Information about the SKOLELIV project

SKOLELIV will provide new knowledge about how children’s school lives relate to their journey to school, local environment, well-being and quality of life. Here you can read more about what we are studying, how the study is carried out and why this knowledge is important.

What is SKOLELIV?

SKOLELIV is a research project about children’s school lives, journeys to school, local environments, well-being and quality of life.

The project combines surveys of parents and guardians with geographical analyses of school journeys and local environments. The aim is to gain better knowledge about how different school settings and changes in school structure relate to children’s everyday lives.

The project starts as a pilot study in municipalities in Southern Norway and will lay the foundation for a future national study.

What do we want to find out?

We aim to investigate:

• how well-being and quality of life develop over time
• how common it is for children to walk or cycle to and from school
• how school journeys and local environments vary between different groups of pupils
• how the journey to school relates to the choice of transport
• how children experience different school settings
• school life and travel habits for children with shared residence

We also study what happens when school structures change. This may, for example, involve children changing schools or a school receiving new pupils.

How do we study school journeys and local environments?

School journeys are mapped using geographical information systems and map data.

We can examine:

• distance between home and school
• traffic safety along the school route
• walking and cycling routes and connections to the school
• opportunities for walking and cycling
• proximity to green spaces, playgrounds and sports facilities
• differences between school areas and local environments

This makes it possible to examine links between children’s surroundings and how they travel to and from school.

Why is this knowledge important?

Children’s school lives are influenced by more than what happens at school. Their journey to school, local environment, social relationships and how the school is organised are also part of everyday life.

Many municipalities are experiencing changes that affect school size, school environment and school journeys. At the same time, there is limited research on how school mergers and other changes in school structure affect primary school children.

Knowledge from SKOLELIV can be used in work related to:

• school structure and school environment
• safe school journeys and local environments
• walking and cycling to and from school
• municipal planning for children, young people and public health
• further research

How is privacy protected?

SKOLELIV processes information about participants in a way that protects privacy throughout the research process.

Information is used for the purposes described in the study, including research on school journeys, local environments, school life, well-being and quality of life.

Results are presented at group level. No individual child, parent, guardian or family will be identifiable in master’s theses, reports, scientific publications or other communication.

Where is SKOLELIV being carried out, and what happens next?

The pilot study is being carried out from 2026 in municipalities in Southern Norway. The first survey takes place in autumn 2026, with a follow-up about one year later.

Experience from the pilot study will be used to further develop the questionnaires, geographical analyses and other parts of the research design.

The aim is to develop SKOLELIV into a national research platform in collaboration with municipalities and research environments across Norway.