalingen, Imre van [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2022). Skall - skal ikke? Full text in Research Archive
Magnussen, Leif Inge & Vold, Thomas (2017). Frivillighets-Norge betaler prisen! p. 25–25. Full text in Research Archive
Vold, Thomas (2015). Venner på tur: naturguiding som relasjonell kunnskap. Norges idrettshøgskole. ISSN 9788250205116. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Avhandlingens tema er naturguiding. Temaets aktualitet relateres til det naturbaserte reiselivet i Norge, der vekst og internasjonal konkurranse har bidratt til å skjerpe kravene til kunnskap om helse, miljø og sikkerhet (HMS), og kvalitet i guiding. I det naturbaserte reiseliv omtales guidete turer som produkter og naturopplevelser som kvaliteter ved naturen i seg selv. I HMSperspektiver vektlegges rutiner og standarder for å minimalisere risiko for ulykker og slitasje på natur og kulturminner. Mens HMS-perspektiver i guiding har blitt viet mye oppmerksomhet, har spørsmål om hva som kan være kvalitet i guiding, fått langt mindre oppmerksomhet. Avhandlingen sikter seg ut fra dette inn på å undersøke guidingens innhold og hvordan guidete turer i natur blir til gjennom samhandlingen mellom naturguider, turister og natur. Avhandlingen bygger på et fenomenologisk grunnperspektiv, med Alfred Schutz’ fenomenologiske sosiologi og kunnskapssosiologi. Ut fra dette er de metodiske valgene tatt i form av deltakende observasjon og kvalitative intervjuer av guider og turister. Svalbard er valgt som undersøkelsens stedlige og kulturelle kontekst. Denne studien tar sikte på å få frem hva kvalitet i guiding kan være, gjennom å stille følgende spørsmål: «Hvilken kunnskap om det å lage turer kommer til uttrykk i naturguiders samhandling med turister på guidete turer?» «Hva forteller naturguiders kunnskap om turistenes opplevelser av å være på tur, om det å arbeide som guide, og om turisme og reiseliv som fenomen?»

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Published Oct. 17, 2023 1:13 PM - Last modified Dec. 13, 2023 2:35 PM