PROFRES Autumn PhD Symposium 2025

Terese Bondas

In this lecture, I will draw some historic lines on establishing a field of research and scientific development in professional practice. The case is nursing, especially focusing on qualitative research in the Nordic countries, which is part of my scientific heritage. The development has been intricately connected to the professional and academic education and organization of health care. The pioneer nurse researchers’ strivings towards autonomy in science and research, education and practice have encountered challenges both inside and outside nursing. Divided views on both ontology and epistemology, and subsequent ideals of nursing topics and doing research have led to side-taking and conflicts. The outer challenges reside from (allowing) major impact from other disciplines and the new public management with economic pressures and education policies. Once again, nursing science and education risk a fading independence. A new era is awaiting to take on the legacy of the nursing pioneers.

Biography:

Terese Bondas is Professor Emerita of Health Sciences at University of Stavanger, Norway, and Adjunct Professor (methods, health research) at University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio. Her research profile is based on a professional background as a registered nurse, public health nurse and nurse leader, and an academic education in nursing and caring sciences, health care administration and education. Terese conducts research and publishes in different areas such as childbearing, leadership and culture, method development and recently child neglect. In her research she has applied different qualitative approaches and developed meta-ethnography. She is the author of more than one hundred publications, and she has planned and provided doctoral and post doc education and supervision in several countries.

Catrine Torbjørnsen Halås

A common goal of practice research is to develop knowledge about a phenomenon and/or a practice, so that this knowledge can contribute to the development of professional practice on a more general level. To succeed in this, the researcher must be able to understand the practice as it appears to the actors in the field. Furthermore, the researcher must be able to critically examine and investigate the actions, rationales, and justifications underlying the practice. Ultimately, it is about being able to relate to questions about what constitutes good practice. As a researcher in your field, proximity has a Janus face. On the one hand, proximity can make it easier to understand and gain access to the field, while simultaneously making it more challenging to engage with it critically. Anchored in perspectives on practical knowledge, I will take a closer look at how the concepts of ‘appreciative, critical and constructive’ can be fruitful when, on the one hand, utilising the familiarity one has as a researcher in one's field, while at the same time being able to relate to the challenges that come with such a position.

Praksisforskning i eget felt - Anerkjennende, kritisk og konstruktiv

Et vanlig mål med praksisforskning er å utvikle kunnskap om et fenomen og/ eller en praksis, slik at denne kunnskapen kan bidra til å utvikle yrkesutøvelse eller praksis på et mer allment plan. For å lykkes med dette, må forskeren kunne forstå praksisen slik den fremstår for aktørene i feltet.  Videre må forskeren kunne forholde seg kritisk til og undersøke praksisens handlinger, rasjonale og begrunnelser. Til sist handler det om å kunne forholde seg til spørsmål om hva som er å anse som en god praksis. Som forsker i eget felt, har nærheten et janusansikt. På den ene siden kan nærheten gjøre det lettere å forstå og få tilgang til feltet, samtidig som det kan gjøre det vanskeligere å forholde seg kritisk til den. Forankret i perspektiver på praktisk kunnskap, vil jeg se nærmere på hvordan begrepene "anerkjennende, kritisk og konstruktiv " kan være fruktbare når man på den ene siden skal utnytte den fortroligheten man har som forsker i eget felt, og samtidig kunne forholde seg til utfordringer som følger med en slik posisjon. 

Biografi:

Catrine Torbjørnsen Halås er professor i sosialt arbeid ved Nord universitet og leder for PrepChild, et tverrfakultært Forskningssenter for barn og unge og sosial beredskap. Halås er utdannet sosionom med erfaring fra kommunalt sosial – og barnevern og Statsforvalteren. Med en plassering innen praktisk kunnskap og sosialt arbeid som fagfelt, har Halås i sin forskning vært særlig opptatt av flerfaglig arbeid med barn og unge i sårbare livssituasjoner og ulike spørsmål som omhandler kunnskapsutvikling og læring i, av og med praksis. Hun har vært engasjert i flere forskningsoppdrag som omhandler barn og unges medvirkning og deltakelse, bla for UNICEF og Barneombudet. 

Atle Ødegård

Interprofessional collaboration (IPC) is increasingly recognized as a cornerstone of effective practice in health, education, and social services. In this presentation, Professor Atle Ødegård explores the evolving landscape of IPC research, drawing on recent studies that apply and refine the PINCOM framework—an analytical model developed to better understand the psychological and organizational dynamics of collaborative practice.

Using a mixed methods approach, Ødegård highlights how combining qualitative depth with quantitative scope can enrich our understanding of collaboration across professional boundaries. Particular attention is given to the concept of validity in IPC research, including methodological and conceptual challenges that arise when studying complex human interactions in real-world contexts.

Finally, the presentation outlines future directions for research and practice, emphasizing innovation, methodological pluralism, and the need for stronger theoretical underpinnings in interprofessional education and service development.

Biography:

Atle Ødegård is a specialist in clinical psychology and a professor at Molde University College. His research interests include interprofessional collaboration in both practice and education, as well as the development of new research methodologies within these fields. From August 1, 2025, he will hold a position as Professor II at Volda University College.

Karianne Nyheim Stray, Jeanette Varpen Unhjem and Mariya Khoronzhevych

Once seen as problematic due to potential conflicts of interest, emotional involvement, and questions of objectivity, the dual role of practitioner and researcher has long been debated. Insider research has often struggled for academic legitimacy, criticised for lacking scholarly rigour and rarely making its way into peer-reviewed journals. But the landscape is changing.

Transitioning from practitioner to researcher within your own professional field demands a high degree of reflexivity. What happens to knowledge production when professional and academic identities merge or contradict? How do we navigate the blurred boundaries between insider insight and critical distance? And what about the issue of academic freedom?

Drawing on our own experiences as insider PhD candidates, we invite you to reflect on your own research journey. Together, we’ll explore questions such as:

• How does your background and position shape how you understand and collaborate with informants?
• How can you work constructively with your preunderstandings?
• What are the benefits—and the pitfalls—of being close to your research field?
• And how can you develop strategies to uncover your blind spots?

Our session will include short lectures, a walk-and-talk activity, and a plenary discussion.

Bios:

Karianne Nyheim Stray is an associate professor at the University of South-Eastern Norway. With a professional background in NAV, she completed a Public PhD in 2022 on frontline discretion in the organisation. Her research interests include welfare governance, work inclusion, migration, and public sector innovation. As the leader of the PROFRES alumni network, she is particularly passionate about strengthening the ties between academia and the field of practice.

Jeanette Varpen Unhjem is an associate professor at Molde University College. Intrigued by her own experiences as a nurse in forensic psychiatry, her PhD explored professional boundaries between nurses and patients in mental health care. Unhjem is currently involved in research projects concerned with dual relationships and patient safety issues.

Mariya Khoronzhevych is an associate professor in the Department of Social Work at Volda University College. She holds a PhD in Social Work and Social Policy from OsloMet - Oslo Metropolitan University. Her doctoral research examined the personalisation of employment-oriented interventions for immigrants within the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (Nav). Before pursuing her PhD, she worked for several years as a caseworker at Nav.