Ann Elisabeth Gunnulfsen

Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Hall, Jeffrey Brooks (2015). En skoleleders dagbok: Profesjonell praksis og juridisk skjønn. Gyldendal Akademisk.  ISBN 9788205459489.  232 s.

Gunnulfsen, A.E. & Helstad, K. (2014). Skolebasert kompetanseutvikling. Samarbeid mellom skoler og kompetansemiljøer om ledelse og profesjonsutvikling.  I E. Elstad & K.Helstad (Eds.), Profesjonsutvikling i skolen. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget.

• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Abrahamsen, Hedvig Neerland (2026). Middle leadership and reform work in schools in Norway: coupling agents, gatekeepers, and door openers. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research. ISSN 0031-3831. p. 1–15. doi: 10.1080/00313831.2026.2727854. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This paper explores the role of middle leaders in realizing the reform intentions of the Norwegian national curriculum, “Læreplanverket for Kunnskapsløftet 2020” (LK20). The study focuses on how middle leaders navigate the complex interplay of central policy demands while fostering collaboration within the school system. The concept of loose coupling is employed as an analytical framework to highlight the connectivity within school organizations. Through qualitative data collection, including interviews and observations, the findings indicate that middle leaders function as both door openers and gatekeepers at the school level, enhancing the professional actors’ realization of policy demands. Middle leaders serve as coupling agents between school authorities, principals, teachers, students, and parents, playing a key role in interpreting policy expectations and functioning as drivers for reform work. Their ability to inspire and facilitate understanding among teachers is crucial in addressing the complexities of national policy intentions in a curriculum reform.

• Storgaard, Merete; Ragnarsdóttir, Guðrún; Ärlestig, Helene; Frederiksen, Lars Frode; Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Jónasdóttir, María [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2025). Nordic research on educational leadership in times of crises. International Journal of Educational Management. ISSN 0951-354X. 39(6), p. 1547–1564. doi: 10.1108/ijem-10-2024-0661. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Purpose The international body of research on crises and school leadership is expanding, yet studies focusing on this theme within the Nordic context remain limited, predominantly addressing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This article aims to examine contemporary research on leadership and crisis management in Nordic education to elucidate the governance, support and control mechanisms employed during unexpected events and to inform future research directions. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on neo-institutional theories and sensemaking theory, this study traces the phenomenon of interest across Nordic education systems and governance contexts. The study is based on a literature review and apply thematic content analysis. Findings Through the elaboration of six themes, the demands and expectations for school leaders and the tensions they encounter are revealed. The findings suggest that crises often precipitate centralized, top-down governance that challenges the traditional values and decentralized governance in Nordic education systems. In these changed governance relations, school leaders continuously adjust to ever-changing policies through sensemaking and re-organizing the routines and pedagogical approaches of the school. Additionally, the study explores the consequences of crisis management, revealing ethical and social responsibilities and challenges to the well-being of school leaders. Lastly, showing various forms of support and control applied both vertically and horizontally. Originality/value The literature review highlights key points for leading and governing in an unforeseen future, emphasizing the crucial role of schools and leaders in maintaining coherence in a democratic welfare society during crises and an everchanging reality. Nordic school leadership during crises involves high demands of micropolitical sensemaking, organizing and communication amid changing policies and legislation. It also involves balancing ethical concerns and social responsibilities to make schools safe and democratic spaces for students and staff. By connecting Nordic studies on education governance, school leadership and crises, we fill an important research gap and identify potential avenues for practice, policy and research. A key strength of this study is its coverage of five Nordic countries in a single paper.

• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth; Abrahamsen, Hedvig Neerland; Jensen, Ruth & Helstad, Kristin (2025). Langvarige partnerskap som mulighetsrom for utviklingsarbeid i ledelsesverksteder. Uniped - Tidsskrift for universitets- og høgskolepedagogikk. ISSN 1500-4538. 48(2-3), p. 153–164. doi: 10.18261/uniped.48.2-3.7. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Partnerskap mellom universitets og høyskolesektoren og ansatte i skolen representerer en sentral styringsintensjon når det gjelder å støtte skoler i utviklingsarbeid. I denne artikkelen rapporterer vi fra et utviklings- og forskningsprosjekt hvor det ble inngått et partnerskap mellom tre videregående skoler og to universiteter over en toårsperiode. Formålet med artikkelen er å bidra med kunnskap om hvordan skoleledere og forskere har erfart deltakelse i partnerskap i det vi omtaler som ledelsesverksteder, hvor målet har vært å styrke skoleledernes arbeid med å realisere intensjonene i læreplanverket. Analysene bygger på intervjuer med rektorer og forskere som deltok. Oppmerksomheten har vært rettet mot hvilke erfaringer rektorene har fra deltakelse i ledelsesverksteder som arena for partnerskap og reformarbeid, og hvilke refleksjoner forskerne gjør seg etter å ha intervenert i ledergrupper med spesifikke verktøy for å trigge ledelse av reformarbeid. Analysene viser at partnerskapet har hatt relevans for begge parter. Både skoleledere og forskere ser positivt på bruken av verktøy som speil på ledernes praksis for videre refleksjon, men begge parter erfarer bruk av teori som utfordrende. Siden de viktigste formålene til institusjoner som skole og universitet er delvis ulike og skolesektoren og universitets- og høyskolesektoren har ulike roller i samfunnet, argumenterer vi for å vie mer oppmerksomhet til hvordan komplementære roller kan gi næring til kollektiv læring gjennom langvarige partnerskap.

• Welle, Kjersti Beate Rørstad & Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth (2025). School leadership: Dilemmas in dealing with crises. Educational Management Administration & Leadership. ISSN 1741-1432. p. 1–19. doi: 10.1177/17411432251325099. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This paper examines peer-reviewed research articles from Western countries on school leadership in times of crisis published from 2013 to 2024. The objective of this review is to enhance our understanding of the features of school-level crises, the challenges principals face, and the effective roles and actions they undertake during such events. We aim to contribute to the existing body of research by uncovering the dilemmas school leaders encounter when managing crises. The literature review identified 51 relevant articles across 14 countries, 32 of which are about principal leadership amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the findings, four dilemmas have been discussed: (1) whether to prioritize individual power and responsibility over shared leadership, (2) whether to render care and support or strictly fulfill managerial duties, (3) whether to be true to one's core values and beliefs or respond quickly and (4) whether to give up control or provide stability amid constant uncertainty. Our findings indicate that, during crises, school leaders should strike a balance between exercising individual power and facilitating collaboration, between relational aspects and operational expectations, between individual and collective decision-making, and between being in constant uncertainty and providing predictability.

• Lejonberg, Eli; Nesje, Katrine; Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Aanesland, Torunn Strømme (2025). Developing Competence for Teachers, Mentors, and School Leaders: How Can Video-Based Learning Designs Facilitate Authentic Learning? Education Sciences. 15(3). doi: 10.3390/educsci15030370. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The use of video-based learning designs in higher education has gained increased attention in higher education in the last decade. The aim of this study is to contribute to the development of knowledge about video-based learning designs as potential drivers of professional competence for different practitioners in schools: teachers, mentors, and school leaders. By adopting a theoretical perspective of authentic learning, we explore how different video-based learning designs can play out in educational settings. Based on a comparative analysis of learning designs and student experiences, we argue that the use of practice videos does not necessarily enhance authentic learning. Findings illuminate how student interaction with practice videos and other mediating tools can contribute to authentic learning. However, the findings also illuminate how university-based educators need to be conscious in striving to design authentic learning. The potential of coaching and mentoring as potential mediators that can enhance learning is highlighted. Implications for designing for video-based professional development are elaborated on.

• Abrahamsen, Hedvig Neerland & Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth (2024). Successful School Principals Balancing Ethical, Personal and Collective - A Norwegian Case. Education Sciences. 14(9). doi: 10.3390/educsci14091014. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Over the past two decades, there has been extensive research into what constitutes successful school principal leadership under the assumption that leaders’ practices are significant and context-dependent on their school organization. By investigating how successful principals balance their personal ethical leadership dispositions and their intention of sharing leadership, this paper aims to contribute to the knowledge of how school principals need to balance the ethical, personal, and collective as the top leader of the school. Findings from the interviews suggested that a central aspect in the Norwegian school principals’ characteristics of their leadership practices is student wellbeing and collaborative effort for school quality and student learning. Norwegian successful school principals seem to be relatively unaware of aspects of power use in their leadership practices. Dilemmas arise in the complexity of ensuring individual and collective effort and responsibility for the school to function in accordance with the societal mandate.

• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Abrahamsen, Hedvig Neerland (2024). School leadership and the realizing of a curriculum reform: supporting resources, external actors, and dilemmas. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research. ISSN 0031-3831. 69(7), p. 1464–1476. doi: 10.1080/00313831.2024.2434821. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The aim of this study is to shed light on the reform work of school leaders in Norway and their collaboration with external supporting resources to realize curriculum intentions. A number of external actors are often involved in local school processes, from initiation of a reform to the realization of actual change, during which process there can be a range of power issues, challenges, and dilemmas. This qualitative case study with interviews with four school principals makes use of a micropolitical perspective, in which leadership can be exercised by actors other than formal leaders. The findings show that school leadership and partnerships in reform work occur in complex contexts with multiple degrees of involvement, and there is a need to identify and recognize the division of power and control and the room for maneuver that school leaders have.

• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Ødegaard, Kjersti Løken (2024). Styringsforventninger til partnerskap. In Jensen, Ruth & Abrahamsen, Hedvig Neerland (Ed.), Ledelsesverksteder - arena for utforsking av utviklingsarbeid i skolen. Universitetsforlaget. ISSN 9788215071558. p. 63–74. Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth (2024). Spenninger og åpenhet i forhandlinger om endring. In Jensen, Ruth & Abrahamsen, Hedvig Neerland (Ed.), Ledelsesverksteder - arena for utforsking av utviklingsarbeid i skolen. Universitetsforlaget. ISSN 9788215071558. p. 137–158. Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth (2024). Diskusjon av funn. In Jensen, Ruth & Abrahamsen, Hedvig Neerland (Ed.), Ledelsesverksteder - arena for utforsking av utviklingsarbeid i skolen. Universitetsforlaget. ISSN 9788215071558. p. 185–194. Full text in Research Archive
• Abrahamsen, Hedvig Neerland; Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Kleveland, Heidi Merete (2024). The Importance of School Principals in Building Teacher and Student Well-Beeing and Promoting Academic and Social Learning: The Norwegian Case. In Day, Christopher & Gurr, David (Ed.), How Successful Schools Are More than Effective Principals Who Build and Sustain Teacher and Student Wellbeing and Achievement. Springer. ISSN 9783031627347. p. 145–166. Full text in Research Archive
• Hall, Jeffrey Brooks; Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Jensen, Ruth (2023). Organisational arrangements, resources and tensions in the enactment of a renewed state curriculum: the entrepreneurial role of principals and superintendents. Journal of Educational Administration & History. ISSN 0022-0620. doi: 10.1080/00220620.2023.2175801. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This paper examines how superintendents and school principals enact national policy reform expectations and what characterises their local organisational arrangements. Furthermore, the paper investigates how superintendents and school principals deal with tensions as entrepreneurs. The study builds on qualitative interview data from two municipalities in Norway. Analytically, the study draws on institutional theory, more specifically, on entrepreneurship, which to a limited degree has been applied in educational and empirical studies. The superintendents and principals interviewed referred to various local arrangements and resources that were partly adapted and changed through reform work to better fit local needs. Such arrangements included intra and interorganisational dependency and cooperation with several actors and organisational resources. Superintendents and principals seemed to partly break away from existing patterns of interaction. The entrepreneurial work entailed dealing with several tensions emerging within and across institutional boundaries in the process of enacting national reform policies.

• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth; Ârlestig, Helene & Storgaard, Merete (2023). Making Sense of Nordic School Leadership – Four Perspectives on Similarities and Variations. In Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth; Ârlestig, Helene & Merete, Storgaard (Ed.), Education and Democracy in the Nordic Countries: Making Sense of School Leadership, Policy, and Practice. Springer. ISSN 9783031331947. p. 173–181. Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Hall, Jeffrey (2023). Reform planning strategies: a micro-policy case of Norwegian school principals. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research. ISSN 0031-3831. doi: 10.1080/00313831.2023.2228830. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This paper investigates how Norwegian school principals prepared to carry out the LK20 reform process. The importance of school principals and middle-level leaders as enactors of change efforts results from their close ties to teachers and teacher classroom practices. This suggests that without negotiation and support from micro-policy actors, such as school principals, reforms are unlikely to be realized as intended and are therefore likely to fail. The present study was based on interviews and video observations of principals and leader team meetings. The findings demonstrate that school principals’ interpretations of policy intentions through their enforcement of curriculum reform demands are closely connected to their schools’ organizational contexts. The planning process involves recycling previous plans and customizing them to new ones. Opportunities and challenges are illuminated when school principals provide counter-discourses in the planning process.

• Ødegaard, Kjersti Løken & Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth (2023). Policy pressure on partnerships: intentions, expectations and legitimisation of Norwegian educational reform policy. Journal of Educational Administration & History. ISSN 0022-0620. p. 1–21. doi: 10.1080/00220620.2023.2236962. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Internationally, the emphasis on school reforms is increasing, and school leaders play a key role in realising reform initiatives for school development and change. Often, the formation of partnerships between researchers and practitioners for school improvement is promoted to facilitate professional development and enhance student learning. However, limited attention has been directed towards the underlying ideas, values and beliefs in government-initiated strategies for partnership in the policy context of educational reform. This paper examines how partnerships between schools and higher education institutions are conceptualised and legitimised in Norwegian reform policy documents. We analyse three government white papers, each coupled with an executive partnership strategy document. The analysis applies a discourse analytical approach to policy as text and transmission. Our findings show a shift in the official national discourse on partnerships in education, underscoring new tensions regarding the power to define focus areas in the local reform work.

• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Skedsmo, Guri (2023). School Leadership in Norway: Key Characteristics and Current Challenges. In Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth; Ârlestig, Helene & Merete, Storgaard (Ed.), Education and Democracy in the Nordic Countries: Making Sense of School Leadership, Policy, and Practice. Springer. ISSN 9783031331947. p. 61–73. Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Ulf, Leo (2023). Principals’ Roles in a Nordic Education Context: Shared Responsibility and Pedagogical Engagement. In Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth; Ârlestig, Helene & Merete, Storgaard (Ed.), Education and Democracy in the Nordic Countries: Making Sense of School Leadership, Policy, and Practice. Springer. ISSN 9783031331947. p. 115–132. Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth (2023). Conceptualizing Successful School Leadership in Norway: Political and Cultural Practices. Education Sciences. 13(8). doi: 10.3390/educsci13080787. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Throughout the last two decades, successful school leadership has been subject to extensive research in Norway and comparisons across countries as part of the International Successful School Principals Project (ISSPP). This paper identifies and discusses how and why Norwegian research on the relationship between school leadership positions and governance regimes comes into play when defining terms such as “success” and “effectiveness”. A critical literature review establishes analysis and discussion as the basis for an improved understanding of the notion of success in ISSPP research in the Norwegian education policy context. The findings show that success is consistently attached to a collaborative, political, and democratic perspective, as well as trust, power, and the definition of quality in education. Furthermore, ISSPP studies of cases in the Norwegian context have contributed to the educational leadership field by positioning school leadership within a combination of local, national, and global political and cultural environments. The differences and similarities between countries that do not share a common cultural heritage or language must be considered. In particular, there is a need to discuss the relationship between national history and policy and the conceptualization of successful school leadership.

• Jacobsen, Hilde Marie Madsø & Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth (2023). Dealing with policy expectations of mentoring newly qualified teachers – a Norwegian example. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research. ISSN 0031-3831. doi: 10.1080/00313831.2023.2250381. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The purpose of this study is to contribute to knowledge about school leaders’ and mentors’ perceptions, experiences, and legitimizations of national policy expectations about the organizing of mentoring of newly qualified teachers (NQTs). The analytical framework is based on perspectives of governing with attention to policy by expectations combined with theory of making policy solutions thinkable, calculable and practicable. The thematic analysis of interviews of school leaders and mentors suggests that the organizing of mentoring NQTs is understood as a multitude of practices, the policy initiated NQT mentoring becomes a precarious practice within the school organization, and the legitimization of NQT mentoring reveal diverging purposes of such a practice. The findings raise concerns about how such perceptions, experiences, and legitimization can contribute to professionalizing and ensuring teacher retention.

• Jensen, Ruth & Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth (2023). Policy work in educational leadership courses: university teachers’ interpretations, translations and engagements. Journal of Educational Administration & History. ISSN 0022-0620. p. 1–16. doi: 10.1080/00220620.2023.2272931. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This study investigates policy work in educational leadership courses at universities. It analyses the types of engagement present in university teachers’ policy work and in their interpretations and translations of policy intentions into teaching designs and practices. The study illustrates policy work as a phenomenon and draws on the theory of policy work; it examines one case from Norway and one from California. The data has been analysed through discourse analysis. Observational data and materials from teaching practices constituted the supporting data, while contextual interviews with university teachers formed the main data. In both cases, various types of engagement were identified, which reflected academic freedom and different policy contexts. The analysis also revealed that university lecturers use their professional discretion and experience when interpreting and translating policy intentions into teaching designs and practices. This has implications for higher education administration, especially for the achievement of coherence across programmes and courses.

• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Jacobsen, Hilde Marie Madsø (2022). School–University Partnership for School Development: Risks and Realities of a National Policy Initiative. In Othrel-Cass, Kathrin; Laing, Karen J.C. & Wolf, Janet (Ed.), Partnerships in Education: Risks in Transdisciplinary Educational Research. Springer Nature. ISSN 9783030984526. p. 173–194. Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Larsen, Eivind (2021). The Norwegian case of school reform, external quality control, and the call for democratic practice. In Hytten, Kathy (Eds.), Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education. Oxford University Press. ISSN 9780190264093. Full text in Research Archive
• Lunde, Ida & Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth (2021). Governance Through Digital Formations – The Case of ‘What Works’ in a Norwegian Education Context. In Krejsler, John Benedicto & Moos, Lejf (Ed.), What Works in Nordic School Policies?. Springer. ISSN 9783030666293. p. 195–212. Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth (2021). Gunnulfsen, A. E. (2021). School leadership and micro-policymaking in schools time use and the collective care for the self. International Journal of Leadership in Education. ISSN 1360-3124. doi: 10.1080/13603124.2020.1854867. Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth (2021). Applying the Integration Dimensions of Quantitative and Qualitative Methods in Education Policy Research: Lessons Learned From Investigating Micro Policymaking in Norwegian Schools. International Journal of Qualitative Methods (IJQM). doi: 10.1177/16094069211028349. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Qualitative research methods have been predominantly used to understand the complex phenomenon of educational policy enactment at the school level. This article contributes to the field of mixed methods research by applying three dimensions of integration—rationale, study purpose, and research design—to the study of micro-policymaking in schools. By examining these three dimensions, this article contributes to the limited body of mixed-methods models in this field. The findings show that the mixed methods approach provides unique insights into education policy scholarship, thus broadening the understanding of the relations and purposes of accountability and control in education.

• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth; Jensen, Ruth & Møller, Jorunn (2021). Looking back and forward: a critical review of the history and future progress of the ISSPP. Journal of Educational Administration. ISSN 0957-8234. doi: 10.1108/JEA-04-2021-0088. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Purpose The purpose of the article is to examine knowledge about successful principalship and discuss the methodology that has emerged throughout the history of the International Successful School Principals Project (ISSPP) and their implications for future progress. Design/methodology/approach Historical analysis is used as a strategy for establishing the background, the expansion and the progress of ISSPP as a long-standing international research network and to discuss the development of three research strands and methodological variations over time. The analysis provides a basis for pointing at some areas that need more attention in the future. Findings The findings suggest multiple images of the meaning of key concepts in the project and multiple theoretical and methodological orientations. There is a need to pay more attention to methodologies to make the successful cases more comparable and also to clarify the underlying assumptions of the different approaches. Originality/value Successful school principalship is a complex phenomenon. Therefore, future studies of successful schools and leadership would benefit from the use of knowledge that draws on sociology, cultural studies and politics.

• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Møller, Jorunn (2021). Production, Transforming and Practicing ‘What Works’ in Education–The Case of Norway. In Krejsler, John Benedicto & Moos, Lejf (Ed.), What Works in Nordic School Policies?. Springer. ISSN 9783030666293. p. 87–102. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-66629-3_5. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This article describes, analyzes and discusses key changes in the Norwegian education system during the last 60 years. It starts with the period from 1955 until about mid-1970s, often referred to as the golden era of social democracy. We will show how this period gave rise to a comprehensive education system, as well as to a public welfare system. During the next period (since the end of the 1980s), the Norwegian education system went through major reforms, influenced largely by new managerialist ideas, and we will discuss how and why new public management began to gather momentum in the 1990s, followed by an emphasis on ‘what works’ in schools. We argue that both individuals and organizations, often labelled as policy actors, have strongly influenced this change in educational policymaking. Although the basic values about equal opportunities and access for all seem to persist, we might see a process of re-imagination of these values through digitization in the local schools.

• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth (2020). School leadership and micro-policymaking in schools - time use and the collective care for the self. International Journal of Leadership in Education. ISSN 1360-3124. Full text in Research Archive
• Skedsmo, Guri & Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth (2019). Elevresultater og ledelsesstrategier i (sam)spill – skolelederes praksis for å følge opp resultater i skolen, Styring og ledelse i grunnopplæringen. Spenninger og dynamikker.. Cappelen Damm Akademisk. ISSN 9788202605544. p. 56–72. Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Jacobsen, Hilde Marie Madsø (2019). Bidrag til et mer motiverende ungdomstrinn? UH-sektorens erfaringer med intensjon og virkelighet i nasjonal politikkutforming. Norsk pedagogisk tidsskrift. ISSN 0029-2052. 103(1), p. 29–41. doi: 10.18261/issn.1504-2987-2019-01-04. Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth (2019). Ledelse, roller og makt i utviklingsarbeid. In Helstad, Kristin & Mausethagen, Sølvi (Ed.), Nye lærer- og lederroller i skolen. Universitetsforlaget. ISSN 9788215034072. Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Roe, Astrid (2018). Investigating teachers’ and school principals’ enactments of national testing policies: A Norwegian study. Journal of Educational Administration. ISSN 0957-8234. 56(3), p. 332–349. doi: 10.1108/JEA-04-2017-0035. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Purpose: This paper examines teachers’ reported experiences, practices, and attitudes on the use of national test results in a low-stakes accountability context. Whether the stakes are high or low, teachers and school leaders have different experiences, knowledge, and beliefs concerning how to use national test results to benefit individual student learning. This paper addresses how teachers experience school leadership and policy requirements for using national test results in local schools. Design/methodology/approach: This article is part of a larger study conducted in a Norwegian educational context investigating school leaders’ and teachers’ enactments of policy demands via the use of national test results data. The sub-study reported in this paper is based on survey data from all lower secondary teachers (N = 176) in one Norwegian municipality. Micro-policy perspectives and the concept of crafting policy coherence served as analytical tools. Findings: Diversity between the schools was found in how teachers perceive the principals’ role. Practices and attitudes appeared restrained; somewhat conformed by, but still indifferent to the policy intention. However, there was a close relationship between the principals’ facilitation of national tests and the teachers’ practices of utilizing the results. Originality/value: This study clarified how micro-policy works in local schools in a low-stakes context. A prominent difference was found between the policy intentions and local schools’ practice of using national test results.

• Brevik, Lisbeth M.; Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Renzulli, Joseph (2018). Student teachers’ practice and experience with differentiated instruction for students with higher learning potential. Teaching and Teacher Education : An International Journal of Research and Studies. ISSN 0742-051X. 71, p. 34–45. doi: 10.1016/j.tate.2017.12.003. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This article presents a qualitative study concerning student teachers’ understanding of differentiation for high-achieving secondary school students. Predominantly using focus group interviews of Norwegian student teachers (N = 322), this study identified their understanding of the use and value of differentiation, drawing from their teaching practice and experience. This study supports the notion that student teachers lack confidence in enacting differentiation, despite being aware of its importance, when working with these students. We contend that teacher education needs to pay more attention to helping student teachers effectively differentiate to meet the needs of high-achieving students with higher learning potential.

• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Møller, Jorunn (2017). National Testing: Gains or Strains? School Leaders’ Responses to Policy Demands. Leadership and Policy in Schools. ISSN 1570-0763. 16(3), p. 455–474. doi: 10.1080/15700763.2016.1205200. Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth (2017). School leaders' and teachers' work with national test results: Lost in translation? Journal of educational change. ISSN 1389-2843. p. 1–25. doi: 10.1007/s10833-017-9307-y. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Studies have shown that school leaders are important in work with large-scale policy reforms in schools. However, the issue of how school leaders and teachers discuss and enact policy is under-studied. This article explores the discursive processes in school leaders’ and teachers’ policy enactment as they construct responses to policy. The data consists of video recordings and observation of leadership meetings and teacher-team meetings. A critical discourse analytical approach combined with perspectives of policy enactment as a process of interpretation serve as analytical concepts. The findings indicate the school leaders act more as narrators and enthusiasts, while the deputy managers and teacher-team leaders are more messengers and enforcers. The teachers mostly keep the discursive role as critics and preventers of ‘overburdening.’ A main argument is that the policy expectation of using national test results as a tool to develop school quality and student learning seems to be lost in translation. The final version of this research has been published in Journal of Educational Change. © 2017 Springer Verlag

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• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Hall, Jeffrey Brooks (2024). Rektor som rettsanvender - Juridisk tenkning som verktøy for ledelse i skolen. Fagbokforlaget. ISBN 9788245044768. Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth; Ârlestig, Helene & Merete, Storgaard (2023). Education and Democracy in the Nordic Countries: Making Sense of School Leadership, Policy, and Practice. Springer. ISBN 9783031331947. 182 p. Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth (2020). Utdanningsledelse som mikropolitisk praksis. Forhandling om mening, makt og posisjonering. Universitetsforlaget. ISBN 9788215036199. 213 p. Full text in Research Archive

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• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Hall, Jeffrey (2026). Krisefortellinger og krisen som uteble | DN. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Hvilken kunnskap skal styre skolen?

• Welle, Kjersti Beate Rørstad & Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth (2026). Navigering gjennom kriser i skolen: Et nytt kapittel i utdanningsledelse? Skolelederen. ISSN 0802-2062. Nr.1 2026, p. 50–54. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Artikkelen undersøker hvordan skoleledere kan håndtere kriser i skolen, med utgangspunkt i en bred internasjonal litteraturgjennomgang av lederes erfaringer fra ulike typer kriser, inkludert covid-19-pandemien, naturkatastrofer og alvorlige enkelthendelser ved skoler. Studien analyserer særlig spenningen mellom teknisk/autoritære og relasjonelle/kollektive former for ledelse i krisesituasjoner. Funnene viser at tradisjonelle, hierarkiske og prosedyrerettede tilnærminger som kan fungere i «normaltilstand», ofte kommer til kort når krisen rammer. Artikkelen argumenterer for at skolers kriseberedskap i stor grad bygges i det daglige gjennom tillitsbasert ledelse, åpne kommunikasjonsformer, deltakende beslutningsprosesser og sterke profesjonelle læringsfellesskap. Forfatterne diskuterer hva det kan bety å «forberede seg på det uforberedte» i en norsk kontekst, og peker på hvordan hverdagsledelse, relasjonell kompetanse og et tydelig kollektivt «vi» mellom elever, ansatte og foresatte kan styrke skolers motstandskraft og håndtering av framtidige kriser.

• Abrahamsen, Hedvig Neerland; Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Jacobsen, Hilde Marie Madsø (2025). Successful school leadership in times of uncertainty and change:Balancing the tensions between managerial, professional, and personal accountability. Full text in Research Archive
• Welle, Kjersti Beate Rørstad & Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth (2025). School Principal Leadership: Dilemmas in Dealing with Crisis A literature review. Full text in Research Archive
• Welle, Kjersti Beate Rørstad & Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth (2025). Paper presentation "Educational Leadership: Dilemmas in dealing with crises" in session "Leading in Chaos: Crisis and the COVID-19 Pandemic. Full text in Research Archive
• Welle, Kjersti Beate Rørstad & Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth (2025). i-Presentation Gallery, PowerPoint "School Leadership: Dilemmas in Dealing with Crises. Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Hall, Jeffrey (2024). Curriculum Reform Planning Strategies: a micro-policy case of Norwegian school principals. Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Hall, Jeffrey (2024). LIBERO-modellen for ledelse: et verktøy for å håndtere juridiske utfordringer i skolen. Full text in Research Archive
• Jensen, Ruth; Abrahamsen, Hedvig Neerland; Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Helstad, Kristin (2024). Introduksjon. In Jensen, Ruth & Abrahamsen, Hedvig Neerland (Ed.), Ledelsesverksteder - arena for utforsking av utviklingsarbeid i skolen. Universitetsforlaget. ISSN 9788215071558. p. 15–24. Full text in Research Archive
• Jensen, Ruth; Abrahamsen, Hedvig Neerland; Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth; Helstad, Kristin & Ødegaard, Kjersti Løken (2024). Forord. In Jensen, Ruth & Abrahamsen, Hedvig Neerland (Ed.), Ledelsesverksteder - arena for utforsking av utviklingsarbeid i skolen. Universitetsforlaget. ISSN 9788215071558. p. 11–12. Full text in Research Archive
• Jensen, Ruth; Helstad, Kristin; Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Abrahamsen, Hedvig Neerland (2024). School Leadership Workshops as an Arena for Research-Practice Partnership. Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth; Abrahamsen, Hedvig Neerland; Helstad, Kristin; Jensen, Ruth & Ødegaard, Kjersti Løken (2024). The potentials and challenges of Change Lead as an arena and method for expansive learning in school leadership teams. Full text in Research Archive
• Lomsdalen, Christian; Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Hall, Jeffrey (2024). Om rektor som rettsanvender (Podcast, Lektor Lomsdalens innfall). [Internet]. https://lektorlomsdalen.no/. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Hva må rektor vite om utdanningsrett? Hvordan håndtere saker som for eksempel relatert til kapittel 9A? Hvordan skal rektor tenke om og forstå jus? For rektor er jo sjelden jurist, men hva må hen vite om det likevel som en del av jobben? Et av de viktigste temaene innenfor skoleledelse og utdanningsledelse er spørsmål knyttet til det juridiske. Dette spenner fra ganske tydelige tolkninger i opplæringsloven til skjønnsmessige vurderinger om fritak, tiltak og oppfølging. De siste årene har endringer gjennom blant annet opplæringslovens kapittel 9A, som handler om elevenes rett til et godt skolemiljø, gjort at rektors handlingsrom har blitt mindre. I intervjuet snakker jeg med Jeffrey Hall og Ann Elisabeth Gunnulfsen, som begge to er førsteamanuensiser ved Universitetet i Oslo.

• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Abrahamsen, Hedvig Neerland (2024). School leadership and power tensions in realizing curriculum reform. Supporting resources external actors and dilemmas. Full text in Research Archive
• Heie, Magnus; Hall, Jeffrey Brooks; Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Jensen, Ruth (2023). Ledere i skolen fungerer som entreprenører for å få innført nye læreplaner. [Internet]. https://www.uv.uio.no/ils/forskning/aktuelt/aktuelle-saker/ . Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth; Ârlestig, Helene & Storgaard, Merete (2023). Introduction. In Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth; Ârlestig, Helene & Merete, Storgaard (Ed.), Education and Democracy in the Nordic Countries: Making Sense of School Leadership, Policy, and Practice. Springer. ISSN 9783031331947. p. 1–12. Full text in Research Archive
• Jensen, Ruth; Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth; Abrahamsen, Hedvig Neerland; Ødegaard, Kjersti Løken & Helstad, Kristin (2023). Leading Reform work with Change Laboratories in Upper Secondary Schools - an Innovational Approach. Full text in Research Archive
• Jensen, Ruth; Ødegaard, Kjersti Løken; Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth; Abrahamsen, Hedvig Neerland & Helstad, Kristin (2023). School Leadership Development as School University Partnership – Tracing Relationships Across Episodes. Full text in Research Archive
• Heie, Magnus; Hall, Jeffrey Brooks; Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Jensen, Ruth (2023). Hvordan jobber rektorer for å innføre nye læreplaner? [Internet]. https://forskning.no/ledelse-og-organisasjon-partner-skole-o. Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth; Abrahamsen, Hedvig Neerland & Jensen, Ruth (2023). Multiple perspectives of Succsessful School Principalship New Cases in Norway. Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Hall, Jeffrey Brooks (2022). School Leaders' Planning for Curriculum Reform in Norwegian Schools: Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something True? Full text in Research Archive
• Hall, Jeffrey Brooks; Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Jensen, Ruth (2022). Organizational tensions in the planning and enactment of the renewed state curriculum: the entrepreneurial role of school principals and superintendents in Norway. Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Hall, Jeffrey Brooks (2022). School leaders' planning for curriculum reform in Norway - something old, something new, something borrowed, something true? Full text in Research Archive
• Ødegaard, Kjersti Løken & Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth (2022). Policy Demands on School Reform and Research-Practice Partnerships. Ideas and expectations in Norwegian policy documents. Full text in Research Archive
• Ødegaard, Kjersti Løken & Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth (2022). Research-Practice Partnerships as Policy in School Reform Work. Intentions, Expectations and Legitimisation in Norwegian Reform Policy Documents. Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Hall, Jeffrey Brooks (2021). Forberedelse til fagfornyelse - andre vurderingsrapport. [Journal]. Bedre Skole 2/2021. Full text in Research Archive
• Jensen, Ruth; Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth; Abrahamsen, Hedvig Neerland; Helstad, Kristin & Ødegaard, Kjersti Løken (2021). Leading Reform Work in Upper Secondary Schools- Change Laboratories as Method (ChangeLead). Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth (2021). Ledelse av reformarbeid i videregående skole- endringsverksteder som metode. Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth (2021). Ledelse av reformarbeid i videregående skole- endringsverksteder som metode (Endringsledelse). Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth (2021). Ledelse av reformarbeid i og på tvers av arenaer. Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth (2021). Ledelse av reformarbeid i og på tvers av arenaer. Full text in Research Archive
• Jensen, Ruth; Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth; Abrahamsen, Hedvig Neerland; Helstad, Kristin & Ødegaard, Kjersti Løken (2021). Formative Interventions in School Leadership Teams in Upper Secondary Schools. Full text in Research Archive
• Hall, Jeffrey Brooks; Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Jensen, Ruth (2021). School principals and school superintendents as institutional entrepreneurs: Handling organizational tensions in the planning and enactment of the renewed state curriculum. Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Hall, Jeffrey Brooks (2021). Rapport 2: Fagfornyelsens forberedelser i praksis: Strategier, begrunnelser, spenninger. Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Abrahamsen, Hedvig Neerland (2021). Formative Interventions in School Leadership Teams in Upper Secondary Schools. Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Hall, Jeffrey Brooks (2021). Evaluering av fagfornyelsens intensjoner, prosesser og praksiser EVA2020 Rapport 2. Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Møller, Jorunn (2021). Production, transforming and practicing ‘what works’ in education – the case of Norway. Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Ottesen, Eli (2021). Ledelse av fagfornyelsen. Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Larsen, Eivind (2021). The Norwegian Case of School Reform, External Quality Control, and the Call for Democratic Practice. Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth (2020). Ledelse av fagfornyelsen i institusjonsskoler - forhandling om mening, makt og posisjonering. Full text in Research Archive
• Skedsmo, Guri & Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth (2020). School leadership in Norway: Key characteristics and current challenges. Full text in Research Archive
• Jensen, Ruth & Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth (2020). Leading Reform Work in Upper Secondary Schools- Change Laboratories as Method (ChangeLead). Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth (2019). Micro Policy Making in Schools The role of Leadership in Test-based Accountability Dynamics in Norway. Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Jensen, Ruth (2019). Experiencing the Use of Tools in School Leadership Programs in Two Different National Policy Contexts. Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth (2019). The context of time, talk and power in policy making A study of how school professionals deal with policy intentions. Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth (2019). A more motivating lower secondary school? The University and College Sector’s experience with Intentions and Reality in National Policy Design. Full text in Research Archive
• Roe, Astrid & Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth (2019). Skolers bruk av resultater på nasjonale prøver. Bedre Skole. ISSN 0802-183X. 2019(3), p. 32–37. Full text in Research Archive
• Hall, Jeffrey Brooks & Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth (2019). Skolen og personvern: Dilemmaer for ledere og lærere. Full text in Research Archive
• Skedsmo, Guri & Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth (2019). Elevresultater og ledelsesstrategier i (sam)spill – skolelederes praksis for å følge opp resultater i skolen. Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Hall, Jeffrey Brooks (2018). Ledelse av læreplanarbeid i et juridisk perspektiv. Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth (2018). Ledelse, læreres praksis og bruk av resultater på nasjonale prøver. Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth (2018). How do teachers use national test results? Exploring testing policies, teacher practice and principals’ facilitation. Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Roe, Astrid (2018). How do teachers use national test results? Exploring testing policies, teacher practice and principals’ facilitation. Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth (2018). Micro Policy Making in Schools The contexts of power, talk and time. Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth & Møller, Jorunn (2018). Ledelse som drivkraft for utvikling. Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth (2017). Kva skjer på skulane? Korleis bruker skulane resultata på nasjonale prøver i sitt arbeid med skuleutvikling og elevane si læring? Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth (2017). School Leaders’ and Teachers’ Work with National Test Results: Lost in Translation? Full text in Research Archive
• Furberg, Anniken; Karseth, Berit; Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth; Brandmo, Christian; Olsen, Rolf Vegar & Silseth, Kenneth [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2026). Evaluering av fagfornyelsen — Intensjoner, prosesser og praksiser: Sluttrapport fra prosjektet EVA2020. Det utdanningsvitenskapelige fakultet, Universitetet i Oslo . ISSN 9788293847236. doi: https:/www.uv.uio.no/forskning/prosjekter/fagfornyelsen-evaluering/publikasjoner/sluttrapport_eva2020.pdf. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Denne rapporten er tolvte og siste i rekken av EVA2020-rapporter, og representerer en syntetisering av analyser og funn i våre tidligere rapporter. På bakgrunn av dette presenterer vi en rekke råd og anbefalinger til ulike aktører i utdanningsfeltet. Prosjektet har et forskningsdesign som har gjort det mulig å undersøke iverksettingen av fagfornyelsen på ulike nivåer. Vi har rettet søkelys mot prosessen som førte frem til det nye læreplanverket og hvordan politiske intensjoner følges opp i læreplanen og gjennom sentrale støtteressurser til læreplanverket. Videre har vi undersøkt endringsprosessene i spennet mellom sentrale og lokale skolemyndigheter, skolenivå, profesjonsfaglig samarbeid og undervisningspraksis. Sist, men ikke minst har vi undersøkt iverksettelsen av fagfornyelsen i møte med skolens praksis og elevenes læring. Her har vi rettet særlig oppmerksomhet mot lærere og elevers arbeid med de tverrfaglige temaene, og elevers læring, motivasjon og trivsel.

• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth; Abrahamsen, Hedvig Neerland; Hall, Jeffrey & Jacobsen, Hilde Marie Madsø (2024). Styring og ledelse i realiseringen av nytt læreplanverk: Tillit, tolkning og tid. Det utdanningsvitenskapelige fakultet. ISSN 9788293847151. Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth; Jensen, Ruth; Hall, Jeffrey Brooks; Abrahamsen, Hedvig Neerland; Kleveland, Heidi Merete & Olsen, Rolf Vegar (2022). Underveis med nytt læreplanverk: Ledelse, styring og støtteressurser. Det utdanningsvitenskapelige fakultet. ISSN 9788293847090. Full text in Research Archive
• Ottesen, Eli; Colbjørnsen, Tor; Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth; Hall, Jeffrey Brooks & Jensen, Ruth (2021). Fagfornyelsens forberedelser i praksis: Strategier, begrunnelser, spenninger. Universitetet i Oslo. ISSN 9788293847021. Full text in Research Archive
• Gunnulfsen, Ann Elisabeth (2018). Micro Policy Making in Schools. Use of National Test Results in a Norwegian Context. Universitetet i Oslo. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This thesis comprises three published articles and investigates the micro policy making of school principals, senior leaders, and teachers in Norwegian lower secondary schools. The first article investigated the stories of four school principals and eight senior leaders as they responded to questions regarding the school’s and the teachers’ work with national test results. The second article elaborated how the school principals, senior leaders, and teachers in two schools dealt with the intentions of policies, and how power and talk were at play. The third article quantitatively examined how 176 Norwegian lower secondary school teachers perceived the school principal’s facilitation of this work, and their practices with and attitudes towards national testing policies. The findings show that the local school context, perspectives on conforming practices, and symbolic responses to national testing policies are important factors, but great trust in school professionals and internal responsibility for the core purpose of education are essential. The study illuminates how the power at play may take unpredictable and diverse forms both within and between schools.

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