In this study, the possible impact YouTube can have on students reading and listening comprehension in English is investigated. In order to identify this possible impact, two main research questions were asked, analysed and answered. The sample group researched in the study consisted of 123 students in the 8th grade at an intermediate school in Sweden. Two surveys, one listening comprehension test and one reading comprehension test, were submitted to the sample group. Based on the results and the discussion, some conclusions could be drawn. Students who spend an average amount of time on YouTube seem to perform at a higher level regarding reading and listening comprehension. However, students who spend a lot of time on YouTube did not perform at the highest level of proficiency, making it difficult to determine with absolute certainty how extensive the correlation between social media and language comprehension is.

Swedish schools start teaching English in second grade. Also, many children in Sweden practicea lot of English in their spare time, for example by watching films, or by playing computergames. During the last few years, Sweden has accepted many refugees from countries whereEnglish doesn’t play such a dominant role. By talking to refugee high-school students and theirparents, and asking them about their attitudes towards English as a language and as a subjecttaught in school, this study aims to make it easier for English teachers in Sweden to understandthe perspective of foreign-born students. The study is based on interviews and surveys withSomali- and Arabic-speaking students and parents, conducted in collaboration with Somali- andArabic-speaking translators. This group of students has a completely different starting point thanSwedish students, since they start learning English as a foreign language at the same time as theystart learning Swedish, and have a home language that is from a different language group. Themethod of research used has been focus group interviews with students, individual, structuredinterviews with parents, as well as surveys with students. Results show that students and parentswho participated think it’s important to learn English, that they don’t think it’s a particularlydifficult language, but that they need more time to practice, in school, and in their spare time. / <p>Engelska</p>

Syftet med den här studien är att upptäcka hur engelskundervisningen på lågstadiet i Sverige har förändrats enligt tre lärare som har arbetat i grundskolan sedan 16–20 år tillbaka. För att kunna genomföra detta samlades data in genom semistrukturerade intervjuer och kvalitativa textanalyser. Resultatet visar att läroplanen och digitaliseringen har förändrat engelskundervisningen på lågstadiet. Det framgår även att digitaliseringen bidrar till ökad tillgänglighet av undervisningsmaterial på internet, enligt de deltagande lärarna.

The present study aims to examine the linguistic features of hedges, minimal responses and interruptions used by the female and male participants in the possible extramural activity of the reality-TV show Love is Blind. The term Extramural English (EE) refers to English that students are exposed to outside the classroom. According to previous research, Swedish teenagers watch a considerable amount of TV, which is a potential EE activity. By possible exposure to EE activities, such as watching TV, learners might gain pragmatic competence that might result in them improving their communicative abilities in the English language. Furthermore, the Swedish school openly strives for gender equality and, therefore, this study investigates the gender characteristics of linguistic features that are categorized as often employed by either females or males. The methodology of the study includes transcribing, counting the linguistic features, color coding and analyzing the findings in relation to previous research. Regarding speech distribution, results show that the male participants speak 5.1 percentage units more than female participants. Furthermore, female participants use hedges 33.4 percentage units more often than the male participants and minimal responses 24 percentage units more often. Additionally, the male participants interrupt 25 percentage units more often than the female participants.

This study examines, through the use of a quantitative questionnaire, to what extent Swedish upper secondary students are involved in receptive and productive extramural English activities and what their perceptions are of learning English inside and outside of school. Extramural English (EE) is a term referring to the English students encounter outside school as extra means ‘outside’ and mural means ‘walls’. This study also investigates if the students perceive that the extramural English activities facilitate their classroom learning of English, and more specifically in relation to the language proficiencies reading, listening, writing and speaking. The results showed that the students reported being involved in mostly receptive EE activities as the most common activities they reported being involved in daily were related to listening and reading. The listening activities involved watching English-language TV-programs, TV-series and movies with and without Swedish subtitles and reading English texts. 98% of the students perceived that they do learn English outside of school while 68.6% of the students perceived that the English that they learned outside school facilitated classroom learning. The language proficiency the students perceived they developed most outside school was listening as 39% reported they "developed very much". The majority of students also reported to be more comfortable speaking and writing in English outside of school, and 57% indicated that they have learned most of their English knowledge outside of the school environment.

The aim of this study is to investigate the opinions teachers teaching English in grades 4-6 have on Extramural English in school, the advantages and disadvantages Extramural English brings, and how they teach to support the acquisition of English for students. The study is based on the following questions: Which teaching methods supports students' language acquisition of English according to teachers in grades 4-6? Which connections do teachers see between students' Extramural English and their attitude to, and knowledge of, English? Do teachers let students' Extramural English interests take place in the classroom, and in which ways? Results from interviews with five teachers from four different schools, and questionnaire responses from 122 teachers, has been used to create the basis for the study. Results show that participating teachers find students attitude to English, as a language as well as subject in school, to be mainly positive. From the teacher’s perspective the students positive attitude reflects on student’s production of English. Many of the teachers express that they include elements of Extramural English when they teach. The study may be of interest from a didactic perspective as it provides insight to how teachers view, and use, Extramural English while teaching. / Syftet med den här studien är att undersöka hur lärare som undervisar i engelska i årskurs 4-6 ser på fritidsengelska i skolan, eventuella fördelar och nackdelar som fritidsengelska innebär, men också hur man undervisar för att främja förvärvandet av engelska hos eleverna. Studien utgår från följande frågeställningar: Vilka undervisningsmetoder främjar elevers språkförvärvande av engelska enligt lärare i årskurs 4-6? Vad ser lärare för kopplingar mellan elevers fritidsengelska och deras inställning till, och kunskaper i, engelska? Låter lärare elevernas fritidsengelska ta plats i klassrummet, och i så fall hur? Resultat från intervjuer med fem lärare från fyra grundskolor, samt enkätsvar från 122 lärare, har använts för att skapa underlag till studien. Av resultaten framgår det att medverkande lärare anser att elevers inställning till engelska, både som språk och som skolämne, är huvudsakligen positiv. Ur lärarnas perspektiv reflekteras elevernas positiva inställning i deras produktion av engelska. Majoriteten av lärarna uttrycker även att de inkluderar fritidsengelska element i sin undervisning. Studien kan vara av intresse ur ett didaktiskt perspektiv då den ger en inblick i hur lärare idag ser på, och använder sig av, fritidsengelska i sin undervisning.

This essay focuses on studying senior high school students’ usage of and attitudes towards American and British English. It also investigates what influences for the students’ use of English and attitudes towards the two varieties can be found in school and outside of school, and how that affects the students’ own variety of English. The study has been carried out using a questionnaire as method and the results have been analyzed through theoretical perspectives. The results show that American English is the favored variety of the two, both in usage, attitudes and influences outside of school. However, a majority of the students states that they use a mixed variety consisting of both American English and British English. The results show that this is also the most commonly variety actually used by the students. A mixed variety is what a large part of the students express is being taught in school as well. This shows that the teaching of English in Swedish schools today follow the directions in the policy documents set up by the National Agency of Education stating that communicative skills are desirable. A mixed variety is accepted and there are no restrictions concerning variety used.

The aim of this paper was to look at a group of Swedish upper secondary school students’ extramural English activities in comparison to their final grades and their grades on the National Test in English level 5. The aim was also to see what role motivation could potentially play. The method was of a mixed nature with both questionnaires and interviews. The results show tendencies, in accordance with previous research, that there is a correlation between the students’ grades and their extramural English activities. The results also show that attitudes towards English are in correlation with both extramural English and the students’ grades. / Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka en grupp svenska gymnasieelevers kontakt med engelska utanför skolan i relation till deras slutbetyg och deras betyg från nationella proven från engelska nivå 5. Syftet var också att undersöka elevernas attityder till och motivation för det engelska språket. Både en kvantitativ metod i form av ett frågeformulär och en kvalitativ metod i form av intervjuer användes. Resultaten visar, i linje med tidigare forskning, att det finns ett samband mellan studenternas betyg och kontakt med engelska utanför skolan. Resultaten visar också att attityder till det engelska språket har ett samband både med studenternas kontakt med engelska utanför skolan och deras betyg.

This literature review explores the global trend towards implementing English as a medium of instruction in the form of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) and English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) in countries where English is not an official language. Additionally, the essay analyses stakeholders’ perspectives on English language instruction and Extramural English (EE).This is done in a European and Swedish context to explore CLIL, EMI and EE possible effects on proficiency on English and mother tongue from a language hierarchy, second language motivational and egalitarian perspective. The results of the review indicate that further research regarding CLIL, EMI and EE is essential to improve CLIL and EMI education in a European and Swedish context.

This study investigates Swedish students’ texts from two time periods: 1999 and 2009, in search of cohesive evidence indicating a change of quality influenced by the development of the Internet. The method used in this study is the application of a computational tool that provides measures of language and discourse called Coh-Metrix, which provides measures along several cohesion variables, including word concreteness, deep cohesion, verb cohesion and lexical diversity. The results showed that the student texts from 2009 had higher lexical diversity, suggesting a larger vocabulary, which is closely connected to text quality. The results also showed a higher use of deep cohesion in the texts from 2009, which suggest that the writers know how to use connectives. In contrast, the student texts from 1999 showed a higher use of verb cohesion, suggesting the texts being written in a more narrative style, which is often connected to younger students. By using Coh-Metrix to study evidence of cohesion, this study could contribute with relevant findings about how students’ written English has changed over a period of time.