The present study sets out to explore the impact Swedish upper secondary students' present learning environments have on their motivation to learn English as a second language. More specifically, we aim to investigate student opinions on how their learning situation and their teachers’ approach to leadership and pedagogy affects their motivation in L2 English. The study is performed with the third component of Dörnyei’s (2005) L2 Motivation Self-System, the L2 Learning Experience, as a theoretical point of departure. The L2 Learning Experience emphasizes the motives connected to the immediate learning environment through course-specific, teacher-specific, and group-specific aspects. A quantitative study including four qualitative questions was carried out by a self-report questionnaire to four different Swedish upper secondary schools. The results showed that the students’ learning environment was positive for their motivation across all schools. Moreover, it was found that students seem to consider the teacher’s role to be an important factor in their motivation and learning in L2. A teacher’s mood, spontaneity, and flexibility all seem to be influential aspects of the students’ motivation. This demonstrates the importance of making room for creating meaningful teaching situations and relationships with the students. We conclude that if the motivation was emphasized explicitly in the Swedish curriculum, then teachers would perhaps receive the time and the tools to achieve Skolverket’s goal of stimulating a lifelong desire to learn.

Some teachers see the curriculum as a guide that has to be followed, while others see it as a document of recommendations that support the teacher in his or her profession if needed. Changes to a curriculum will be interpreted in different ways depending on the individual. This study aims to investigate the revisions made to the English syllabus in Lgr11 coming in 2022, as well as to study how four English teachers working in compulsory school interpret these changes. This information is achieved through a qualitative study based on document analysis and interviews. Research has shown that Swedish teachers have experienced periods in which they have had the opportunity to teach the way they like, but also times when they have felt restrained by the steering documents. The results of this study show that the changes in the syllabus mostly concretise the document, making it easier to understand. The general meaning of the document remains the same, but the focus will shift from the aspect of abilities to the aspect of knowledge. The teachers interpret the changes to the syllabus as positive, because they believe that they will have more free space in their teaching as well as a more concrete and easily understood syllabus to work with. The conclusion of this study is that the changes that will be made to the English syllabus are not going to change the general meaning of the document, but will make the document clearer and more easily understood. Another conclusion is that the teachers do not believe that their work situation will change to any large extent, but they do think that the changes will make assessment a fairer process. / Vissa lärare ser läroplanen som en guide som skall följas, andra ser det som ett dokument som innehåller rekommendationer som stöttar läraren i dennes yrke om så behövs. Läroplansändringar kommer att uppfattas olika beroende på vem det är som tolkar ändringarna. Denna studie ämnar undersöka ändringarna som görs på den engelska läroplanen i grundskolan och som träder i kraft 2022. Studien skall även undersöka hur fyra engelsklärare i grundskolan uppfattar dessa ändringar. Detta görs genom en kvalitativ studie som inkluderar dokumentanalys och intervjuer. Forskning har visat att svenska lärare genom tiden har uppfattat sin yrkesroll som öppen och fri, där de kunnat lära ut det som önskats, men även stunder där de känt sig begränsade och låsta av styrdokumenten. Studiens resultat visar att ändringarna i läroplanen leder till att den blir mer konkret och enklare att förstå. Dokumentets generella mening ändras dock inte, men fokus kommer att ändras från förmågor till kunskaper i dokumentet. Lärarna uppfattar ändringarna som positiva då de tror att dokumentet kommer att bli enklare att förstå och att de dessutom kommer att få mer friutrymme och på så sätt kunna lita mer på sin erfarenhet och profession. Uppsatsens slutsats blir att den engelska läroplanen inte kommer att ändras i någon större utsträckning, mer än att den blir förenklad. En annan slutsats blir att lärarna inte tror att deras arbetssituation kommer att förändras märkvärt, men de tror däremot att ändringarna kommer att bidra till att bedömning kommer att kunna göras på ett mer rättvist sätt.

Abstract The aim of this study is to examine the role that textbooks have within the subject of English in Swedish secondary school, years 7-9, and the psychological impact textbooks may or may not have on pupil language learning. Theories used in this study support the fact that pupils who are able to independently develop their language skills are more successful language learners, including the self-efficacy theory, theories about motivation, i.e. the Self-Determination Theory and the L2 Motivational Self System, and learning independence. Mixed methodology was applied to extract both quantitative and qualitative data. In this study, three Swedish EFL teachers from years 7-9 were interviewed to determine their attitudes towards textbook use during their everyday teaching and their views on how textbooks impact their pupils’ achievements of self-efficacy and independence. Additionally, 212 Swedish pupils in years 7-9 answered questions on their perception of their textbooks through a digital questionnaire. The interviewed teachers, as well as the pupils’ responses, showed reservations regarding textbook usage, especially regarding the ability for pupils to relate to textbook content, and the lack of support for pupils with learning disabilities (e.g.,dyslexia). Pupils also responded that they were not using their respective textbooks independently. Analysis of the results shows that textbooks, whether digital or printed, are not useful EFL learning tools on their own, as they do not fully support pupil self-learning. Most notably, the interviewed teachers and the pupils’ responses both signal a lack of relatedness in the contents of their textbooks. Future studies should focus on intrinsic motivation through pupil perceptions of relatedness in textbooks

I läroplanen för engelska i grundskolan föreligger ett stort fokus på den kommunikativa förmågan, samtidigt upplever elever en ovilja till att kommunicera på engelska under lektionerna. I förhandenvarande studie undersöktes hur lärare i årskurs 4-6 didaktiskt strukturerar sin undervisning för att motivera elever till att kommunicera på engelska i skolan. För att besvara frågeställningarna “Vilka förutsättningar menar lärare är centrala för elevers vilja att kommunicera på engelska under engelskundervisning?” och “Vilka didaktiska val gör lärare för att motivera elever till att kommunicera på engelska under engelskundervisningen?” har intervjuer genomförts med sex behöriga lärare i engelska på årskurs 4-6. Empirin har analyserats utifrån ett sociokulturellt perspektiv. Resultaten visar att lärare upplever klassrumsklimatet som centralt för att eleverna ska känna sig trygga att kommunicera på engelska under lektionerna. Det framkommer även som fördelaktigt att vara flera vuxna eller lärare under lektionerna för att ge utrymme för stöttning samt undervisning eller aktiviteter i mindre grupper. I enlighet med tidigare forskning beskriver lärarna även en omfattande vilja till variation gällande de aktiviteter som genomförs under lektionerna, något som ansågs uppmuntra till kommunikation på målspråket engelska. Lärarens roll som förebild beskrivs i studien som viktig då läraren modellerar målspråksanvändning för eleverna, vilket uppmuntrar eleverna till kommunikation på engelska. Tidigare forskning och resultaten i denna studie förespråkar till stor del samma didaktiska val. Vidare forskning bör dock undersöka skillnader mellan lärares uppfattning av sin egen undervisningspraktik i relation till vad som kan observeras utifrån lärares lektioner.

This phenomenographic study examines how imagining a future self as an English speaker and extramural English habits interact and affect the desire to learn English and engagement in the English classroom. The study was carried out in northern Sweden, and used a purposive sample of 23 pupils in the fifth and sixth grade of Swedish compulsory school. Mixed-methods data collection was used which included a questionnaire, an interview, and two linguistic portraits. Findings from this study indicate that in a Swedish compulsory school context young pupils are capable of imagining possible future English selves, and that these imagined future selves are dependent on the pupils’ dreams and aspirations or a view of English as a useful global language. Additionally, while these imagined future English selves are a reason for the pupils to learn English and indirectly affect their desire to learn English, they fail to explain the pupils’ engagement in English class with but a few exceptions.

No description available.

There is a lot of research made on second language (L2) learning (Jesney, 2004). However the relationship between foreign accent, intelligibility and acoustics within pronunciation tutoring is quite an unresearched area (Thorén, 2008). The aim of the study was to analyze how a course in Swedish pronunciation affected foreign accent, intelligibility and acoustics among L2-learners of Swedish. A total of 41 people participated in the study: 16 L2-learners, 4 native Swedish speakers consisting a control group and 21 perceptual assessors with Swedish as native language. The L2-learners foreign accent and intelligibility were rated by the listeners before and after a course in Swedish pronunciation on an eight-point Likert-scale. The listeners also answered a questionnaire on factors potentially affecting the ratings. The acoustic measurements were made on ten words that were read aloud consisting of long and short allophones of five Swedish vowels. Formants, vowel duration and fundamental frequency were measured for the three closest and the three furthest from native pronunciation rated L2-learners. The results indicate that a class in Swedish pronunciation significantly decreased the L2-learners foreign accent. A strong correlation between the foreign accent and intelligibility ratings was found. Despite a strong correlation, no significant improvement concerning intelligibility could be established. The only factor that affected the intelligibility ratings were the assessor’s geographic affiliation. People from the western part of Sweden rated the intelligibility as less intelligible than raters from the eastern part of Sweden. The results from some of the acoustic measurements corresponded with the assessors ratings of foreign accent and intelligibility. The L2-learner rated as closest to native pronunciation was also the one with acousticly measured results close to the reference values regarding vowel duration (Elert, 1964; Gårding et al, 1974; Kügler, 2007; Thorén, i.d.) and fundamental frequency (Pegoraro Krook, 1988). The conclusion is that Swedish pronunciation tutoring should be focused on exercises that increase intelligibility because exercises that improve the foreign accent not necessarily increase the intelligibility. / Det finns en hel del forskning kring andraspråksinlärning (Jesney, 2004). Dock är förhållandet mellan brytning, förståelighet och akustiska variabler ett område som inte är lika väl beforskat inom uttalsundervisning i svenska (Thorén, 2008). Syftet med föreliggande studie var att undersöka hur en kurs i svenskt uttal påverkade brytning, förståelighet och akustiskt mätbara parametrar hos personer med svenska som andraspråk. Totalt medverkade 41 personer i studien varav 16 stycken var andraspråkstalare, 4 stycken var kontrollpersoner och resterande 21 var modersmålstalare av svenska som agerade lyssnarbedömare. Lyssnarbedömarnas skattningar baserades på två inspelningar av andraspråkstalarnas spontantal före och efter en kurs i svenskt uttal. Bedömningen gjordes på en åttagradig Likert-skala gällande grad av brytning samt förståelighet. Bedömarna fick även fylla i ett frågeformulär gällande vilka faktorer som potentiellt kunde påverka skattningen av brytning och förståelighet. De akustiska mätningarna gjordes på tio upplästa ord innehållande fem av svenskans vokaler. Formanter, vokalduration samt grundtonsfrekvens undersöktes hos sex andraspråkstalare, där de tre närmst respektive tre längst ifrån ett modersmålslikt svenskt uttal analyserades. Resultaten i föreliggande studie visade att kursen i svenskt uttal signifikant minskade andraspråkstalarnas brytning. Det fanns dessutom en tydlig korrelation mellan brytning- och förståelighetsskattningarna. Trots detta kunde ingen signifikant förbättring gällande kursdeltagarnas förståelighet påvisas. Den enda faktor som visade sig påverka förståelighetsskattningarna var bedömarnas geografiska tillhörighet där personer från västra Sverige bedömde förståeligheten som sämre jämfört med personer från östra Sverige. Resultaten från några av de akustiska mätningarna överensstämde med bedömarnas uppfattning av kursdeltagarnas grad av brytning och förståelighet. Det betydde att den som skattats närmast ett modersmålslikt svenskt uttal av lyssnarbedömarna också låg närmast referensvärdena vid den akustiska analysen gällande vokalduration (Elert, 1964; Gårding et al, 1974; Kügler, 2007; Thorén, i.d.) och grundtonsfrekvens (Pegoraro Krook, 1988). Slutsatsen i denna studie är att uttalsundervisning i svenska bör fokuseras på övningar som förbättrar förståelighet då övningar som förbättrar brytning inte nödvändigtvis gynnar förståeligheten.

This study of the motivation to learn English as L2 (as a second/foreign language) provides a local model of L2 motivation which employs a new contextualised perspective. It is based on the socio-cultural backgrounds of the learners and their social relations. This model not only incorporates insights from major debates in the field, but it is also in harmony with recent trends of L2 motivation research. The study had three major objectives. First, it sought to identify the factors that represent Omani students’ motivation to learn English in Oman. Second, it attempted to verify the effects of social relations on motivation. Third, it examined the mechanisms employed by the learners which influence their motivation through personal relations. Since this study views motivation as a complex bundle of constructs, it was more feasible to adopt its most significant factors as determined by the immediate socio-cultural context. Interest and Self-efficacy (SE) were established as the two main constructs representing Omani students’ motivation to learn English as L2. The ‘L2 Motivation Osmosis Model’ was suggested to offer an explanation of the workings of influence on students’ L2 motivation in Oman. This study employed a mixed methodology. A quantitative method was used to confirm the importance of Interest and SE for Omani students. A qualitative study was then designed to further verify this and ascertain the devices employed to influence learners’ motivation. The first question was answered using quantitative and qualitative data. Correlation and Linear Regression statistics were used to verify the importance of Interest and SE. This question was also examined through the students’ depictions of motivated English as L2 learners and the reasons they provided for liking English and why people in Oman learn it. The second question inspected the role of social relations in influencing students’ motivation. The third question studied the devices used by people which influence students’ motivation. The analysis also revealed the importance of the affective dimension expressed through the concept of ‘closeness’, which explains the type and strength of the influence initiated through social relations. This study emphasised the need to consider the socio-cultural context of learners in designing programs and recruiting teachers and the necessity of providing help, encouragement and emotional support. Instead of simply giving recommendations of good practice, the findings of this study provide practitioners with guidelines on how to devise their own plans and guiding principles.

This dissertation reports on the narrated experiences of nine adult ESL learners enrolled in an Intensive English Program (IEP) as they negotiated a sense of belonging to new linguistic communities of practice outside of their home countries. In this qualitative multiple-case study, I analyzed first-person accounts of the language socialization process by which the learners’ participation in new social communities resulted in shifts in their social positionings and changes in their self-concept. In my analysis, I drew upon theoretical frameworks that view learning as a situated social practice in which individuals form new identities as a result of their (non)participation in communities of practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991; Wenger, 1998). In order to investigate the research problem, I conducted ethnographic forms of data collection over a six-month period. I became a participant observer in an advanced level Listening and Speaking course during one semester and conducted regular formal classroom observations. In addition to observations, I conducted individual in-depth interviews with the learners, and they participated in a photo-narrative assignment in which they documented their experiences through photography. This camera project culminated in a formal, narrative presentation to the class, which was recorded and used for analysis. The five women and four men who became the focal participants of the study were diverse in age, academic and professional ambitions, and cultural and linguistic background. The findings of the study presented in this dissertation represent my interpretive analysis of the participants’ narratives of departing their home countries and negotiating a meaningful sense of self vis-à-vis the host community as well as the various transmigrant communities that were important to them. The findings show that, through the process of L2 learning and transmigration, the participants constructed migrant identities (Block, 2007), and these identities could be both expansive and restrictive. Additionally, the findings show the ways in which these language learners were agentic in accessing L2 communities and forging attachments within them, and how these moves were designed as “answers” to how they were discursively positioned within the worlds that were important to them. / text

I den här studien har undersökts hörande andraspråksinlärares fonologiska utveckling med avseende på deras förmåga att identifiera ett teckens aspektstruktur, både partiellt och som hela tecken, samt en- och tvåhandstecken. Deras resultat jämfördes sedan med en kontrollgrupp bestående av döva förstaspråkstalare av svenskt teckenspråk. Det har tidigare varit begränsat med studier med fokus på identifiering av tecken. Av den anledningen skapades till denna studie en uppgift som vare sig kräver kunskaper i svenskt teckenspråk eller lingvistiska förkunskaper. Studien består av data som baseras på en kvantitativ och longitudinell undersökning. Vid identifieringen av de aspekterna visade det sig hos båda grupperna att aspekten artikulationsställe var lättast att identifiera, direkt följt av aspekten artikulator och att aspekten artikulation var svårast att identifiera. L2-gruppen presterade bättre och kunde identifiera fler korrekta tecken än L1-gruppen. Båda grupperna presterade emellertid låga resultat. En möjlig orsak till detta kan vara att svarsblanketten inte var tillräckligt tydlig gällande aspekten artikulation. En annan tänkbar orsak är förmågan att memorera visuella komponenter. Vid identifieringen av en- och tvåhandstecken visade det sig för båda grupperna vara enklare att identifiera enhandstecken än tvåhandstecken. Detta bedöms överensstämma med tidigare forskning som visar att tvåhandstecken är fonologiskt och kognitivt mer komplexa än enhandstecken. Vidare forskning med ett större antal deltagare behövs för att kunna se eventuella ytterligare aspekter som kan påverka resultatet. / In this study, the phonological development of hearing L2 learners has been investigated with regard to their ability to identify a sign's aspect structure, both partially and as a whole, and one- vs. two-handed signs. The results were compared to a control group of deaf first language speakers of Swedish sign language. There has previously been a limited number of studies focusing on the identification of signs. For this reason, a task that required no previous knowledge of Swedish Sign Language or linguistics was created for this study. The study is based on data from a quantitative and longitudinal investigation. In the identification of aspects, it is shown that place of articulation was the easiest to identify for both groups, followed by articulator, and lastly articulation, which was the most difficult to identify correctly. The L2 group performed better and could identify a higher number of correct lexical signs than the L1 group. However, both groups scored low results. A possible reason for this is that the test template is not explicit enough about articulation as a aspect. When identifying one- and two-handed signs, it is shown that one-handed signs are easier to identify than two-handed signs, across both groups. This corroborates previous research that shows that two-handed signs are phonologically and cognitively more complex than one-handed signs. Further research with a larger number of participants is encouraged in order to investigate other potentially influencing factors.