In this essay, the published ELT coursebook ECHO 6 is critically examined. The focus of the examination is the communicative opportunities within ECHO 6. These opportunities are analyzed and concretized with help from the Swedish Curriculum for English 6. In the results section, the communicative opportunities within five selected chapters are explored in depth. Later, these chapters are discussed and contrasted with relevant literature about English teaching in general as well as communicative language teaching. Our conclusion is that ECHO 6 does provide students with several opportunities to communicate and develop communicative skills in English. However, there are essential parts missing in order for the textbook to be completely communicative.   Key words: Language teaching, ECHO 6, communication, communicative language teaching (CLT), students, teacher, language skills and language systems.

This dissertation deals with the language skills of the preschool children in comparison with the expected competences. The main aim of this dissertation is to discover the level of the preschool children language skills and to compare them with the expected competences. The additional aim is to ascertain the activities used by the pedagogues to evolve the language skills of the preschool children. The methods of the language skills development, the support of the communication and language skills in the nursery school and the factors influencing language skills are described on the base of the professional literature in the theoretic parts of this dissertation. The proposal of the solution for the pedagogue's work efficiency improvement and preschool children language skills quality improvement is composed on the base of the testing and the survey.

The purpose of this experimental study is to make a comparison of the progress made in reading and language skills by the regular teaching procedure and the remedial teaching procedure to see whether any significant differences would be manifested in pupil progress when taught by the remedial teaching procedure.

Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka de didaktiska val förskollärare gör i samband med läsvilan. Empirin till studien samlades in genom en kvalitativ metod med semistrukturerade intervjuer med fem förskollärare. Analysen av empirin gjordes med hjälp av en fenemenografisk analysmodell i sju steg som synliggör hela analysprocessen. Läsvilan är en aktivitet som vanligtvis förläggs efter lunch i svenska förskolor. Barnen som deltar på läsvilan är de som inte längre sover på dagen under sin tid på förskolan. Läsvilan ses traditionellt som en aktivitet där förskollärarna läser högt ur en bok i syfte att barnen ska varva ner. Studiens resultat visade att förskollärarna gör didaktiska val där de beaktar de didaktiska frågorna: vad, hur och varför inför läsvilan. Resultatet visade att förskollärarna använder läsvilan som ett sätt att utveckla barns språk samt till att kompensera för brist på högläsning i hemmet hos vissa barn. Dessutom synliggör denna studie att förskollärarna gör medvetna val när de väljer böcker att högläsa ur vid läsvilan samt hur förskollärarna menar att högläsning är språkutvecklande för barnen. Studien pekar vidare på att förskollärare gör didaktiska val vid utformandet av förskolans läsmiljö där de dessutom i en del fall tar hjälp av bibliotek och vårdnadshavare. / The aim of this study was to investigate the didactic choices preschool teachers make in the so-called reading rest. This qualitative study was conducted via semi-structured interviews with five preschool teachers. The data has been analyzed with phenomenographic analysis model, which is based on seven different analysis steps that make the entire analysis process visible.  The reading rest is an activity that in most cases takes place after lunch in Swedish preschools. The ones who attend at the reading rest are the children who no longer sleep during daytime at the preschool. The reading rest is traditionally seen as an activity that preschool teachers use to make children unwind when they read a book aloud. However, the findings in this study suggests that preschool teachers consider the didactic questions: what, how and why (our translation) before conducting the reading rest. The preschool teachers use the reading rest as an ability to teach children language skills and in addition compensate for the lack of reading in the children's home environment for some children. Furthermore, this study reveals that preschool teachers make didactical choices when choosing books to read aloud, and how they perceive reading aloud helps develop children's language skills. Moreover, this study suggests that preschool teachers make didactical choices when they choose and deploy their preschools reading environment, making it easily accessible for the children. Additionally, some of the preschool teachers create this reading environment by incorporating libraries and parents in the process.

Syftet med den här studien är att undersöka hur lärare på mellanstadiet undervisar språkutvecklande för att främja den muntliga förmågan hos flerspråkiga elever. Studien tar sin utgångspunkt i den sociokulturella teorin. För att besvara studiens syfte och frågeställningar har observation och intervju använts som insamlingsmetod. Genomförandet av observationer gjordes i tre klassrum på olika skolor i södra Sverige. Vidare genomfördes semistrukturerade intervjuer muntligt med lärarna som deltog under respektive observation. Studiens resultat pekar bland annat på att smågruppssamtal är ett främjande arbetssätt för den flerspråkiga elevens muntliga utveckling. Smågruppssamtal bidrar till muntlig kommunikation där eleverna får lyssna, prata och repetera tillsammans. I arbetet med flerspråkiga elevers muntliga förmåga, framkommer det också att boksamtal är ett främjande arbetssätt som bidrar till att elever vågar uttrycka sig muntligt. Lärarna anser dock att det saknas resurser och förutsättningar för att utveckla flerspråkiga elevers muntliga förmåga på ett sätt som hade önskats.

In the current study, we synthesize recent research on digital game-based learning and itspotential effect on the speaking and interaction skills of young learners of English as a secondlanguage. Various relevant studies enlisting different methodologies are reviewed todetermine how digital games affect speaking and interaction skills and the role of motivationin the process. A common conclusion from the reviewed results is that digital games motivatelearners to develop their speaking and interaction skills. In addition, the studies reveal thatlearners who play digital games tend to have a higher level of proficiency.

This study aims to investigate vocabulary activities provided in English workbooks for year 9 students in Sweden. Vocabulary knowledge is an important part of language proficiency in the L2 and should therefore be supported by adequate activities. An analysis of vocabulary activities in existing workbooks allows for to investigate of which aspects of vocabulary knowledge (as defined by Nation, 2001, referred to in Brown, 2010, pp. 83-84) are presented and how they are addressed; this kind of analysis may have implications for teaching. The results show that the focus is on meaning and the written form of words by requiring the students to work with definitions through writing and reading. The findings indicate that the methods suggested by Zhang and Lu (2015) regarding contextualised language use and the suggestions by Brown (2010) and Neary-Sundquist (2015) regarding the aspects of vocabulary knowledge are only followed to an extent. The knowledge requirements and core content for year 9 in Sweden are discussed as an explanation as to why some aspects of vocabulary knowledge are not addressed or only addressed in certain language skills. Additionally, possible interpretations are discussed as to why working at the individual word level in vocabulary activities is commonly based on the interplay between the textbooks- and workbooks. The present study illustrates how teaching materials (i.e., workbooks) do not seem to support vocabulary learning adequately.

The purpose of this study aims to examine teachers' perspectives on the use of short stories in the English classroom at the upper secondary level in one municipality in Stockholm, Sweden. The study is a qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews with 6 English teachers. The theoretical framework underscores different implications and advantages of teaching literature in the classroom. These implications regard the use of authentic literary texts and their advantages. The theoretical framework also gives a definition of the terms multiculturalism and interculturality. The results suggest that teachers use short stories in order to motivate students to read more because they are shorter than longer texts. Teachers reported advantages in student motivation, a sense of accomplishment, and enhancement of language skills when teaching short stories. Moreover, short stories are seen by teachers as versatile tools that cater to different students' learning abilities. The short stories that the teachers select to work with come from their own interests. When selecting short stories, the teachers always have in mind to be sensitive in order not to offend anyone or for it to be culturally sensitive. Some teachers vary their literature by choosing works from around the world to present different perspectives. The short stories that the teachers select contain authentic language that presents different views that the students can discuss in order to understand. The results indicate that teachers find that cultural aspects are embedded within the stories and could be discussed from different perspectives in the multicultural classroom.

Deficits in communication are one of the major features among individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a difficulty that affects all aspects of language. The present study applied an intervention strategy previously applied by Somers et al. (2014) to teach children with ASD to mand for information about location by using the words “where” and “Which.” The study applied a multiple probes design across settings to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention. The procedure was effective, and the participant acquired manding skills and was able to generalize these skills with novel items. / Applied Behavioral Analysis

Thesis (M Speech Path)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Various approaches to the communication-development of the young child with a hearing impairment exist, of which the auditory-verbal approach is one. This approach is based on the principle that the child with a hearingimpairment develops speech- and language skills by using his/her residual hearing that is appropriately strengthened with the use of a hearing aid and/or cochlear implant. One of the most important requirements for the successful application of this approach is the appropriate transfer of the techniques and strategies that is used in institution-based intervention to the child’s home environment. Parents, teachers, speech-language therapists and audiologists are responsible for facilitating the transfer of intervention methods and acquired skills to the home environment and it is important that all team members are aware of his/her own, as well as each other’s roles, in the application of this approach. The principal aim of the proposed research project was to describe and explain the perceptions of parents/caregivers, teachers, speech-language therapists and audiologists, that are involved in the intervention of the hearing impaired child, regarding the auditory-verbal approach to education. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine parents of hearing impaired children younger than the age of four, and with four teachers that are involved in the education of the said children. Lastly, semi-structured interviews were held with four speech-language therapists and two audiologists that are involved in the provision of the intervention to hearing impaired children younger than four years. All the participants were affiliated with a specific centre for children with hearing impairment in the Western Cape province of South Africa. All the participants noted that parents must take part in the decision-making process with regards to the selection of the most suitable communication approach for their child with a hearing loss. Participants also agreed that most parents choose the auditory-verbal approach to communication development of their child because speech as a communication medium, is familiar to them and it is also associated with normality. Parents also indicated that the auditory-verbal approach is the most suitable approach for all children with a hearing loss. Teachers, speech-language therapists and audiologists did not completely agree with the parents as they mentioned some aspects, e.g. the presence of additional disabilities must be taken into account before a decision can be made regarding whether the child with hearing loss could follow the auditory-verbal approach to communication development. All participants displayed a positive attitude towards the auditory-verbal approach and it appears that parents, teachers, speech-language therapists and audiologists have good insight into the principles and outcomes of this approach. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Daar bestaan verskeie benaderings tot kommunikasie-ontwikkeling by die jong kind met gehoorverlies waarvan die ouditief-verbale benadering een opsie is. Hierdie benadering is gebaseer op die beginsel dat die kind met gehoorverlies spraak- en taalvaardighede ontwikkel deur gebruik te maak van hulle residuele gehoor wat deur middel van die gebruik van ‘n gehoorapparaat en/of kogleêre inplanting toepaslik versterk word. Een van die belangrikste vereistes vir die suksesvolle toepassing van die benadering is toepaslike oordrag van die tegnieke en strategieë wat in terapie gebruik word, na die kind se tuisomgewing. Ouers, onderwysers, spraak-taalterapeute en oudioloë speel ‘n baie belangrike rol om hierdie oordrag na alledaagse kontekste te fassiliteer en dit is belangrik dat elke spanlid bewus is van sy/haar rol asook die ander lede se rolle in die toepassing van die benadering. Die hoofdoelwit van die voorgestelde navorsingsprojek was om ouers/versorgers, onderwyseresse, spraaktaalterapeute en oudioloë, betrokke by die intervensie en opvoeding van die kind met gehoorverlies, se persepsies rakende die ouditief-verbale benadering tot opvoeding te beskryf en te verduidelik. Tydens die studie is daar semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude gevoer met onderskeidelik nege ouers van kinders, jonger as vier-jaar oud, met gehoorgestremdheid en met vier onderwyseresse wat betrokke is by die die opvoeding van genoemde ouers se kinders met gehoorverlies. Laastens is daar ook semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude gevoer met vier spraak-taalterapeute en twee oudioloë wat betrokke is by die verskaffing van intervensie aan kinders met gehoorverlies, jonger as vier-jaar oud. Al die deelnemers was verbonde aan ’n spesifieke sentrum vir kinders met gehoorverlies in die Wes-Kaap provinsie van Suid Afrika. Al die deelnemers het aangedui dat ouers betrek word by die besluitnemingsproses rakende die keuse van die mees geskikte kommunikasie-benadering vir die kind met gehoorverlies. Deelnemers het almal saamgestem dat ouers meestal die ouditief-verbale benadering tot kommunikasie-ontwikkeling vir hulle kind kies omdat spraak as kommunikasiemedium bekend is aan die ouers en verband hou met normaliteit. Ouers het aangedui dat die ouditief-verbale benadering die mees toepaslike benadering is vir enige kind met gehoorverlies. Onderwyseresse, spraak-taalterapeute en oudioloë het nie volkome saam met die ouers gestem nie en hulle het genoem dat daar sekere aspekte, byvoorbeeld die teenwoordigheid van bykomende gestremdhede, is wat oorweeg moet word voor daar besluit word of die kind die ouditief-verbale benadering tot kommunikasieontwikkeling moet volg. Deelnemers het oor die algemeen ‘n positiewe houding getoon teenoor die ouditief-verbale benadering en dit wil voorkom asof ouers, onderwyseresse, spraak-taalterapeute en oudioloë goeie begrip toon van die beginsels en uitkomstes van die benadering.