The purpose of this literature review is to delve into the pedagogical use of reading aloud and assess its impact on student learning. To fulfil this purpose, a systematic search process was conducted, carefully selecting specific search terms to identify pertinent articles to address and respond to the questions posed in the paper. Namely, how educators teaching Swedish can work with reading aloud with students in lower and upper secondary school, and how reading aloud can affect these students' learning.  The findings from this literature review underscore the pivotal role of a teacher's planning and preparation in executing effective reading-aloud practices. Among the array of methods and approaches, interactive read-alouds emerged as particularly efficacious. A notable discovery was the development of students' vocabulary and word knowledge attributable to reading aloud. Additionally, reading-aloud activities, such as Readers Theatre, contributed to enhanced reading and listening comprehension. Reading aloud and ensuing discussions afterward can lead to a deeper understanding of the content of texts and can also foster an encouraging classroom environment. Furthermore, reading aloud contributes to greater equality in teaching environments.  In summary, we assert that reading aloud serves as a potent educational tool that benefits students and their learning in many ways. Nevertheless, it is imperative to amalgamate diverse approaches and methodologies to create a diverse teaching approach adaptable to the individual needs of all students.

This study investigates to what extent an intensive reading intervention of two weeks, based on repeated reading, can improve the reading fluency for students with reading difficulties in secondary school. The study also investigates how the students evaluated the intervention based on repeated reading. Nineteen students with reading difficulties in secondary school were selected and divided into two comparable groups, an intervention group and a control group. Ten students in the intervention group were given daily one to one tutorial training in decoding and fluency by reading lists with words, nonwords and texts repeatedly times. Visual as well as spoken feedback were given between every set of reading. The control group received ordinary classroom teaching. Tests before and after the intervention with all students were done. The intervention students completed a questionnaire about their evaluation of the intervention and how they estimated their reading ability after the training period. The results of the study showed that most students in the intervention group increased their test results in terms of decoding words and text reading compared to the control group. The results of the questionnaire showed that the students experienced that they had increased their reading ability and that they had become more self-confident about their reading.

The purpose of this study was to increase knowledge about how teachers view the importance of reading lessons in year one. The study also examined how teachers practically work with reading homework and how these teachers felt that it benefited the students' reading development. The study was conducted using semi-structured qualitative interviews with eight teachers working in primary school. All teachers who participated in the study are certifiedteachers to teach Swedish in primary school. The study is based on the socio-cultural perspective and pragmatism. Which means that students learn best in connection between theory and practice and where language is in focus. The results showed that the teachers who participated agreed that the ultimate purpose of the reading homework is to increase the students' reading fluency with the help of mass training. The teachers consider the reading homework necessary in year one. Repetitive reading is presented as an important aspect in students' early reading learning by both research and teachers. Reasons why teachers choose to work with reading homework differ somewhat. But the time aspect in school is something that teachers are critical of. The result shows that the teachers mean a certain reading must take place at home. Because of this the reading homework is considered a good aid by the teachers.

Studiens syfte är att undersöka hur fyra lärare arbetar för att främja elevers läsförståelse inom skönlitteratur i ämnet svenska i årskurs 3. Vi har använt oss av semistrukturerade intervjuer och våra informanter består av fyra pedagoger som är verksamma i årskurs 3. I vår teoretiska ram har vi använt oss av Lev Vygotsky, Roger Säljö, Anders Jakobsson, Judith Langer och Barbro Westlund. Vårt resultat bygger på dessa teorier samt tidigare forskning, som omfattar läsförståelse i undervisningen. I resultatet framkom det att våra informanter aktivt arbetar med läsförståelse och främjar det på olika sätt. Det visade sig att högläsning är en metod som förekom ofta i klassrummen samt betydelsen av den. Även vikten av modellering hos lärarna av lässtrategier har visat sig ha en positiv inverkan på elevers utveckling av läsförståelse. Det visade sig även att inre och yttre motivation för läsningen förekom i alla klassrum men på olika sätt, vilket har en stor betydelse för läsförmågan. Genom att alla de intervjuade lärarna stöttar elever med hjälp av olika verktyg hjälper de eleverna vidare i sin läsutveckling.

Reading and mathematics are two essential subjects for academic success and cognitive development. Several studies show a correlation between the reading ability and mathematical ability of pupils (Korpershoek et al., 2015; Ní Ríordáin & O’Donoghue, 2009; Reikerås, 2006; Walker et al., 2008). The didactical part of this thesis presents a study investigating a correlation between reading ability and mathematical ability among pupils in upper secondary schools in Sweden. This study collaborated with Lexplore AB to use machine learning and eye-tracking to measure reading ability. Mathematical ability was measured with Mathematics 1c grades and Stockholmsprovet, which is a diagnostic mathematics test. Although no correlation was found, there are several insights about selection and measures following the result that may improve future studies on the subject. This thesis finds that the result could have been affected by a biased selection of the participants. This thesis also suggests that the measure through machine learning and eye-tracking used in the study may not fully capture the concept of reading ability as defined in previous studies. The technological aspect of this thesis focuses on modifying and improving the model used to calculate users’ reading ability scores. As the model’s estimation tends to plateau after the fifth year of compulsory school, the study aims to maintain the same level of progression observed before this point. Previous research indicates that silent reading, being unconstrained by vocalization, is faster than reading aloud. To address this progression flattening, a grid search algorithm was employed to adjust hyperparameters and assign appropriate weight to silent and aloud reading. The findings emphasize that reading aloud should be prioritized in the weighted average and the corresponding hyperparameters adjusted accordingly. Furthermore, gathering more data for older pupils can improve the machine learning model by accounting for individual reading strategies. Introducing different word complexity factors can also enhance the model’s performance. / Läsning och matematik är två avgörande ämnen för akademisk framgång och kognitiv utveckling. Flera studier visar på ett samband mellan elevers läsförmåga och matematiska förmåga (Korpershoek et al., 2015; Ní Ríordáin & O’Donoghue, 2009; Reikerås, 2006; Walker et al., 2008). Den didaktiska delen av denna rapport presenterar en studie som undersöker sambandet mellan läsförmåga och matematisk förmåga hos elever på gymnasiet i Sverige. Studien samarbetade med Lexplore AB för att använda maskininlärning och ögonspårning för att mäta läsförmåga. Matematisk förmåga mättes genom matematikbetyg och Stockholms provet, som är ett diagnostiskt matematiktest. Trotsatt inget samband hittades uppges insikter om urvalet och åtgärder som kan förbättra framtida studier i ämnet. Rapporten konstaterar att resultatet kan ha påverkats avett sned vridet urval av deltagare. Dessutom föreslår rapporten att mätningen genom maskininlärning och ögonspårning som användes i studien kanske inte helt fångar upp begreppet läsförmåga som används i tidigare studier. Teknikdelen av denna rapport fokuserar på att modifiera och förbättra modellen som används för att beräkna användarnas läsförmågepoäng. Eftersom modellens uppskattning tenderar att avplattas efter femte året i grundskola, syftar studien till att bibehålla samma nivå av progression som observerats före denna punkt. Tidigare forskning indikerar att tyst läsning, som inte begränsas av att uttala orden, är snabbare än högläsning. För att adressera denna avplattning av progression användes en rutnätssöknings-algoritm för att justera hyperparametrar och tilldela rätt viktning åt tyst läsning. Resultaten betonar att högläsning bör prioriteras i viktade medelvärdet och att motsvarande justeringar av hyperparametrar bör implementeras. Dessutom kan insamling av mer data för äldre elever förbättra maskininlärningsmodellen genom att ta hänsyn till individuella lässtrategier. Införandet av olika faktorer för textkomplexitet kan också förbättra modellens prestanda.