This study aims to investigate how a number of students who are at the end of a teachers’ educations program in social studies, geography, religion and history interpret that the national curriculums states that every teacher is responsible for students language development and should be supportive of language backgrounds. In the light of the curriculums the study explores how the teacher education students feel that the education has prepared them for teaching children with Swedish as a second language. The study also examines how the teacher education students think that the teacher education could improve in matters like preparing future teachers to teach social studies, geography, religion and history to second language children. The study is based on interviews with seven university students and shows that they feel a responsibility to develop their future students’ language. It also shows that the teacher education students don’t experience that their education has addressed these challenges. The study also reveals that the participants understand the difficulties with teaching second language students. A lot of their thoughts on the subject are similar to what previous research stresses as central to teaching these students despite that the teacher education students don’t feel prepared. The question of possible improvement in the teacher education shows that the participants in the study believe that there is room for improvement in the teacher education regarding second language students.

I den här uppsatsen undersöker jag hur ett antal läroböcker i svenska som andraspråk bidrar med ett interkulturellt perspektiv genom textanalys. Granskningen av läroböckerna utgår fårn Lahdenperäs (2004) interkulturella läroprocesser som utgörs av tre aspekter för lärande och förståelse kring andra och den egna kulturen. Det är ett antal texter från läroböckerna som granskas genom närläsning vilka har valts ut efter läsning av rubrikerna som antyder interkulturalitet. Syftet med min undersökning har varit att ta reda på hur ett interkulturellt perspektiv förmedlas i de utvalda texter som granskats. Undersökningen har visat att läroböckerna stödjer ett interkulturellt perspektiv. Vidare har min granskning visat att läraren har en avgörande roll för det interkulturella perspektivet i undervisningen. / In this essay, I examine how a number of textbooks in Swedish as a second language helps with an intercultural perspective through text analysis. The review of textbooks are based on Lahdenperäs (2004) intercultural learning processes which consists of three aspects of learning and understanding of others and their own culture. There are a number of texts from the textsbooks examined by close reading which were selected after reading the headlines that suggest interculturalism. The purpose of my study was to find out how the intercultural approach is visualized in the selected texts that were examined. The investigation has shown that the textbooks support an intercultural perspective. Furthermore, it shows that teachers have a crucial role for the intercultural perspective as part of the teaching.

The purpose of this study, in the research field of Swedish as a second language, is to investigate whether a connection between form and meaning is established in the pupils’ receptive vocabulary when they play the video game Sweet City in pairs. Two subsidiary purposes are to see whether the use of language scaffolding in the video game affects an vocabulary acquisition and how the situation around the vocabulary tests worked out. The vocabulary change was measured through a pre-test and an instant after-test, hence the focus on the connection between form and meaning. The method was based on Schmitts’ (2010) principles of testing vocabulary change. Because the group was small, with only nine participants, a more qualitative approach was necessary and a discrepancy framework was developed and used to rule out participants’ guessing of target words. The findings show that seven of nine participants had an increase of two to four new words in the connection between form and meaning. Further, the results hint that a use of the video game’s language scaffolding gives a positive effect if used extensively. The discrepancy framework further showed that some participants had guessed extensively in the vocabulary tests, which could have been an effect of a long day of material collection and a desire to get a higher test result.

The aim of this essay is to investigate which of the goals in the syllabus, and with that what knowledge of Swedish, four students taking the SFI (Swedish for Immigrants) level 3 course believed themselves to have attained and to compare their self-assessments with their results on the National Test of Swedish for adult immigrants. The method used for the investigation is the individual interview. In addition to taking the National Test, the participants in the investigation were asked to mark the goals they believe themselves to have attained. The results show that the informants who best demonstrated awareness of their own knowledge are able to talk freely about their knowledge and difficulties, and when they mark the goals they believe they have attained, these correspond, on the whole, to how they responded in the interviews. One of the informants finds it more difficult than the others to assess her knowledge. A comparison between her experiences and the National Test results revealed several inconsistencies. For example, she claims that she can communicate in Swedish, but still she didn’t pass the test.

Sammanfattning Att kunna identifiera och förstå olika varieteter av målspråket är en grundläggande förutsättning för att andraspråksinlärare av svenska ska kunna bli fullständig deltagare i dagens flerspråkiga svenska samhälle. Den här studien har till syfte att explorativt undersöka vuxna andraspråksinlärares tillägnande av kunskaper i språklig variation vad gäller modersmålssvenska och andraspråkssvenska, samt deras sociolingvistiska medvetenhet. Detta testas och analyseras genom olika moment i ett lyssnarexperiment, dvs. hur L2-lyssnare bedömer olika talare, hur de förklarar sin bedömning och hur de uppfattar sig själva jämfört med olika talare. En bakgrundsenkät används för att samla in information om språklig erfarenhet och koppla den till L2-lyssnarnas bedömningar. Resultaten pekar mot att studiens L2-lyssnare varierar väldigt mycket vad gäller kunskaper i variation, och vissa lyssnare verkar även ha helt identiska bedömningar med modersmålskontrollgruppen. Studien har däremot inte kunnat påvisa någon korrelation mellan språklig erfarenhet och L2-lyssnarnas bedömningar. Det presenteras möjliga tolkningar av och förklaringar till vad som kan ha påverkan på L2-lyssnares kunskaper. / Abstract Being able to identify and understand different varieties of the target language is a fundamental condition for learners of Swedish as a second language in order to gain full language proficiency and become a participant in today’s multilingual Swedish society. The present study is an explorative investigation of how adult second language learners acquire knowledge of native and non-native variation in Swedish and of sociolinguistic awareness. A listening experiment is used to collect and analyse data in three steps, i.e. how L2 listeners judge different speakers, how they explain their judgements, and how they perceive their own Swedish compared to different speakers. A questionnaire is used to collect information about language experience and to find correlations between this and L2 listeners’ judgements. The results indicate that L2 listeners’ knowledge of variation varies to a great extent, and that some of them seem to have identical judgements to the native control group. The data in this study does not support that there are any correlations between L2 listeners’ language experience and judgements. Possible interpretations and explanations of what can affect L2 listeners’ knowledge are presented as well.

Denna uppsats utforskade hur ämneslärare i historia anpassar sin undervisning till elever med svenska som andraspråk. Uppsatsens syfte var att undersöka vilka anpassningar som utförs i klassrummet, vilka resultat lärarna ansåg sig få av anpassningarna, men även var lärarna hade fått sina erfarenheter i hur man anpassar undervisning till elever med svenska som andraspråk. Fyra ämneslärare som arbetade på olika högstadieskolor medverkade i arbetet och materialet bestod av intervjuerna med lärarna. Slutsatsen blev att majoriteten av lärarna gjorde anpassningar till elever med svenska som andraspråk. Anpassningarna bestod bland annat av kontextualisering, transspråkande och multimodala medel. Erfarenheterna hade lärarna fått på arbetsplatsen, tidigare arbetsplatser men även genom egen efterforskning. Samtliga lärare kände att lärarutbildningen inte hade förberett dem tillräckligt inför mötet med de elever som har svenska som andraspråk. Resultatet lärarna ansåg att anpassningar gav var högre kunskapsnivå hos eleverna och ökad förståelse hos eleverna.

Motivation spelar en betydande roll för hur inläraren lyckas tillägna sig ett andraspråk, då processen är tidskrävande och fordrar elevens fortsatta engagemang (Gass & Selinker, 2008, s. 426). I ämnet svenska som andraspråk ska, enligt Skolverket, läsning och analys av skönlitteratur ingå (Skolverket, 2011, s. 2). Då böcker med ofta obegriplig text kan upplevas som svåröverkomliga hinder i andraspråksundervisningen kan motivation bli den drivkraft som hjälper eleven att överkomma motgångar och distraktioner i läsandet. Denna närstudie av en åttaårig elev i andraklass avsåg att undersöka hur drama som pedagogiskt verktyg i läsandet av en av skolan tillhandahållen skönlitterär bok påverkade hens motivation och upplevelse av läsningen och hur hen gav uttryck för detta. Studien är sålunda en kvalitativ, fenomenologisk studie av ett barn med engelska som förstaspråk. Audioinspelningar nyttjades för att dokumentera de dramabaserade aktiviteter som användes vid läsandet av boken, samt elevens reaktioner. Till analysen transkriberades delar av inspelningarna. Resultatet visade på att informantens engagemang, inlevelse och motivation beträffande läsningen ökade vid användning av drama. Hen spelade som inför publik, skrek och skrattade, illustrerade fysiskt, gestaltade inlevelsefullt karaktärerna, improviserade, och läste med ökad målmedvetenhet och läsförståelse. Hen gav också verbalt uttryck för sin glädje genom att fråga: ”Can we dramatize it? Please!” / Motivation is an important component of success in second language acquisition, as the process is both time-consuming and involved (Gass & Selinker, 2008, p. 426). According to Skolverket, the reading and analysis of fiction is a subject requirement in Swedish as a second language (Skolverket, 2011, s. 2). Books with incomprehensible words can be perceived as insurmountable obstacles in SLA, and motivation can be the driving force prompting the learner to conquer these unavoidable hurdles and distractions. The aim of this close study of an eight-year-old child in second grade was to analyze how drama as a motivation tool affected the learner’s reading experience and how the child expressed their related feelings. Consequently, the study is a qualitative, phenomenological study of a student with English as their L1. Audio recordings were used to document the drama-related activities used in the reading of the book, as well as the student’s reactions. For the analysis, parts of the recordings were transcribed. The results showed that the student’s commitment, empathy, and motivation regarding the reading increased when drama was used. The learner acted as if they were in front of an audience, laughed and screamed, illustrated with their body, embodied the characters emphatically, improvised, and read with increased conviction and understanding. Additionally, the learner verbally expressed their joy by asking: “Can we dramatize it? Please!”

Corona-pandemin har påverkat utbildningen på många sätt, inte minst för dem som studerar svenska som andraspråk. Interaktion, kommunikation och kollaborativt lärande är viktiga delar av språkinlärning och något som blivit lidande av den påtvingade distansundervisningen. En metod för kollaborativt lärande som med fördel kan genomföras med digitala verktyg är kamratrespons. I denna studie undersöktes hur deltagare på en folkhögskola påverkats av den påtvingade distansundervisningen, med fokus på deras studier i svenska som andraspråk på gymnasienivå, och huruvida ett digitalt kamratresponssystem skulle kunna gynna det kollaborativa lärandet med digitala hjälpmedel. Studien genomfördes med deltagare och lärare på Mångkulturella Folkhögskolan i Göteborg, genom kvalitativa frågeformulär och intervjuer. Det empiriska resultatet visar på en varierad bakgrund bland deltagarna, till viss del försämrad studiemotivation på grund av distansundervisningen, samt en positiv inställning till kamratrespons som en möjlighet att lära av varandra. Tillsammans med tidigare forskning inom språkinlärning, datorstödd språkinlärning och datorstött kollaborativt lärande identifierades ett antal riktlinjer för framtagandet av ett digitalt kamratresponssystem som anses kunna gynna den studerade kontexten. Dessa riktlinjer gestaltas i ett designkoncept som visar ett förslag till hur det digitala kamratresponssystemet skulle kunna se ut. / The Corona pandemic has affected education in many ways, and those studying Swedish as a second language are no exception. Interaction, communication, and collaborative learning are all important factors of successful second language acquisition, all of which have been reduced because of forced remote learning. One method for collaborative learning that can be enhanced using digital tools is peer response. This study has examined how the adult students at a folk high school have been affected by the forced remote learning, focusing on their studies in Swedish as a second language at high-school level. The study also investigates whether a digital peer-response system could benefit the collaborative learning process for the involved students. The study involved students and teachers at Mångkulturella Folkhögskolan in Gothenburg, Sweden, who were asked to participate through an online survey and individual interviews. The empirical result shows a vast diversity among the participants, a somewhat decreased motivation to study due to forced remote learning, and a positive attitude towards peer response as a possibility to learn from each other. Together with previous research in the fields of language acquisition, computer assisted language learning and computer supported collaborative learning, several guidelines have been developed for the development of a digital peer review system that are considered to be favourable for the studied context. These guidelines have been illustrated in a design concept that shows a suggestion as to what the digital peer response system could look like.

This literature study's purpose was to examine the link between linguistic difficulties and mathematical difficulties. The study has examined, with the help of previous research in this field, what links exist between these difficulties. The study listed a sample of research reports and literature concerning students with general linguistic difficulties but also those students who have Swedish as a second language as well as students with dyslexia. The underlying aim of this study was to serve as an inspiration for teachers. It highlights whether there are links between these difficulties, how you as an educator can see these difficulties and handson advice on adaptations that can be made to help these students. The study's results show a clear link between linguistic difficulties and difficulties in mathematics. The study shows that it may be due to many different causes, but that a link exists in many cases. The study also results in adaptations to help teachers and prospective teachers to see the connection between these difficulties, how they can be discovered and how they can be helped.

The purpose of this study is to examine the use and application of the curriculum cycle in Swedish as a second language teaching and how the relationship between theory and practice might look like. The questions that formed the basis of this study addresses how the curriculum cycle is used in teaching of Swedish as a second language and how the curriculum cycle is applied in teaching materials for students learning Swedish as a second language. The research methods chosen for this study are a qualitative semi-structured interview study and a qualitative teaching material analysis where I interviewed three teachers and analyzed two textbooks. The theory on which this study is based is Vygotsky's sociocultural theory of learning that clarifies the idea of that communication and interaction between people are crucial parts for how sociocultural resources are formed and passed on. After analyzing the interviews, it can be concluded that it is used frequently where each phase is essential in order to achieve the goal. The teachers also explained that the students develop cooperation and communication skills and a learning experience where they learn from each other when accomplishing the phases. The other method used in this study was a systematic conceptual analysis focusing on verbs in imperatives where I studied which forms of work and phases of the curriculum cycle that were presented in textbooks for Swedish as a second language. As a result, it can be concluded that the curriculum cycle is applied as a method and a tool with different strategies that help students to achieve a certain goal. The analyses also showed that both teaching materials contain elements where students work individually, in pairs and in groups.