Kristin Slungård

• Nyborg, Geir; Slungård, Kristin; Edwards, Anne & Coplan, Robert J. (2026). From motive to action: how teachers interpret and respond to students’ shy behaviour. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research. ISSN 0031-3831. p. 1–14. doi: 10.1080/00313831.2026.2642598. Full text in Research Archive

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• Slungård, Kristin (2026). The Relational Creation of Resources for Transformative Agency: Enabling the Transition of Shy Students from Middle to High School. doi: https:/virtual.oxfordabstracts.com/event/75373/submission/816. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This paper explores how shy adolescents approach the transition from middle to high school, focusing on how their agency manifests in this process and which personal, relational, and institutional resources shape their anticipations and preparations. Shyness often intensifies during adolescence (Eggum-Wilkens et al., 2015) and is understood as a developmental sensitivity and socially mediated identity that heightens vulnerability in the face of novelty (Kagan, 1997). The study highlights how agency emerges within constraints (Hopwood, 2022), including social hesitancy, institutional structures, and emotional experiences. Drawing on a cultural-historical perspective, the transition is conceptualized as a consequential developmental crisis (Vygotsky, 2019) that may open possibilities for identity reconfiguration. The study is based on interviews with ten shy students in Norway, their parents, and their teachers, conducted as students prepared for the transition to high school. Analyses employ cultural-historical concepts of relational expertise, common knowledge, relational agency (Edwards, 2010, 2017), and transformative agency to examine how adolescents construct narratives of imagined futures and mobilize them as resources for navigating uncertainty. The findings show that students’ agency unfolds through engagement with personal interests, relational dialogue, and imaginative exploration of future trajectories. Parents play a crucial role by acknowledging motives, scaffolding confidence, and gradually stepping back to allow autonomous decision-making. Where familial support is limited, students seek encouragement from teachers or peers. Schools provide functional guidance but rarely engage with students’ future narratives. The study contributes to Nordic educational research by highlighting how agency develops within the relational and institutional contexts of comprehensive schooling. It demonstrates how families and schools can collaborate to create equitable conditions for future-making, particularly for students who are easily overlooked in educational transitions. A novel contribution lies in the integration of relational and transformative agency, showing how future-oriented narratives co-constructed in caring relationships enable adolescents to act within and against constraints. These insights emphasize the importance of fostering relationally mediated pathways to support students in educational transitions.

• Slungård, Kristin (2025). Future-Making Among Shy Students: Relational and Transformative Agency in the Transition to High School. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This study investigates future-making among shy middle school students and how their imagined future mediate their transition to high school. Shyness poses unique challenges during this transition, characterized by the fear of novelty and hesitation in unfamiliar social situations. Adopting a cultural-historical framework, we explore how agency unfolds in students' future-making processes, conceptualizing it as an emergent and relational phenomenon mediated by imagination. Critically, access to cultural tools and resources is pivotal in shaping agency, requiring both societal provision and active engagement by individuals. Through interviews with shy students, their parents and teachers, this study examines how shy adolescents imagine their futures and how these future orientations actively inform their choices and actions. Preliminary findings indicate that shy students display courage and ambition in pursuing personal interests beyond their immediate social comfort. Parents play a crucial role in fostering agency by supporting aspirations and helping students navigate social and structural constraints. By unpacking how imagination influence decision-making, this research contributes to cultural-historical perspectives on future-making and underscores the importance of relational support that recognize and foster the strengths of shy students.

• Furberg, Anniken; Rødnes, Kari Anne; Silseth, Kenneth; Arnseth, Hans Christian; Kvamme, Ole Andreas & Lund, Andreas [Show all 12 contributors for this article] (2023). Fagfornyelsen i møte med klasseromspraksiser: Læreres planlegging og gjennomføring av undervisning om tverrfaglige tema. Universitetet i Oslo. ISSN 9788293847113. Full text in Research Archive
• Brandmo, Christian; Bjørnebekk, Gunnar; Mononen, Riikka; Olsen, Rolf Vegar & Slungård, Kristin (2021). Læring, motivasjon, trivsel og tverrfaglige tema i fagfornyelsen: Teknisk rapport fra utviklingen av spørreskjema til elever og lærere. Universitetet i Oslo. ISSN 9788293847052. Full text in Research Archive

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