The purpose of the study was to investigate the level of use of English as a second or subsequent language strategies and research-based practices in the instruction of ELL students in Northeast Tennessee. The study sought to ascertain the perceptions of educators in Northeast Tennessee about teaching practices and beliefs in regard to the instruction of ELL students and to determine to what level these educators include ESL strategies and ESL research-based practices when teaching ELL students. Participants in the study consisted of regular classroom teachers, English as a second language teachers, and principals from districts identified as ELL low density districts and ELL high density. A survey instrument was used to collect the data. The survey instrument was developed using a framework based on published research on proven practices identified and delineated in the literature review. The survey consisted of 45 questions and encompassed five dimensions: (a) instructional practices, (b) ESL strategies, (c) principles for building English language learners responsive learning environments, (d) staff development, and (e) instructional strategies. The survey used a 5-point Likert scale with 3 open-ended questions. Findings from the Research-Based Practices Survey were analyzed by using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study used 2-way ANOVAS to analyze the data and answer the research questions. The finding of the study revealed significant difference in the mean scores for staff development between administrators and ESL strategies as a function of density and significant difference in the mean scores for staff development between administrators and all teachers (ESL teachers and regular classroom teachers) as a function of density.

We live in an increasingly interconnected world where being bilingual or multilingual is the norm. Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) is an effective way to practice important skills for global citizens. The importance of the ability to communicate across cultures in other languages is increasing globally in schools through the expanding use of languages and the inclusion of bilingual education opportunities. It is in school that students can become proficient language users while they learn the content of other language areas. This study presents an overview of four teachers' perceptions of implementing CLIL at the primary school level in Sweden. Hence, the aim is to highlight the effectiveness of CLIL and determine what underlying factors seem to be beneficial and/or challenging when using the method. Four qualitative interviews complemented with four lesson observations were conducted in three international primary schools. The results revealed several success factors, such as heightened skills in oral communication and cognition, increased intercultural awareness and language development. Although the findings showed several beneficial factors, some challenges emerged. For example, the teachers mentioned difficulties in convincing colleagues to participate and in addressing students’ different academic levels in English, as well as the potential loss of vocabulary in their first language when using English exclusively. In sum, perceptions about language and language learning have been shown to highlight both benefits and challenges in using methods such as CLIL. However, CLIL does appear on balance to be effective in that it promotes content learning as well as enhances students’ multilingual development.

This research paper examines students’ perception of how role-play could affect their confidence in accordance with their speaking ability in EFL/ESL- classrooms. It has tried to respond to the research question “To what extent do Swedish EFL/ESL- students find role-play helpful for their confidence in their speaking ability?.” In addition, an analysis of relevant research supported the theoretical background on the subjects of Second language acquisition (SLA), Communicative language teaching (CLT), the Sociocultural perspective and the steering documents from Skolverket. Moreover, the research used a qualitative method through interviews. The interviews were performed with eight students from 7th-9th grade. To complement the study a questionnaire was conducted to show the distribution of students confidence on a scale from 1-5. The collected data was from a role-play activity that was tested similarly in six EFL/ESL-classes. At the end of the classes, they were evaluated in a Google Formula. Then, it was possible to see connections between the level of confidence and how helpful role-play was for the students. In the result, the interviewees all agreed on the role-play possibly being a helpful tool to improve the speaking ability. In addition, the questionnaire showed that 64% of the participants thought that role-play helped them to speak more confidently in English. Also, it was shown that students in the middle of the scale were the ones that found role-play most beneficial. At last, the factors that seemed to develop students’ confidence the most from the role-play were the structure of a group, the chosen themes, and the support students received from the framework.

This study investigates the effectiveness of children’s literature on English reading comprehension in an L2 classroom context. Children’s literature has a major part in teaching L1 in Swedish primary schools, and although it is a trustworthy method in developing reading comprehension skills, it is not used to any great extent in the English education. Thus, the aim of this study is to examine to what extent reading comprehension is fostered by using children’s literature from a second language perspective. Previous experimental research has, however, shown positive results on children’s literature as a means for teaching L2 reading comprehension. In this research synthesis, we will critically analyse, compare and discuss published research based on empirical data to provide and present the reign believes in children’s literature on L2 reading comprehension enhancement. Based on the findings presented in this paper there is a correspondence between the usage of children's literature and positive results in L2 reading comprehension development. However, solely reading children’s literature might not be the most efficient method in enhancing L2 reading comprehension. Based on the findings presented in this study listening to the text whilst reading can to a greater extent improve on listening comprehension results, which can be connected to the theory of Dual Coding (Paivio, 1986). Furthermore, no research on this area has been done in a Swedish context, which indicates that further research needs to be done in order for the results to be more applicable to our future profession.

Svenska skolor blir gradvis mer digitaliserade, vilket gör att fler lärare vänder sig till Google Drive för att förbättra elevers samarbete, särskilt ESL-lärare, som detta examensarbete fokuserar på. Syftet med denna studie är därför att ta reda på hur användandet av Google Drive kan påverka ESL-skrivning i gymnasiet. Detta examensarbete är kvalitativt och undersöker personliga åsikterna från tre ESL-lärare och tre ESL-elever på gymnasiet i Sverige. Dessutom ger papperet en inblick i hur bra lärarnas digitala utbildning i Google Drive motsvarar uppdraget att förbättra elevers engelska skrivförmåga. Utöver ger det här dokumentet en översikt över tidigare forskning om Google Drive som en plattform för samarbete. Baserat på resultaten hävdar deltagarna att gemensamt skrivna texter i Google Drive kan öka elevers motivation och förbättra flera aspekter av deras engelska, om det används idealt. Hur som helst så är några viktiga faktorer som bestämmer plattformens framgång: medvetande om och förebyggande av plagiering, obalanserad arbetsbelastning och grundläggande digital utbildning för lärare, som då kan vidarebefordras till deras elever. / Swedish schools are gradually becoming more digitalized, which cause more teachers to turn to Google Drive for improving students´ collaborative writing, especially ESL teachers, which this degree project focuses on. Hence, the aim of this study is to find out how using Google Drive can influence upper secondary collaborative ESL writing. This degree project is qualitative in nature and explores the personal opinions of three ESL teachers and three ESL students at an upper secondary school in Sweden. Moreover, the paper offers an insight to how well the teachers’ digital training in Google Drive corresponds with the mission of improving students´ English writing ability. Furthermore, this paper provides an overview of previous research on Google Drive as a platform for collaborative learning. Based on the findings, the participants argue that collaborative writing in Google Drive can increase students’ motivation and improve several aspects of their written English, if used ideally. However, some key factors that determine the success of the platform are awareness and prevention of plagiarism, unbalanced workload and fundamental digital training for teachers, which then could be passed on to their students.

This research synthesis aims to explore how Computer-assisted language learning (CALL) can motivate the learners to develop their language skills. To answer the question 14 articles have been examined against a framework consisting of second language acquisition theory and method and Dörnyei’s motivational theory. The focus areas within this synthesis are the general view of CALL and education, cooperative language learning with communication technology and CALL in teaching.The review revealed that CALL as a motivational method yielded beneficial results, by providing authentic materials (materials pupils encounter in their daily lives) in a learner-centred environment. In addition, the research shows that the learners’ and teachers’ attitudes towards CALL factors into the result.

This degree project aims to explore, in the context of translanguaging, teachers' perceptionsof the use of pupils’ first language within English as a second language education inSweden. Following a review of the concept of translanguaging from a historic andpedagogical perspective, teachers’ views on the roles of their pupils’ first and secondlanguages as reported in international research, recent research pertaining to teachers'perceptions and pedagogical methods within translanguaging is highlighted. Results from amethodological triangulation examination of data emanating from a survey, interviews andclassroom observations show that: even though the term translanguaging is relativelyunknown, teacher respondents use translanguaging as a method within ESL education inSweden; a majority of teachers value their English-use higher than their use of the pupils’first language, but are not averse to using translanguaging when deemed appropriate; and amore positive attitude is displayed towards the pupils use of their first language, but the useof English is preferred.

The National Curriculum in Sweden states that students should be given the opportunity todevelop understanding of digital tools. However, based on previous international research onthe subject, teachers rarely find that they have enough digital competence and knowledge ofthe tools to implement them properly in their teaching practises. This study aims atdiscovering what active teachers’ experiences are with Computer Assisted LanguageLearning (CALL) and how well they implement it in Sweden. This paper provides anoverview of the previous research done on teachers’ beliefs and their tendencies to implementCALL. Directly accessed primary data was collected through a survey and semi-structuredinterviews with five teachers in years K-6. Analysis of this data showed that teachers doimplement CALL on a regular basis, however, some of them find it difficult to utilize fully. Itwas also found that the age of the teachers might play a part in how well they understand the CALL software. Furthermore, after analysing the policy documents from Skolverket, it wasfound that teachers in general feel they lack the necessary digital competence to teach digitalcompetence to their students. The main conclusions of this study are thus that (i) teachersimplement CALL on a regular basis, (ii) teachers feel that they lack basic digital knowledgeand thus struggle in using the digital tools efficiently in their teaching practises, somethingthat should be included in the teacher training programs, (iii), that the age of the teachersseem to play a part in how well the they implement CALL in their teaching practises, and(iiii), that whilst teachers find CALL useful and convenient, it can never replace the role of a teacher.

This essay investigates what impact different types of movement and music has on overall academic achievement and language learning, both when connected and unconnected to specific curriculum goals and lesson content. The essay looks at both a macro and a micro perspective of the two subject areas to investigate a wider range of possible language learning benefits to be gained from incorporating more movement and music in school, both in and outside of the English as a Second Language classroom. While researchers in these areas agree that academic achievement and language acquisition are benefitted by different types of movement and music, they vary in how and to what degree these benefits show in their results. The essay, therefore, provides a summary of these results and a discussion about what the sum of the results might mean for the Swedish school system.

English language learners are traditionally behind in academics such as reading, math and science. Hispanics, who make up the vast majority of English language learners, tend to not enroll in pre-school or higher education, have higher dropout rates and as adults earn less than whites. Common instructional strategies used in public schools are not meeting the needs of these students. The field of TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) has typically offered a wide variety of poorly defined teaching strategies that are not based on empirical research. Within public schools, assessment tends to serve the purpose of qualifying students for ESOL services rather than being used to guide instruction. The present study examined using the Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills (ABLLS) with three English language learners in an elementary public school setting to discern its usefulness for teachers and students. Results showed that the ABLLS could be used for English language learners, and teachers generally liked the assessment information, although the current assessment may be too lengthy and time intensive to be practical for regular education settings. Also, it did not appear that reviewing the ABLLS assessment had much effect on teacher behavior in terms of changes in instructional strategies used for the three students, although teachers did indicate that they would target different skills as a result of viewing the assessment. Suggestions are made for developing a modified version of the ABLLS for use with English language learners. Possible trends in student data are examined, as well as possible teaching strategies that may be suggested by the ABLLS.