This dissertation aims to investigate when and why code-switching occurs and the attitudes towards code-switching among teachers and students in four EFL classrooms in two mediumsized secondary schools. To be able to reach the goals set forth for this study we used classroom observations, student questionnaires and teacher interviews. We managed to get thecooperation of four teachers and four classes of students, two classes of eight graders and two classes of ninth graders.The previous research on the subject of code-switching has shown both positive and negative sides of its use and existence. Although extensive research has been done on the subject it is far from complete and there are still many interesting aspects left to investigate. The resultspresented in this study and the opinions raised by the participating teachers and students are in line with the already given results. Our conclusions are that the use of code-switching can be both beneficial and negative in learning/teaching situations.

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(人間・環境学) / 甲第23985号 / 人博第1037号 / 新制||人||244(附属図書館) / 2022||人博||1037(吉田南総合図書館) / 京都大学大学院人間・環境学研究科共生人間学専攻 / (主査)准教授 金丸 敏幸, 教授 柳瀬 陽介, 教授 STEWART Timothy William, 教授 田地野 彰 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Human and Environmental Studies / Kyoto University / DGAM

In today’s society, neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) have been researched in different areas of life. However, what has yet to be explored broadly is the correlation between the characteristics of various neurodevelopmental disorders and their possible impact on a primary school student’s language learning, speaking development, and inclusivity in the English as a Foreign language (EFL) classroom. Additionally, the term neurodiversity is introduced as a shift in viewing disorders as solely deficits, but rather from a practical aspect that should be attended to positively.  This secondary data analysis aims to focus on what particular beneficial and problematic characteristics students with NDDs might experience. As well as, how these characteristics might affect language learning and speaking development in an EFL classroom. Since neurodevelopmental disorders is an abstract term with different disorders and characteristics, this analysis chose to further research Autism Spectrum disorder (ASD). This thesis attempts to answer and observe the impact Autism Spectrum disorder characteristics have in an EFL classroom. The results will provide three key findings. The first finding presents the strengths and challenges of ASD in English language learning. The second finding analyzes useful tools to help students with communication. The third and last finding will discuss the perception regarding the disorder and its effects in the inclusive classroom. Furthermore, the correlation between the research and the Swedish school institution, its laws, its curriculum, teachers’ impact, and a useful theoretical approach can be seen. Lastly, a thorough discussion regarding bilingualism, multilingualism, and its benefits will be delved into.

International assessments indicate that Swedish students achieve high results in reading, writing and understanding English. However, this does not mean that the students display oral proficiency, despite an emphasis on functional and communicative language skills in the current English Syllabus. While a previous literature study by this researcher has shown that authentic texts are a way to increase these skills, most of the results shown are from an international viewpoint. Thus an empirical study was conducted within Sweden with the aim to examine the use of authentic texts in the Swedish EFL upper elementary classroom. Twelve teachers have answered a questionnaire on how they use authentic texts in their language teaching, as well as their opinions about these as a teaching tool. Additionally, 37 students have answered a questionnaire on their attitudes about authentic texts. Results indicate that all of the teachers surveyed see authentic texts as an effective way to increase students’ communicative competence and English language skills; however, only a few use them with any frequency in language teaching. Furthermore, this seems to affect the students’ attitudes, since many say that they read authentic texts in their free time, but prefer to learn English out of a textbook at school. These findings are based on a small area of Sweden. Therefore, further research is needed to learn if these opinions hold true for the entire country or vary dependent upon region or other factors not taken into consideration in this study.

The impact of the first language on the second language has long been a vibrant and controversial issue in terms of second language acquisition. The impact or influence happens when learners learn a new language and transfer features from their native language to the new language. This paper investigates to what extent Bengali learners’ native language influences their use of articles in English as a second language and whether there is a difference depending on the language of instruction (Bengali and English, respectively). To do so 20 essays from two schools, one teaching through Bengali and one through English, a total of 40 learner essays were collected and examined. The results show that Bangladeshi English learners are influenced by the noun forms in Bengali and their ability to use English articles hardly differs according to the type of school they attend. / Förstaspråkets inverkan på andraspråket har länge varit en levande och kontroversiell fråga när det gäller språkinlärning. Påverkan eller inflytandet sker när inlärare lär ett nytt språk och överför karaktärsdrag från sitt förstaspråk till det nya språket. Den här uppsatsen undersöker i vilken mån bengaliska elevers modersmål påverkar deras användning av artiklar i engelska som andraspråk och om det är någon skillnad beroende på undervisningsspråk (bengali resp. engelska). Materialet är 20 elevuppsatser vardera från två skolor, skola A (undervisning på bengali) och skola B (undervisning på engelska), dvs totalt 40 uppsatser samlades in och analyserades. Resultaten visar att bengaliska elevers engelska texter visar drag av substantivformerna som används i bengali, och deras förmåga att använda engelska artiklar skiljer sig inte åt i någon större utsträckning beroende på undervisningsspråk.

A number of studies in the literature claim that storytelling is a powerful tool in the development of receptive (i.e., Reading and Listening) and productive (i.e., Speaking and Writing) language skills, including pronunciation (e.g., Atta-Alla, 2011; Mottalabi & Pourgharib, 2013; Zare-Behatash, Saed and Sajjadi, 2016). Furthermore, there are studies that suggest that storytelling is even more effective than traditional teaching methods (e.g., Hsu, 2010; Li & Seehouse, 2010; Zare-Behatash, Saed and Sajjadi, 2016). The problem, however, is that those studies generally lack specific information about how storytelling improves pronunciation and what aspects are enhanced, for instance. This study aims to fill such a gap in the literature by investigating the effect(s) of storytelling on the development of the pronunciation of Brazilian beginner learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) who are 15 years of age and older, through a focus on specific segmental (i.e., /I/; /i/ and /ð/; /θ/) and suprasegmental (i.e., word stress) features that are considered difficult for Brazilian learners of English to pronounce intelligibly (i.e., Baptista, 2001; Cruz, 2003; Reis, 2006). Additionally, it aims to investigate how storytelling activities compare in effectiveness to textbook activities in the development of pronunciation, since textbook activities are widely used pedagogical tools in English classes in Brazil and generally considered to be effective in the development of language skills (e.g., Consolo, 1990; Xavier & Urio, 2006). Last, the study examines Brazilian learners’ perceptions about the usefulness and relevance of the storytelling/textbook activities they were exposed to in improving their pronunciation. Data were collected at a private school in Brazil three times a week, in 12, 25-minute sessions. A total of 86 learners participated in the study and were randomly divided into three different groups (i.e., experimental, n=28; comparison, n=29; and control, n=29). The experimental group performed storytelling activities and the comparison group performed textbook activities. The control group received no treatment. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted to examine the data gathered from pre-tests, post-tests and questionnaires. The findings of the statistical analyses showed significant differences in the participants’ performance in the perception and production pre-tests/post-tests, suggesting that storytelling and textbook activities played an effective role in the pronunciation improvement of the participants. In addition, findings showed that storytelling and textbook activities had a similar effect on pronunciation. The findings of the quantitative and qualitative questionnaires showed that, in general, participants in the experimental (i.e., storytelling) and comparison (i.e., textbook) groups similarly enjoyed performing their respective activities, although they were not much sure about their usefulness and relevance for the improvement of their English pronunciation. This study offers various contributions in the investigation of the effect of storytelling on pronunciation improvement. In addition to addressing the lack of specific information in previous studies on the relationship between storytelling and pronunciation development, it also contributes to the field by showing teachers that L2 pronunciation development may be impacted by a number of factors at individual, psychological, sociocultural and sociocognitive levels, to mention a few. Moreover, it suggests that the implicit approach examined in the study did not seem to play an effective role in the development of learners’ pronunciation. Instead, an inductive approach that involves exposing learners to target sounds through the use of enhanced input, for instance, could potentially increase the effectiveness of pronunciation improvement through storytelling. / Graduate

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This study aims to explore the use of literature to enhance students’ reading comprehension abilities in the upper secondary EFL classroom in Sweden. The study uses a mixed method of teacher survey and teacher interviews to answer the three research questions: (1) How often do teachers use literature to enhance students’ reading comprehension abilities? (2) What kinds of literature are used when the purpose is to enhance students’ reading comprehension abilities? And (3) How do EFL teachers teach literature when the purpose is to enhance students’ reading comprehension abilities? The study finds that upper secondary school teachers in Sweden use literature in various ways to enhance students’ reading comprehension abilities. To achieve this purpose, teachers mainly use short stories, novels, poetry, young adult novels, plays, and children’s books.  The study also finds that intensive reading approaches are more commonly used than extensive reading approaches in Swedish classrooms and teachers use a wide range of reading comprehension strategies to help their students comprehend the text. Additionally, teachers’ use of reading strategies varies according to the text at hand and the purpose of reading. Furthermore, upper secondary school teachers use both explicit strategy instruction and activities that allow the students opportunities to practice reading strategies, and they also teach the students how different reading strategies are used for different purposes.

This study aims to explore teacher beliefs on accents in the classroom and how they affect classroom practices as well as the teachers views on the LFC approach. Furthermore, the study investigates whether there exists a possible disconnect between teachers and the Swedish National Agency for Education when it comes to deciding what approach to take when teaching English pronunciation. The study is based on semi-structured interviews with five Secondary school and Upper Secondary School English teachers in Sweden, whose work experience ranged from six months to 22 years. The study found that the teachers with more experience were more likely to prefer the inner circle English accents and use them as a benchmark for correctness. Phenomena like the native-speaker ideal, which means to idealize native speakers and view them as better speakers of English, can be linked to the teachers age and experience. Moreover, some teachers expressed feeling pressure from students to sound native-like and felt disfavored as some schools showed a preference for hiring native speakers as English teachers. Thus, a haloeffect for teachers speaking with an inner-circle English accent was identified, which affects students’ and employers’ perception of non-native EFL-teachers. The study also found that while some of the teachers were familiar with the Lingua Franca Core model, none of them had taught it. The study concludes that there is a disconnect between the teachers and Skolverket’s steering documents, as most of the teachers felt that Skolverket does not explicitly call for pronunciation teaching and were unsure of the demands. Furthermore, this calls for clearer demands from Skolverket as well as re-formation programs for experienced teacher to change their beliefs on non-native accents.

This systematic literature review investigates peer feedback in EFL education. Findings on practices, effects and teacher- and student perceptions of peer feedback are drawn together and thereby a multifaceted understanding of the phenomenon in EFL-related research is offered. The purpose of the study is to review and systematize previous research in order to enhance the understanding of peer feedback practices, effects and perceptions. Ten articles of practices, effects and perceptions were selected for this systematic literature review. The findings indicate that peer feedback is effective as it contributes to students’ written and oral L2 development. Organized feedback from teachers is more effectful as it gives learners clear instructions of what to focus on. Therefore, the teacher has an important role in peer feedback practices in order to make it as efficient as possible. Teacher- and student perceptions were both positive and negative. Teachers reported learners’ ability to identify errors in peer’s performance as a benefit. Yet, lack of knowledge, incompatibility with the educational system and learners’ low proficiency level were reported motives for not using peer feedback in their EFL classroom. Students perceived peer feedback as useful as it improved their L2 learning. Organized peer feedback was particularly highlighted. Lack of confidence due to limited proficiency level, interpersonal relationships, motivation and time were reported as difficulties in peer feedback practices. Further research in the field of the teacher role in peer feedback is requested.