NORENSE stands for Nordic Research Network for Steiner Education. It was founded in 2007 by three Nordic higher educational institutions; Rudolf Steiner University College in Norway, Waldorf University College in Sweden, and Snellman College in Finland.
NORENSE is a Nordic collaboration with the aim of promoting and supporting research on Waldorf Steiner education, and contributing to the knowledge base and legitimacy of the Nordic Waldorf Steiner higher educational institutions. Today’s schools and educational practices are more and more informed by research. Very little research has until now been directed towards Waldorf Steiner education, and there is a strong need for all kinds of educational research; inquiring, evaluating, deepening and communicating the various aspects of Waldorf Steiner education.
NORENSE are supporting individual and group research projects, as well as PhD and master students. This includes writing of articles based on completed research projects. In addition, NORENSE hosts a yearly seminar open to the public where supported projects and other relevant research topics are presented. Research projects funded by NORENSE are expected to be published in peer-reviewed journals, and in a popularised form in the Nordic Waldorf education magazines. An important principle for NORENSE is to ensure that supported research is disseminated both to parents and teachers as well as to the research community.
NORENSE receives its funding resources mainly from the Waldorf school and kindergarten federations in the Nordic countries. Representatives from the Nordic higher educational institutions and from the federations are members of the NORENSE Council, who decides on the yearly funding. NORENSE is managed by Rudolf Steiner University College in Norway.
NORENSE Aims
- Contribute to development of the research culture within Nordic Steiner Waldorf education
- Support research, research collaboration and research publications relevant to Steiner Waldorf education in the Nordic countries
- Contribute to developing connections between research and educational practice within Nordic Steiner Waldorf education
- Contribute todevelopment of the participating higher educational institutions (this can be through shared research programmes, collaboration in institutional development, furthering Steiner Waldorf adult education, contributing to research based lecturing, etc.)
- Support PhDstudents connected to the three participating higher educational institutions
For more information about projects, scholarships, reports etc visit Norense’s website.