My research concerns the encounter between on the one hand the students with their prior knowledge and experiences, their interests, expectations and perspectives, and, on the other, the educational context with its ways of teaching, its curriculum, frames, cultures, traditions, teachers and other students. What happens in this encounter? What affects what happens, and how does it influence the students’ development of an identity and sense of belonging at the education, as well as their interests, motivation and learning outcomes?

Specifically, I have studied university students, particularly within science and engineering, their choice of study, their transition into first year at university and what they find challenging in this transition. We have studied how the students manage this transition, the teaching and the content they meet, and how it affects the completion and non-completion during first year.

Also, I have studied upper-secondary school, in particular students from non-traditional background and the challenges these students experience during upper-secondary school, but also in a wider sense the difficulties students experience in the transition from lower to upper secondary school.

2014 - 

Professor in the sociology of science education, Department of Science Education

2007-2014

Associate professor in higher education teaching and learning, Department of Science Education, University of Copenhagen

2005-2007

Associalte profession in institutional didactics with particular emphasis on higher education teaching and learning, Department of Curriculum Research, Danish University of Education (now: University of Aarhus)

1999-2005

Associate professor in educational studies, Roskilde Univeristy 

2003-2005

Head of studies for the bachelor and master's programme in educational studies

1996-1999

Assistant professor, Roskilde University

1995

PhD in educational studies, Roskilde University, on a thises on professional identity of teachers at AMU centres 

1991

MA (cand.comm.) in Danish and Communication studies, Roskilde University