Kjartan Belseth

Norwegian version of this page Department of Education, ICT and Learning
Norwegian version of this page Position
Associate Professor
Contact Study place
Halden
Office nr.
C2-047

Academic interests

  • Children, Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC), Childhood
  • Pedagogical philosophy and postcolonial theory
  • Diversity, inclusion, and decolonial practices
  • The ECEC teacher’s profession, leadership, and professional judgement
  • Teaching practices in higher education
  • Research ethics related to the youngest children
     

Courses taught

I teach pedagogy in the Early Childhood Education programme, full time and part time.

In the year of study 2026/2027 I teach the following subjects:

  • Children's development, play and learning 1 (BULL 1)
  • Bachelor thesis (BA)

In addition I am also class coordinator for 24BLU and 23BLU-D, and connected to three projects within Kollektiv kompetanseutvikling i barnehage og grunnskole (TKK).
 

Background

Academic background:

  • BA in Early Childhood Education (Oslo University College). As a part of my undergrad I did two exchange studies: A two month field placement at Hong Kong Institute of Education, as well as a full semester at Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA, USA
  • MA in Early Childhood Pedagogy (Oslo og Akershus University College)
  • Supplementary education in supervising and mentoring (Oslo and Akershus University College)
  • Ph.D scholar in Educational Science, field of study: pedagogy (NTNU)
     

Experience:

  • ECEC Assistant and Pedagogical Leader in ECEC for 10 years, including two years as a practice teacher for Oslo University College
  • Four months as Assistant Professor (temporarily) for Oslo University College, while working as a pedagogical leader in ECEC
  • Started at Østfold University of Applied Sciences in August 2014. First as Assistant Professor, and from February 2022 onwards as Associate Professor in ECEC Pedagogy at the ECEC Teacher Education
  • Ph.D candidate in pedagogy (Queen Maud University College of Early Childhood Education (August 2023 - August 2026)
  • Visiting Doctoral Scholar at Georgia State University, USA (September to December 2024)
     

Research

I was a member of the college's program for academic promotion (2019-2022).

I am a member of the research school NORCHILD (2023-), the first Norwegian research group targeting ECEC.

I am a member of the research school Den Nordiske Forskerskolen for Utdanningsforskning (2024-), a research school for pedagogy og educational science.

Member of the research group Early Childhood Edudcation and Care (HiØ).

External member of the research group ECEC Leadership (DMMH).

Member of the research network NelBA (Norsk nettverk for ledelsesforskning i barnehagen).
 

Projects

I am currently working on many different research projects:

  • The role of the researcher in research involving the youngest children
     
  • Leadership positionings in a pedagogical co-leadership
     
  • Quality in ECEC - Why, how, and for whom?
     
  • Professional resistance to standardized tools in ECEC
     
  • Diversity in annual plans of ECEC centres (in collaboration with Tina Binfield-Skøie, UiA)
     
  • Sami perspectives in the ECEC teacher education (in collaboration with Åsta Maria Stevens, formerly DMMH)
     
  • The position of multilingual children in ECEC (in collaboration with Beate Lund and Kari-Mette Rudolph, HiØ)
     

Awards

  • Nominated for Årets barnehageinspirator 2017 and 2023
  • Nominated for The Best Learning Environment Award 2022
  • I was a supervisor for BA-student Ida Marie Svendsen working with her bachelor thesis titled "It's not about year long, just in small time periods we focus on diversity". A bachelor thesis about the ECEC staff's collaboration with parents from diverse backgrounds, who won the Laurbærprisen Award and 10 000 NOK for best bachelor thesis at Østfold University of Applied Sciences in 2019.
     

Other responsibilities

  • Class coordinator, full time and part time (2015-2021, 2022-2023, 2026-)
  • Leader of the Ph.D candidate group at DMMH (2024/2025)
  • Course coordinator BA thesis (BA) (2019, 2021-2023)
  • Section coordinator for the ECEC Pedagogy Section at the ECEC Teacher Education (2020/2021)
  • Course coordinator Art, Culture and Creativity (KKK) (2018-2020)
  • External examinator at other national universities and colleges on BA- and MA-levels
  • Member of expert committees for recruitment to positions in the higher education sector
  • Reviewer for the Norwegian scientific journals Prismet and Norsk Pedagogisk Tidsskrift and for the international journal International Journal of Early Years Education

Publications

  • Belseth, Kjartan (2026). Lederrollen i et samlederskap – differensiering, fordeling og synliggjøring av ledelsesoppgaver og ledelsesposisjoneringer mellom pedagogiske ledere. Nordisk tidsskrift for pedagogikk og kritikk. 12(2), p. 124–142. doi: 10.23865/ntpk.v12.7923. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan (2026). A relational view on the interactions between co-leading pedagogical leaders and the rest of the kindergarten staff. In Ljungblad, Ann-Louise; Moe, Merete; O'Toole, Leah; Rinne, Ilona & Sidorkin, Alexander M. (Ed.), The Routledge International Handbook of Relational Pedagogy. An Invitation to a Global Conversation. Routledge. ISSN 9781032874821. p. 246–258. doi: 10.4324/9781003532859-27. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan (2025). Being an ECEC Teacher Educator — With Love as a Dare. Education Sciences. 15(10). doi: 10.3390/educsci15101399. Full text in Research Archive
  • Sørensen, Majken Jul; Belseth, Kjartan & Dahl-Nielsen, Ane Linn (2025). Children's resistance to teachers’ norms and rules in early childhood education and care: A scoping review. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood. p. 1–21. doi: 10.1177/14639491251351157. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan (2025). An unpacking of distributed leadership as an analytical framework for equal pedagogical co-leadership in ECEC. Discover Education. 4, p. 1–14. doi: 10.1007/s44217-025-00737-7. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan (2024). “I was born in this country!” The importance of implementing discussions about Black Lives Matter in early childhood education and care. Global Education Review (GER). 11(3), p. 1–11. Full text in Research Archive
  • Borgland, Therese Westreng & Belseth, Kjartan (2024). Å handle uten å vite hva den andre bringer inn – kritisk refleksjon i møte med Hannah Arendt. In Fjeld, Hilde Sofie; Staal, Sigrun & Ødegård, Magnar (Ed.), Å lære i fellesskap - Muligheter og spenninger i partnerskap mellom barnehager, skoler og høgskole. Universitetsforlaget. ISSN 9788215066769. p. 57–79. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan (2023). «Et ord sier mer enn tusen tegninger» – en undersøkelse om religions plass i barnehagen. Barn – forskning om barn og barndom i Norden. ISSN 0800-1669. 41(1), p. 23–37. doi: 10.23865/barn.v41.5236. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan (2021). «Han har ikke språk, han» – et fanoniansk perspektiv på flerspråklige barns posisjon i barnehagen. Norsk pedagogisk tidsskrift. ISSN 0029-2052. 105(1), p. 55–69. doi: 10.18261/issn.1504-2987-2021-01-06. Full text in Research Archive
  • Hatlem, Marianne & Belseth, Kjartan Andersen (2017). Studentenes rolle: "Å være i lære". In Høihilder, Eli Kari & Lund-Kristensen, Hanne (Ed.), Praksisbarnehagen: En arena for læring. Gyldendal Akademisk. ISSN 9788205491830. p. 76–89. Full text in Research Archive

View all works in NVA

View all works in NVA

  • Belseth, Kjartan (2026). “The importance of expectation clarification meetings” – Kindergarten Managers’ Take on Opportunities and Challenges of Equal Pedagogical Co-leadership (EPCL) in Norwegian ECEC. Full text in Research Archive
  • Sandseter, Ellen Beate Hansen; Ødegaard, Elin Eriksen; Belseth, Kjartan; Hofslundsengen, Hilde Christine; Israelsen, Hanne Birgitte & Ullmann, Robert (2026). Sammen om kunnskap: Barnehageforskningens rolle i utviklingen av barnehagekunnskap for fremtidens barneliv og arbeidsliv. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan (2026). Kindergarten managers’ proactive role in a co-leadership between pedagogical leaders in Norwegian ECEC. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan (2026). Deltakelse i arrangementskomitéen til NORBARNs barnehageforskningskonferanse og ph.d-seminar. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan (2026). "Økt pedagogtetthet, mindre bemanningstetthet?" Presentasjon av mitt ph.d-prosjekt. Full text in Research Archive
  • Strand, Benedicte; Lund, Beate & Belseth, Kjartan (2026). Små øyeblikk, store smil. Magiske hverdagshistorier. Barnehagefolk. ISSN 1500-6905. 42(2), p. 42–46. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan (2025). Lederrollen i et samlederskap mellom likestilte pedagogiske ledere – et ph.d prosjekt. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan (2025). Lederrollen i et samlederskap mellom likestilte pedagogiske ledere. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan (2025). Kritisk refleksjon. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan (2025). Lederrollen i et samlederskap mellom likestilte pedagogiske ledere. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan (2025). «Better being two?» The interactions between co-leading pedagogical leaders and the rest of the kindergarten staff - A relational view. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan (2025). Likestilt pedagogisk ledelse: Hvordan fungerer samlederskap i praksis? [Internet]. hiof.no. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan (2025). An increased pedagogical leader – child ratio: A political failure? Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan (2024). “One or two – more quality we pursue!” Distributed leadership as an analytical framework for co-leading preschool teachers. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan (2024). Norwegian "barnehage". Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan (2024). Vi trenger flere hender i barnehagen! Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan (2024). Norwegian childcare centers for young children (aged 0-3), and STEM learning experiences for young children. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan (2024). "Even though something is allowed legally, doesn’t mean I can ethically vouch for it" - Troubling ethics in research among children aged 0-3. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan (2024). Hvorfor skriver skribentene? [Journal]. Barnehagefolk. Full text in Research Archive
  • Lund, Beate & Belseth, Kjartan (2023). Mellom himmel og jord. Barnehagefolk. ISSN 1500-6905. 40(2), p. 86–91. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan (2023). Presentasjon av mitt doktorgradsprosjekt på PhD-seminar. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan (2022). Å være gjensidig avhengig av hverandre. Barnehagefolk. ISSN 1500-6905. 39(1), p. 56–59. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan (2022). "In (place) or out (of place)?" - Religion in Norwegian preschools. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan (2022). Mangfoldets plass i barnehagelærerutdanningen. Innledning til diskusjoner på frokostmøte BLU 30.03.22. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan (2022). Mangfoldsperspektiver på alle trinn på barnehagelærerutdanningen ved HiØ. Innlegg på BLU-seminar 01.06.22. Full text in Research Archive
  • Greve, Anne; Belseth, Kjartan & Løvig-Larsen, Hilde Therese (2022). Pedagogikkfaget må styrkes, ikke svekkes! Barnehagefolk. ISSN 1500-6905. 39(1), p. 96–99. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan (2022). Samiske perspektiver i barnehagelærerutdanningen. Parallellsesjon på digitalt praksisseminar BLU 05.05.22. Full text in Research Archive
  • Lund, Beate & Belseth, Kjartan (2022). Litteraturstudier med utforsking og analyse av styringsdokumenter, forskningsartikler og pedagogiske tekster. Digital skrivekveld med biblioteket. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan (2022). Presentasjon av førstelektorsøknad med profileringsdokument på Førstelektorseminar. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan & Skogsberg, Trude (2022). Barnehagelærerutdanningen ved Høgskolen i Østfold - Oppbygging og innhold. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan (2020). På vei mot et klasseskille i barnehagen? Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan (2020). Mangfoldsperspektiver på tilvenning - noen alternative praksiser, Velkommen til barnehagelivet! Tilvenning, tilknytning, tilhørighet, trygghet (2. utgave). Kommuneforlaget AS. ISSN 9788244623926. p. 73–85. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan (2020). Når barns rett til lek blir truet. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan & Barocsai, Edit (2020). Musikkens verdi for flerspråklige barns andrespråk i barnehagen. Utdanning. ISSN 1502-9778. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan (2019). Kan vi snakke om mobbing i barnehagesammenheng? Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan & Auset, Helene Storstrøm (2019). Varsel i praksis. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan & Jerkrot, Jenny Hellesnes (2019). Måltidet i barnehagen - en inkluderende arena? Barnehagefolk. ISSN 1500-6905. 36(3), p. 80–85. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan (2019). Når barns rett til lek blir truet. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan (2019). Hverdagspluralisme i barnehagen. Er det rom for religion i barnehagen? Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan (2018). Leder av den 3. konferansen av "Pedagogikk i barnehagelærerutdanningen – Kollektive læringsprosesser". Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan Andersen (2018). "Flerkulturelle" perspektiver, som åbner for alternativ praksis, Velkommen til daginstitutionen! Den gode indkjøring - for både børn og voksne. Dansk Psykologisk Forlag. ISSN 9788771585742. p. 85–98. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan (2018). "He doesn't have any language" Multilingual children as "the other". Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan Andersen (2017). "Hvem skal ta seg av de andre 12 barna?" Om å befinne seg i mellomrommet mellom profesjonalitet, oppmerksomhet og følelsen av å ikke strekke til. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan Andersen (2016). Mangfold i barnehagen. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan Andersen & Bekkevold, Asbjørg Irene (2016). Teamarbeid i barnehagen - Å spille hverandre gode. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan Andersen (2016). Leder av parallellsesjon og deltaker i konferansens arbeidsgruppe. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan Andersen & Skogsberg, Trude (2016). Regjeringens manglende kompetanse. Barnehagefolk. ISSN 1500-6905. 33(2), p. 79–80. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan Andersen (2016). De yngste barnas rettigheter som medborgere. Utdanning. ISSN 1502-9778. p. 50–53. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan Andersen (2016). Lek i et inkluderende fellesskap: "Flerkulturelle" perspektiver på kulturelt mangfold og lek. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan Andersen (2016). Innføring av en veiledende språknorm i barnehagen marginaliserer flerspråklige barn. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan Andersen (2015). Ny barnehagelov gir etiske dilemmaer. 85(4), p. 8–9. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan Andersen (2015). Politikernes misoppfattede barnesyn. 147(1), p. 53–53. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan Andersen (2015). De yngste barnas språk og uttrykk. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan Andersen & Lunde, Merete Ellen (2015). Troubling and transforming the traditional way of teaching in ECE. A reconceptualizing practice by re-thinking our role as educators in pedagogy. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan Andersen; Lunde, Merete Ellen & Nyhus, Mette Røe (2015). ”Profesjonsretting av undervisningen – hvordan bidra til utvikling av pedagogisk klokskap og skjønn hos fremtidige barnehagelærere?”. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan Andersen (2015). Noen "flerkulturelle" perspektiver som åpner for alternative praksiser, Velkommen til barnehagelivet! Oppstart og tilvenning for barn og voksne. Kommuneforlaget AS. ISSN 9788244622363. p. 69–79. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan Andersen (2015). Den "flerkulturelle" barnehagen. Mangfold og inkludering. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan Andersen (2014). "Da Bente møtte Shahid..." - Kroppsspråk i møte med «flerkulturelle» foreldre. Barnehagefolk. ISSN 1500-6905. 30(4), p. 58–60. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan Andersen (2014). Barnehagelæreren i den "flerkulturelle" barnehagen. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan Andersen (2012). Kartlegg eller ta konsekvensene! Første steg. ISSN 1504-1891. 9(3), p. 40–41. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan Andersen (2012). ”Kan Ismail og Ali gifte seg?” Heteronormalisering i en flerkulturell barnehage. Utdanning. ISSN 1502-9778. p. 34–35. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan Andersen (2011). Religion og hudfarge. Første steg. ISSN 1504-1891. 8(2), p. 41–41. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan Andersen (2011). Tenke større om de små? Er det kvalitet? Barnehagefolk. ISSN 1500-6905. 27(1), p. 93–94. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan Andersen (2011). Rollelek i den flerkulturelle barnehagen: Bilals første møte med dukkekroken. Barnehagefolk. ISSN 1500-6905. 27(2), p. 58–62. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan Andersen (2011). Lek, de yngste barna og voksenrollen. Barnehagen som læringsarena. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan Andersen (2010). En mann er også en kollega! Første steg. ISSN 1504-1891. 7(4), p. 43–43. Full text in Research Archive
  • Belseth, Kjartan Andersen & Winger, Nina (2012). I barnehagen skal vi snakke norsk! : et postkolonialt blikk på dikotomier i en «flerkulturell» barnehage. En etnografisk undersøkelse. OsloMet - storbyuniversitetet. Full text in Research Archive

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Published June 12, 2018 4:21 PM - Last modified Aug. 12, 2026 3:50 PM