The focus of this study is the potential reduction of first language (L1) use during group activities in the second language (L2) classroom through the introduction of L2 support phrases with the goal of enabling learners to carry out three information exchange tasks without resorting to communication in L1. Many language instructors tend to limit group interaction because learners would typically revert to the language they are comfortable with and thus receive less comprehensive input and feedback from peers or get a chance to modify their output in the target language. Group work in the second language classroom is, however, most beneficial as it maximizes the number of turns students take and their overall speech production.  In the study I conducted, the participants were 16 students, forming eight pairs, from beginning Spanish language classes. Those in the L2 support class received linguistic assistance while those in the no L2 support class did not receive any additional help during the three information-exchange activities completed by the participants four to five weeks apart. The transcribed learner-learner interactions were analyzed in order to reveal the extent to which beginning Spanish language learners use the L1 rather than the target language during group work, and to make observations about the communicative functions of the languages used.  The findings revealed that providing L2 support phrases to manage tasks and deliberate over language use did not have an impact on the amount of the use of L1. On the contrary, it demonstrates that verbalizing less in the L1 in learner-learner interactions does not produce more target language. Thus, this study contributes to the theoretical explanation for the use of an L1 during learner-learner interactions, which does not always align with pedagogical practices. / Spanish

Syftet med det praktiknära forskningsprojektet var att förstå hur läraren i undervisningen kan kombinera kunskaper om yrkesämnet med aspekter av läsning och vilka interaktioner det skapade i klassrummet. Vidare analyserades hur lärarens språkliga stöttning synliggjorts i elevernas egna texter samt elevernas tankar om undervisningen utifrån genomförda fokusgruppsintervjuer. Deltagare i studien utgjordes av elever i gymnasieskolan som läser inriktningen Samhällsbyggande och miljö på Teknikprogrammet. Eleverna är inte alltid medvetna om vilka strategier de använder när de läser en faktatext. Resultatet visar dock att eleverna som fått undervisning som inkluderar lässtrategier i ett yrkesämne har större förtrogenhet med ämnets innehåll och ämnesspecifika begrepp. Lärarens arbete med att inkludera läsning skapade interaktioner som väckte elevernas engagemang och gav eleverna fler möjligheter att medvetet välja strategi när de läste en faktatext. / The purpose of the action research project was to understand how the teacher can combine vocational knowledge and include aspects of reading and see what interactions it creates in the classroom. Furthermore, how the teacher's linguistic support was made visible in the students' own texts and in the students' thoughts about the teaching based on focus group interviews is analyzed. Participants in the study consisted of pupils in the upper secondary school who studied the specialization Community building and the Environment at the Technology program. The students are not always aware of which strategies they use when reading a factual text. The result, however, shows that students who have received vocational teaching that include reading strategies have a greater familiarity with the subject’s content and subject-specific concepts. The teacher's work on including reading created interactions that sparked student engagement and gave the students more opportunities to deliberately choose a strategy when reading a factual text.