This research identifies and classifies incoming learning behaviours found amongst a sample of English second language first year engineering students. During the research process, it was discovered that students entering university for an engineering/science based degree tend to struggle with the English lecture style and the pace of work at a first year level due to their having been taught in their mother tongue or through the use of code switching in their school years. It was further identified that the students who took part in the sample were highly reliant on notes and lecturers for ‘obtaining knowledge’ that could be utilized in the answering of problems. The findings indicate that English second language students who had been taught in Black schools had a limited view of knowledge that was dependant on received knowledge. It was further found that with the exception of students who had been taught in English only schools, there appeared little correlation between the matriculation aggregates of the students and their first year engineering marks. Where English second language first year engineering students exhibited some learning behaviours that suggest an aptitude for success in higher education, the findings suggest that the students who took part in the study do not feel supported at university. The findings, while complicated in nature, also suggest that university structures and procedures are not responsive to the specific needs of the sample group. It is the recommendation of this study that further research be undertaken amongst a larger sample group if curricular changes amongst first year engineering courses are to be considered.

The Purpose of this study is to examine teachers´view and strategies regarding mathematics education for second language students. Method: The Study is conducted using a qualitative approach, in wich data has been obtained trough interviews and observations. Conclusion: Based on my empirical findings, i conclude that teachers believe they need to find out the reasons behind second langugage students´difficulties in mathematics in order to plan their teaching. By wich this should benefit these students-knowledge development. According to the teachers participating in the study, difficulties in mathematics are due to lacking Swedish language skills and the students´background. By focusing on the langugage during the teaching process and by creating different forms of communications, the circumstances for second language students can be strengthen. This Study indicates that teachers agree that second language students need support in mathematics educstion in order to achieve the learning objectives in rqual terms as the first language students.

The goals of this study were to research the learning difficulties among a group of four pre-university introductory calculus students who were mainly international students studying English as a Second Language (M). The intention was to create a constructivist-style classroom environment in order to determine if it could improve students` knowledge about the use and management of multiple representations (that is, graphical, rum~ symbolic, pictorial, linguistic or diagrammatic approaches for problem representation), increase their classroom communication as a means to improving ability in the modelling of calculus word problems, and to develop, implement and evaluate a teaching package that encouraged the use of multiple representations as a means of improving conceptual understanding. The achievement of these goals was sought by means of the development, implementation and evaluation of a number of calculus extended tasks that encouraged the use of multiple representations. These activities facilitated the compilation of a menu of approaches to the solution of mathematical problems, while the longitudinal nature of the study allowed for the monitoring of student changes in their preferred approach. A traditional calculus curriculum was used for the study, but the instructional emphasis was based more on students' understanding of concepts in a classroom environment utilising a constructivist approach rather than on their memorising computational techniques. Reading, writing, and discussion were emphasised m small group settings to develop language skills and to foster an appreciation of the alternative solution strategies of individual students. / The study was conducted at an International College north of Perth in Western Australia, and the majority of students in the sample were from Non-English-Speaking-Backgrounds (NESB). A range of methods was used to collect qualitative and quantitative data in order to increase the credibility of the research. These methods included audio recordings of structured task-based interviews with each of the four students in the sample; teacher analysis of student worksheets; my classroom observations; the analysis of alternative student conceptions on assessment tasks obtained through post-test interviews, and my personal reflections. Quality controls were employed to ensure the credibility of the data collected. As classroom teacher and principal researcher, it was possible for me to treat each of the four students involved as an individual case study. Descriptive questionnaires were used in order to gain information regarding the course and the use of graphics calculators. The results are applicable to ESL introductory calculus students only, and the nature of the sample implies a number of study limitations detailed in Chapter Five. There was extensive evidence of the benefits of the use of a multi-representational mode and evidence also of the benefits of encouraging the use of a diversity of modes of classroom instruction. Outcomes of the study were qualified by the difficulties ESL students face in coordinating conflicting information and interpreting the language demands of problem presentation. It is expected that this study will assist m extending the knowledge and understanding of the learning difficulties faced by ESL students in the am of pre-university calculus. / Results of this study suggest that instructional material has an important influence on ESL students’ use and management of multiple representations. However, there are often limitations to the influence of the material due to student preferences, mathematical ability and firmly held beliefs as well as on the amount of detail presented in a problem Secondly, small group learning environments based on a constructivist approach were found to influence student ability to model calculus word problems in a positive manner, provided there is teacher support to overcome cognitive obstacles. Finally, it was established that an effective teaching package could be developed to assist ESL students in calculus learning. The teaching package's evaluation highlighted the need for matching language use in problem presentation with the current mathematical language register of each student.

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The purpose of my examination work was to show the need for support for students with another mother-tongue than Swedish, so that these students would be able to get through mathematics tuition better. To achieve this purpose, I chose to start from the perspective that presented itself at interviews with two class teachers and two mother-tongue supervisors. I also chose to use the qualitative research interview as study method, as I tried to understand those informing me in a thorough and in-depth way. In my study I have had a sociocultural perspective as starting point where the conceptions teaching, language and communication, support and individualizing are central for the development of knowledge.  The questions for my study during this process were as follows:  What difficulties, according to the teachers interviewed can occur for second language students in mathematics?  What ways and methods of working do the teachers chosen give priority to, so that   the second language students` results in mathematics will improve?  The results from my interviews show that the difficulties with mathematics for second anguage students can be perceived as being dependent on a combination of reasons, where amongst other things language plays a central part. Difficulties can even arise when the students have other mathematical abilities from their own home environment. Another result shows that even the class teachers are of the opinion that there are difficulties to individualize the teaching in schools with large classes. This can possibly be interpreted that those large classes in the schools can be seen as the reason for the inadequate study results in mathematics, where the students are unable to understand sufficiently suited lessons. These difficulties do not arise for the mother tongue teachers as they sit with each student individually. From these results we see that even the class teachers and mother tongue tutors have different ways and methods of working with mathematic tuition to be able to improve the results in mathematics for second language students. The result of the study shows that all teachers are of the opinion that language is a tool, thus enabling the student to succeed in mathematics. However, there is disagreement between the class teachers and mother tongue tutors, as to whether it is the student’s knowledge of Swedish or their mother tongue that could best help them in their understanding of mathematics. The study also shows that the class teachers believe that it is important that the students are allowed to sit in groups with other students and interact. However, the mother tongue tutors believe that the communication between student and tutor is the most important as they sit with each student individually and believe that the students will develop better in this way. The result of the study also shows that all teachers believe that support and motivation is required for the students to develop. The class teachers also believe that even laboratory material is excellent support for students with difficulties and should be used in teaching. However, the mother tongue tutors believe that laboratory material is good support but say that it is better to work abstractly with mathematics. From the results I am able to see, that the class teachers and mother tongue tutors give priority to different ways and methods of working with mathematics to strengthen second language students.

The aim of this study is to investigate the factors ethnicity and social class and how this affects the language development of elementary school students. To be able to fulfill our purpose with this study, we have selected one question to be answered. The following question is: "How can teachers contribute to language development teaching for students with different ethnicities and social classes in the society?". Our information was gathered from two databases with scientific articles accessible for us students in Malmo University. We have used databases Eric ProQuest and ERIC EBSCO. The searching was done in English for a successful finding of relevant sources and a literature search in survey has been done in the Malmo University's library and well-known researchers. The result, conclusion and discussion has shown that second language students in a low social class have poorer conditions and opportunities for improved language development compared to students in a high social class background. This study also shows that these students have a tendency to lack Swedish language knowledge due to low social class in the family background. The result, conclusion and discussion mostly shows that teachers have a hard time to meet second language students of different social class backgrounds in the best way for their language development. Research in the result chapter shows that social class and ethnicity should be taken into account by teachers in their pedagogical planning. In the socially oriented subjects, teachers should higlight the two factors and neutralize them in the teaching. From this, teachers should keep in mind that the two factors can affect students' language development and hence apply this complexity to the didactic question "who?". To prevent differences in the classroom, can genre pedagogy be a solution to include all pupils to encourage language development, regardless of social or ethnic background in the classroom.

The purpose of the study is to incrase knowledge about the support available in teaching materials in biology, physics and chemistry for grades 1-3, to strengthen students who have Swedish as a second language. In the Swedish school, there are many students who have a mother tongue other than Swedish. Based on the study criteria, the selection landed on two teaching materials, the Book of NO and the Pulse NO book. These two teaching materials have been analyzed with a qauntitative content analysis and a qualitative text analysis. In the quantitative content analysis, a frequency table was produced that contains subject-specific words and concepts. In the qualitative text analysis, lookups were analyzed from a multimodal perspective with the support of a framework. The framework is based on compositions of text, image, colors, signs and symbols to make visible how a textbook is structured. The content was analyzed from a second language perspective regarding the students´understanding. In the quantitative frequency table, there were many subject-specific words, concepts, explanatory text and pictures, which indicates that there are explanations to support second language students. The results show that the multiomodal aspects of textbooks, which aim to help and clarify subject-specific words and concepts for second language students in their understanding, do not always do so. It turned out that there were gaps in the interaction between text and image. The study shows that there is a difference between the textbooks. One textbook clarifies the understanding of the concept more through better interaction with images, while the other textbook does not make it as clear. / Syftet med studien är att öka kunskapen om vilket stöd det finns i läromedel i biologi, fysik och kemi för årskurs 1-3, för att stärka elever som har svenska som andraspråk. I den svenska skolan finns det många elever som har ett annat modersmål än svenska. Baserat på studiens kriterier landade urvalet på två läromedel, Boken om NO och Puls NO-boken.Dessa två läromedel har analyserats med en kvantitativ innehållsanalys och en kvalitativ textanalys. I den kvantitativa innehållsanalysen producerades en frekvenstabell som innehåller ämnesspecifika ord och begrepp. I den kvalitativa textanalysen analyserades uppslag ur ett multimodalt perspektiv med stöd av ett ramverk. Ramverket bygger på kompositioner av text, bild, färg tecken och symboler för att synliggöra hur en lärobok är uppbyggt. Innehållet analyserades ut ett andraspråksperspektiv med hänsyn till elevernas förförståelse. I den kvantitativa frekvenstabellen fanns det många ämnesspecifika ord, begrepp, förklarande text oh bilder, vilket tyder på att det finns förklaringar för att stödja andraspråksstudenter. Resultaten visar att de multimodala aspekten av läroböcker, som syftar till att hjälpa och förtydliga ämnesspecifika ord och begrepp för andraspråkselever i deras försåelse, inte alltid gör det. Det visade sig att det fanns luckor i interaktionen mellan text och bild. Studien visar att det finns en skillnad mellan läroböckerna. En lärobok klargör förståelsen av begreppen mer genom bättre interaktion med bilder, medan den andra läroboken inte gör det lika tydligt.

Today’s modern society is multicultural, school is therefore a meeting place for pupils withdifferent experiences, prior knowledge, and mother tongue. Second language students whohave not yet developed good skills in various subject languages, face several challenges inupper secondary school. To succeed in different school subjects these students need todevelop language that is specialized for each school subject. The purpose of this study is toexamine how social science teachers in the upper secondary school experience and work withsecond language students who have difficulties with content-based language. The appliedmethod in the study is qualitative interviews. The theoretical framework is based on differentconcepts of literacy to analyze the results. The results in this study show that the teachers useboth similar and different methods to develop second language students’ understanding ofconcepts, reading, and writing skills, subject language, and subject knowledge. However,several differences between teachers’ perceptions and approaches are also discerned. Theteachers in this study understand the importance of placing the language in focus within thesubject, however some of the teachers experience difficulties with integrating language andsubject into the teaching.

The problem addressed in this project is the high attrition rate among English as Second Language (ESL) students in a local community college associate degree nursing program. If the retention problem is addressed, the increase in the number of ESL nursing student graduates could result in a more diverse nursing workforce, reflecting the diversity of the community. The purpose of this study was to examine student and faculty views regarding factors that contribute to the academic success and retention of ESL students. To that end, a qualitative case study approach was used, guided by the theoretical frameworks of Cummins's contextual interaction theory and Freire's and Mezirow's transformational learning theory. By using purposeful sampling, 8 ESL students and 5 faculty members were interviewed in both structured and unstructured interviews. The data were decoded using Nvivo computer software to establish themes and categories for analysis. The themes pointed to faculty lacking: (a) cultural awareness and sensitivity, (b) knowledge of the academic needs of ESL students, (c) knowledge of teaching strategies to accommodate the learning of ESL students, and (d) skills to prepare ESL students for what to expect. The findings led to creating a professional development workshop for faculty and led to recommending that the director and dean of the nursing program make it mandatory for faculty to continue their education on skills to improve academic success of ESL students. The findings suggest administrators should make cultural awareness competency compulsory. These efforts and faculty training may result in broader positive social change for ESL students and faculty, administrators, and the community, improving the number of graduating nurses to serve a diverse patient population.

<p>Upp till 15 % (Statistiska centralbyrån, 2005) av barnen i Sverige har en utländsk bakgrund. Detta innebär bl. a. att andelen elever med en annan språklig och kulturell bakgrund kommer att öka. Det är därför angeläget att lärare utvecklar en kompetens att undervisa barn och ungdomar som har ett annat modersmål än svenska.</p><p>I detta arbete kommer jag att fokusera på att göra en genomgång av litteratur som innefattar matematikundervisningen med fokus på andraspråkselever. En intervjuundersökning med tre berörda lärare som undervisar i matematik i en förberedelseklass på en gymnasieskola har också genomförts. Frågorna i intervjuerna behandlar matematikundervisningen för elever, som har ett annat modersmål än svenska. Det är frågor rörande undervisningsmiljö, bl. a. hur lärare kommunicerar med elever som inte kan svenska än; om det utgör en skillnad ifall den nytillkomne eleven redan har vissa matematiska kunskaper från hemlandet; hur planerar lärare undervisningen för en elev på vägen till betyget, vilka hjälpmedel använder lärare i undervisningen. Jag tog även upp frågor om samarbete mellan matematiklärare och hemspråkslärare.</p><p>Resultaten av min studie visar att andraspråkseleverna lyckas mindre bra än svensktalande elever pga. språket. Även de elever som klarar vardagssvenska relativt bra har svårt att förstå matematisk terminologi och även svenskan i matematiska sammanhang. När en lärare inte kan elevens hemspråk provar sig läraren fram genom något gemensamt tredje språk. Det används matematiklexikon från Skolverket och även hemspråkslexikon. Lärare uppmuntrar elever att skriva egna glosor. Läraren använder mycket visuella material i sitt dagliga arbete, så som bilder, kort, skisser, OH bilder. Laborativa medel som litermått, decilitermått, måttband, våg, kubikmeter, kubikcentimeter. Dessutom använder läraren matematiska ramsor, soduku, matematiska spel, vardagsföremål. Lärare använder även sin egen kropp och gester för att förklara matematiska relationsbegrepp, så som större – mindre, högre – lägre osv.</p> / <p>Because of the large and increasing number of second-language students, teachers should develop the competence in mathematics education of minority students.</p><p>This essay focuses on findings in the literature about education in mathematics of minority students. Three teachers who are teaching mathematics in the prepare-class at gymnasium were interviewed.</p><p>Following issues are discussed, the professional attitudes to educational environment, communication with the new-arrived students; if the mathematical knowledge from the land of origin makes the possible difference; how education is planned in order to give certification; which practical teaching aids are used in the education. Further cooperation between the native-language teacher and mathematics teacher is discussed.</p><p>In the situations, when students can not speak Swedish, the teacher and the student use sometimes another language which is common for them both. A lot of practical aids are used in the education. Even mathematical strings of words, soduku, mathematical games, and everyday-used articles are widely used. Body language and gests are generally used to explain the mathematical relation concepts.</p>