In this dissertation I have examined bilingual families’ attitudes towards their children’s bilingualism and code switching. My research questions are how and when the informants’ children mix between their languages and if the parents have positive or negative attitudes towards their children’s language mixture. I have also asked what the bilingual families feel about bilingualism. As a method I have chosen to make qualitative interviews with my informants. Three families have been interviewed with different languages and backgrounds. The results indicate that bilingualism confers an increased interest for language and increased language awareness. Some of the informants state that their children often switch between the languages while others do not mix at all. The informants have a very positive attitude towards bilingualism and they do not see a problem in their children’s code switchingMother tongue, code switching, consecutive and sequential bilingualism, majority and minority language

View description: The purpose of this study is to investigate in what way the mother tongue language education integrates in a compulsory school activities and also which significance it has to the students who studies mother tongue language. My questions are following: How does the cooperation look like between mother tongue languages teacher, teacher and principal? How do students perceive the mother tongue language education? How does the mother tongue language education take place at the school? Method: This investigation is classified as a qualitative study and consists of theoretical points and empirical material such as interviews and observations.  Based on hermeneutic view of tradition which means that I interpret all my material. Results: My results of this study is that the mother tongue language education does not integrate with the other school activities and the mother tongue language teachers does not cooperate with other teachers or principal at this school. The reason for this is mainly because the mother tongue language teachers work situation. I´ve also seen that language has to do with the creation of a personal identity. The students who studies mother tongue language education is generally happy with this type of education but agrees with that they only can use their mother tongue language outside school and at the mother tongue language education. Ann Ludvigsson writes in her thesis about how important it with the cooperation between teachers and how that can be good for the students development (Ludvigsson 2009:19-22).

This research is about different perspectives, offered by three mother tongue teachers, one principal and also featuring a representative from Skolverket, on the subject: teacher legitimation for mother tongue teachers, mother tongue teachers opportunity for competence education and the future of mother tongue education in Sweden. The theoretical framework is mother tongue language, globalization, the post-colonial theory, power and social inequality. A qualitative approach was used including five interviews taken place in Stockholm, the results does not however represent the whole country nor the community of Stockholm itself. The result shows that mother tongue teachers thinks the teacher legitimation does not mean anything regarding their already low-status. Even principal and representative from Skolverket express their concern towards the 'non-demand' for mother tongue teachers to get their legitimation and they feel there is a lack of ambition from decisonmakers to include the mother tongue teachers. As per today there is no higher education for mother tongue teachers leading towards an exam. Mother tongue teachers are worried about their future although principal and representant takes a bright outlook.

Abstract The aim of the study was to examine how preschool teachers from two different municipalities are working with native language support. The method used in this study was a questionnaire survey were 58 preschool teachers participated. It has been shown in a study made in the USA by Galeano (2011) that families from other countries lose their native language faster during recent years than they did before, this may be because families let the English language dominate in the home instead of using their native language. When children start school they are offered mother tongue education, but often it’s not of much use since the students already have a basic speech in English (Galeano, 2011). A study conducted in schools in England showed that mother tongue education is deficient when students get questions on their native language but they choose to answer the teachers in English instead. This is one of the reasons how students lose the ability to speak their mother tongue but they still have the ability to understand what is being said (Cable, Drury & Robertson, 2014). This study shows that many of the preschool teachers that were questioned in the study did not have enough experience when it comes to working with native language support. The preschool teachers felt that they didn’t have good enough guidance to how the work with native language support should proceed in the best way. They couldn’t bring up the issues of language support with parents or answer their questions without double checking with the preschool heads or principals. Most of the preschool teachers know the importance of language support as it makes it easier for kids to become part of the preschool group and that they easier learn Swedish as a second language. Many preschool teachers had to take own initiatives to give children support in their native language, this because many preschools do not have access to mother tongue teachers or interpreter. / Abstrakt Syftet med studien är att se hur förskollärare från två olika kommuner arbetar med modersmålsstöd Undersökningsmetoden som användes var en enkätundersökning där 58 förskollärare deltog. Det har visat sig i studier bland annat i USA att familjer med andra ursprungsland förlorar sitt modersmål snabbare i dagsläget än de gjorde förr då familjerna låter det engelska språket dominera i hemmet istället för att använda sig av modersmålet. När barnen kom upp i skolåldern så erbjöds de modersmålsundervisning men ofta så räcker inte modersmålsundervisning till i skolan då eleverna redan har ett grundläggande tal i till exempel engelska (Galeano, 2011). En studie som gjordes i skolorna i England visade att modersmålsundervisningen är bristfällig då eleverna får frågor på respektive modersmål men att de svarar läraren på engelska istället för modersmålet. Detta bidrar till att eleverna tappar förmågan att tala modersmålet men att de fortfarande har kvar förmågan att förstå vad som sägs (Cable, Drury & Robertson, 2014). I följande studie kände många av förskollärarna att de inte hade någon riktig rutin kring arbetet med modersmålsstöd och de saknade bra vägledning till hur arbetet skulle gå tillväga på bästa sätt, de kunde inte själva ta upp frågorna kring modersmålsstöd med föräldrarna utan var tvungna att samtala med förskolechefer eller rektorer innan de kunde besvara föräldrarnas frågor. Samtliga förskollärare visste att det är viktigt med modersmålsstöd då det underlättar för barnen att komma in i verksamheten samt att de lättare lärde sig svenska som andra språk. Många förskollärare tar egna initiativ till att ge barnen stöd i deras modersmål då många förskolor saknar tillgång till modersmålspedagog eller tolk.

PhD (English) / Department of English / This research assesses how the choice of a particular medium of instruction supports Primary Class Three (P.3) pupils’ academic performance in literacy. The need for this research has been occasioned by the inconsistencies that exist in Ghana’s language-in-education policy. The current language-in-education policy allows for only the dominant language of the community, in which a school is situated, to be used as medium of instruction, even when pupils speak different languages in one P.3 classroom. The research adopts a mixed methodology approach and uses purposive sampling technique to select a total sample of 317 participants. This number comprises pupils, teachers, parents and other stakeholders in education from 8 schools within 3 municipalities in the Greater Accra region of Ghana. Five (5) of the schools use English medium of instruction and three (3) schools use Ghanaian language or mother-tongue. Data collection tools for the research are interviews, participant’s observations, video recordings and diagnostic tests. The main finding, based on the test results of the research, establishes that when mother-tongue and English are compared as mediums of instruction from Kindergarten One (KG1) up to P. 3, there is no significant difference pupils’ academic results in literacy. In view of this, the research advocates for further debate on other factors that support pupils academic performance in literacy, in addition to mother-tongue and English medium of instruction in lower primary schools.

Syftet med uppsatsen är att få en djup förståelse kring pedagogers förhållningssätt till flerspråkighet.

The study was aimed at investigating challenges hampering mother-tongue education with special reference to Afan Oromo in the Eastern Hararge Zone, the Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia. The study mainly explored the available learning materials and the skilled teachers in mother-tongue education, attitudinal factors, the extent of stakeholders’ support for mother-tongue education, parents’ education and their awareness about education through mother tongue and parent school involvements. In the study, the researcher used a mixed method approach in which both quantitative and qualitative research designs were employed to corroborate the data obtained through one method by using other methods to minimise limitations observed in a single design. In the quantitative design, survey questionnaires were employed. Accordingly, 634 primary school teachers and 134 students were randomly selected and asked to fill the questionnaires. These quantitative data were analysed through the SPSS software and responses were analysed using the percentages and the chi-square. Qualitative data obtained through in-depth interviews and observations were analysed using thematic approaches. Documents on education policy, constitutions of the country and reports of the Ministry of Education of Ethiopia were also consulted and integrated with the analyses of the data. The study generally suggests unless strong political and administrative supports are given and public awareness about the mother tongue use in education and development is created, the effort to make Afan Oromo the language of education, intellectuals and development may remain fruitless. In this respect, all the stakeholders, intellectuals and leaders must work together to overcome challenges and dilemmas that impede the implementation of mother-tongue education. The practical works on the ground should match with the language policy of the country. Popular awareness raising activities and mobilization of the communities should be carried out carefully to involve all the communities / African Languages

This qualitative study looks into some Kenyan school teachers strategies in the multilingual environment they work in. The school of this study uses a foreign language as the medium of instruction, instead of the mother tongue culturally spoken by both teachers and students. It presents some of the strategies observed and at the same time looks closely into the possible positive and negative outcomes it has on the students learning. It also looks into the reason for why the medium of instruction is another than mother tongue and the cultural effects of this. By observations and interviews data has been collected and presented aiming to show the teachers thoughts about their working situation, and also their thoughts about their role in the classroom.

In finding ways to help students achieve their goals and become productive members of society, mere categorization of students as successful or unsuccessful is insufficient. Hence, in this report, I explore the literature to understand the connections between the construct of underachievement and other such aspects as motivation, anxiety, attitude, cognitive ability, self-efficacy, and learning strategies that are also related to underachievement and may play a crucial role in its reversal. I propose an organization of a lesson plan based on the use of the mother tongue in order to reverse low achievement while specifically delving into the Indian context when learning English as a second language. / text

This study is a qualitative action research that I have undertaken with four teachers in the college where I work, for the purpose of improving curriculum delivery and student services to our majority multilingual student body. Based on my research in a public school board with Grades 4 to 12 students where I learned that mother tongues (L1s) are valued by students as scaffolds to their learning of English (L2) I proceeded to explore L1/L2 curriculum delivery with adult community college students whose prior learning is encoded in their mother tongues. I explored the possibility of legitimizing the use of students’ mother tongues in college classrooms as scaffolds to their acquisition of their L2. There were three phases to this study. Through these three phases of the study I sought to understand the impact of this multilingual pedagogical approach on the students’ learning experience, academic engagement and identity formation. In phase 1, I worked with 90 English as a Second Language (ESL) students whom I surveyed to determine their levels of understanding of our English-only curriculum delivery and student services. In phase 2, I worked with three English for Academic Purposes (EAP) students and interviewed them to explore their reaction to their teacher’s allowing them to use their mother tongues in class as part of pedagogy. In phase 3, I worked with 19 EAP students and interviewed them in focus groups to explore more deeply their learning experience, academic engagement and identity formation in two college classrooms where their mother tongues were part of everyday pedagogy. On the basis of the findings of this study I argue that the creation of space for students’ mother tongues in college classrooms is an ethical imperative since their mother tongues are integral components of their identities and all of their prior learning and life experiences are encoded in their mother tongues. Overall the findings highlighted bilingual students’ perceptions that their L1s constituted an important scaffold for their learning of English. Students’ comments also expressed their sense of the centrality of L1s to aspects of their identity.