This research study presents an investigation of interpreter trainees acquiring New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) as a second language (L2) outside their formal classroom learning. This study was motivated firstly by a concern that a considerable reduction in learner and lecturer contact hours within an NZSL interpreting programme would compromise graduate NZSL competency, necessitating a compensatory approach predominantly in the context of the Deaf community. Secondly, the study attempts to address a marked gap in research related to L2 sign language learning from a socio-cultural perspective. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in a bilingual context (NZSL and English) in order to gain the ‘inside’ perspectives of six NZSL learners who had just completed a two-year Diploma in Sign Language Interpreting. The interviews sought to uncover the informal NZSL language learning opportunities used by the participants, especially within the social context of the Deaf community, and the individual learner strategies utilised by ‘good learners’ of NZSL. Interview data were transcribed and were analysed by employing qualitative methods. Coding of the data revealed a number of categories which were subsequently examined for salient themes relating to the research questions. The main findings of the study revolved around the significance of L2 learner access to social and material resources, especially within the Deaf socio-cultural context. Of particular significance was the enhancement of learner motivation and confidence as was the frequency and depth of interaction with Deaf people and degree of mediated NZSL learning from NZSL mentors. Of key importance were the social relationships and networks developed with L1 users, which facilitated access to an array of NZSL learning opportunities. Material language learning resources, such as NZSL video samples and equipment were also useful, when interaction with Deaf people was not possible due to heavy study demands, especially in the second year of the programme. Learner involvement in the Deaf community, particularly within Deaf social networks, resulted in significantly improved linguistic, pragmatic and socio-cultural competency. The findings of the study raise two main implications. Firstly, the study highlights the need for NZSL interpreting curriculum enrichment and the resourcing of the programme to foster learner autonomy. Secondly, to date there has been little research on adult L2 sign language learning outside the classroom context and the study may stimulate further studies of the acquisition of sign language as a second language. The study may also be of benefit to autonomous L2 sign language learners and stakeholders in sign language interpreting education around the world.

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur digitala verktyg används i den undervisning av elever i matematiksvårigheter som forskningen studerat, samt vilka effekter denna undervisning har på elevernas matematiska utveckling och lärande. Metoden för detta arbete är en systematisk litteraturstudie, där 30 forskningsstudier inom området kartläggs och analyseras. Forskningsfältet analyseras översiktligt, följt av en fördjupad analys. Resultatet av litteraturstudien tyder på en stor variation kring de digitala verktygens användningsområden. Av studien framgår att digitala verktyg används för att låta elever följa instruktioner och lösa matematiska uppgifter, att undervisa med virtuellt laborativt material, för anpassningar och som hjälpmedel, för att kommunicera och ge återkoppling, för en spelbaserad undervisning samt för mängdträning och repetition i matematik. Resultatet tyder överlag på positiva effekter av en undervisning med digitala verktyg på elever i matematiksvårigheter gällande lärande och utveckling i matematik. Resultatet tyder även på att den undervisning som framgår av forskningsstudierna till övervägande del går ut på att eleven interagerar med det digitala verktyget på egen hand. Detta resultat diskuteras utifrån ett sociokulturellt perspektiv på kunskap och lärande. Implikationer för vidare forskning och konsekvenser för undervisning diskuteras. / The purpose of this study is to investigate how digital tools are used in the teaching of students in mathematical diffuculties that research has studied, and the effects of this teaching on the students’ mathematical development and learning. The method for this study is a systematic review, where 30 research studies are charted and analyzed. The field of research is surveyed, followed by a profound analysis. The results of the study indicates that there is a great variety in the use of digital tools. The study shows that digital tools are used by letting students follow instructions and solve mathematical problems, for teaching with virtual manipulatives, as accommodations and support tools, for communication and feedback, for game-based learning and for increasing the amount of mathematical practice and repetition. The overall results indicate positive effects of teching with digital tools on mathematical learning and development of students in mathematical difficulties. The results also indicate that the teaching methods in the research studies are mainly based on letting the students interact with the digital tools on their own. This result is discussed based on a sociocultural perspective on knowledge and learning. Implications for further research and practice are discussed.

The role of the choir leader is a complex one. When working with a choir, choir leaders often use several aspects of their professional role. The aim of this qualitative study is to describe, verbalise and make visible the mediating tools that choir directors working with children and youth choirs use. In a longitude study, four choir leaders were observed closely while working with their choirs. They also took part in semi-structured interviews. The empirical data material consists of observation notes, reflective writing, individualinterviews, focus conversations and videotapes. Analysed from a sociocultural perspective, the result points to eight groups of mediating tools: a) a listening attitude towards the choir, with the music in focus; b) a variation in ways of working with the choir, where a variety of physical tools are used; c) the use of musical routines; d) the choir director acting as a role model in shaping musicalexpression with the group; e) a concentrated cooperation with the choir through short and expressive instructions; f) reflection in practice by planning and self-evaluation; g) storytelling, which results in memory training, stimulation of the imagination and the sharing of common experience, and h) the use of target images expressed as visions, small/big goals or jointly stated, communicated targets. The choir directors who participated in the study use a variety of approaches and ways of working as a strategy for communicating and working with child and youth choirs.

The purpose of this study was to examine the preschool teachers' view of their competence in art and art creation, as well as the competence they consider that a preschool teacher should have and how competence can develop. In this study, we define competence as something you own in the practice of preschool education and that preschool teachers can meet the challenges that the profession requires. Competence is about being able to carry out an action in practice, and in this study, the expression summarizes what a person can in the field of art and art creation. Our study addresses the following questions; how do preschool teachers perceive their competence in art and art creation? What do the preschool teachers think they need in competence in art and art creation? What role do preschool teachers play in promoting their own and children's competence development in art and art creation? Four preschool teachers and a teacher for elementary school's older years who worked in preschool since her education was interviewed with a qualitative interviewing method from a sociocultural perspective. The results show that the competencies that preschoolers apprehend is competence that includes material knowledge, the ability to link activities with curriculum and theories, and to make it a fun-filled activity for the children. In order to develop their competence, the result shows that they use continuous education and collegial learning and in interaction with children.

Syftet med den här kvalitativa studien är att undersöka hur lärare förstår och uppleverden digitaliserade skrivundervisningen i årskurs 4–6. Studien lutar sig mot det sociokulturella perspektivet som visar att användandet av medierande verktyg till-sammans med stöttning behövs för att förstå och tolka den värld vi lever i. Vi har genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med fem lärare i årskurs 4–6 samlat in empiri omhur lärare uppfattar den digitaliserade skrivundervisningen. Resultatet visar hurförutsättningarna för elevernas skrivande ändrades när den digitaliseradeskrivundervisningen gav lärarna goda möjligheter att möta elevernas lärande på nya sätt. Lärarna beskrev att de kunde ge effektivare stöttning till eleverna och individ-anpassa stöttningen till dem. Digitaliserad skrivundervisning gjorde det även möjligt för eleverna att få inflytande över undervisningen och öva för att klara de nationellaproven. Lärarna beskrev att den digitaliserade undervisningen med elevdatorer ocksåkunde leda till distraktioner.

Bakgrund: I denna globaliserade värld påverkar situationer som inträffar på andra platser i världen även oss i Sverige. Dessa förändringar i det svenska samhället kan även påverka skolan som får nya utmaningar. Elevunderlaget har blivit mer heterogent med elever från olika länder vilket kräver nya sätt att lära på. Lärande spelar en central roll i allas utveckling och enligt det sociokulturella perspektivet sker denna utveckling i interaktion med andra människor. Alla människor är viktiga i lärandet och var och en kan utvecklas med stöd av andra som kan lite mer än vad man kan själv, denna utveckling ger upphov till det som Vygotskij kallade för den proximala utvecklingszonen. En plats för formellt och organiserat lärande är skolan, men skolan är också en central plats för barn där de bygger upp relationer med andra barn och vuxna som inte tillhör familjen. I den mångkulturella skolan är dessa kontakter med andra utanför familjen en viktig del för lärandet till exempel för den personliga utvecklingen. Syfte: Studiens syfte var att utifrån elevers perspektiv i en mångkulturell kontext, undersöka elevens erfarenheter av lärande i en mångkulturell skola. 0 Metod: Kvalitativ metod användes i studien och data samlades in genom fem semistrukturerade fokusgruppintervjuer med elever i årkurs fem och sex. Resultatet har analyserats med kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultat och slutsatser: Under analysen framkom fyra huvudkategorier; den mångkulturella skolan, lärande, syn på läraren och skolmiljö vilka sammanlagt resulterade i 15 underkategorier. Eleverna anser att det är givande att vistas i en mångkulturell skola och att lärande sker ständig och i interaktion med kompisarna, lärarna och andra vuxna kring dem utanför skolan. Ett komplement för lärandet var digitala medier som blev ett stöd för eleverna i deras lärande både på skolan som i hemmet. / Background: Learning has a central role in everyone's development and according to the sociocultural perspective, this development takes place in interaction with other people. Other people are important so each can develop with the support of others who can little more than themselves, this stimulus gives rise to what Vygotsky called the proximal development zone. The school is a central place for children who, firstly, are a place of learning and, secondly, a place where they build relationships with other children and adults who are not family. In the multicultural school these contacts with others play an important role in learning such as personal development. Purpose: The aim of the study was to investigate student's perspectives of learning in a multicultural context. Method: Qualitative method was used in the study and data was collected through 5 semistructured focus group interviews with students in grade five and six. The results have been analysed with qualitative content analysis. Results and conclusions: The analysis revealed four main categories; the multicultural school, learning and how the students view the teacher which resulted in a total of 15 subcategories. Students consider it rewarding to stay in a multicultural school. That learning takes place constantly in interaction with friends, even that teachers and adults outside school are an important support for their learning. Digital media as support was something that students used in their learning as a complement both at school and at home.

This scientific essay is about communication and collaboration between the preschool and a home with Swedish as a second language and has its foundation based on two dilemmas. The first dilemma describes a parent-teacher conference that I have with a guardian who has Swedish as their second language. In the conversation, I feel that the communication is failing, even though I get help from an interpreter. The second dilemma is also about a conversation with a guardian who has Swedish as their second language, but this conversation takes place more spontaneously. The second conversation also leads to misunderstanding as communication between us fails. My aim with this essay is to investigate how communication affects the collaboration between the preschool and home. As well as whether the language has any significance for communication and how it affects the children's right to influence and participation in the preschool. The method I use in the degree project is essay writing as I reflect on my role as a teacher and try to understand my thoughts from the guardians' perspectives. I reflect on my issues that have emerged from my designs with the help of the socio-cultural and intercultural perspective and other relevant literature. This essay has made me reflect on my cultural identity, both in my professional role and as an individual, and how I use my experiences in social contexts. My hope for this essay is to increase my understanding of others' perspectives more than I have experienced before.

I dagens läge ska lärplattan i förskolan användas av både barn och förskollärare. Förskollärare ska ta ansvar till att varje barn får använda digitala verktyg på ett sätt som ska stimulera utveckling och lärande.Studiens syfte är att undersöka hur förskollärare låter barnen använda lärplattan i både planerade aktiviteter men även i spontana tillfällen utifrån ett pedagogiskt syfte. Den teori som använts för att stärka studien är den sociokulturella perspektivet. Som metod har jag använt mig av webbaserade enkäter som både rektorer och förskollärare i sydöstra Sverige svarat på.  I resultatet går jag igenom vad samtliga förskollärare svarade på min enkät utifrån svaren från förskollärarna visades olika grader på kompetens kring användandet av lärplattan i förskolan trots att alla rektorer tycker att förskollärarna har bra kompetens till lärplattan som ett pedagogiskt verktyg i förskolan. Samtliga rektorer förklarar att de har varsin IT-pedagog som har ansvaret att ge ut kompetensutbildningar till förskollärarna om hur digitala verktyg och lärplattan kan användas i ett pedagogiskt syfte.  Avslutningsvis kommer det en slutsats kring hela uppsatsen och även tips på förslag till vidare forskning.

The study describes educators´ perceptions of reading comprehension for students with intellectual disabilities and neuropsychiatric disabilities in compulsory special school grades 7–9 for students who read the subject Swedish. The study also sheds light on the strategies educators´ use to make texts comprehensible and provide support in reading comprehension. Based on the educators´ descriptions, the opportunities and challenges the educators face are highlighted.    The study is based on eight qualitative semi-structured interviews with educators active in upper secondary school. All informants teach the subject Swedish. The theoretical framework for the study consists of the socio-cultural perspective and a cognitive science perspective. The result is analyzed on the basis of concepts taken from the two theoretical starting points.   Based on the educators' descriptions, it appears that reading comprehension teaching takes place as a group activity, couple activity but also as an individual work. The educators attach great importance to getting the students involved in conversations to guide the students through the text. In teaching, the educators work to create a background knowledge of the text and to explain words and concepts. The strategies described are based on the educators modeling and thinking aloud about how the student can find answers in a text and make inferences. A large part of the teaching is based on finding texts and working methods that motivate and make the text comprehensible. In their work, the educators use creative methods with theatrical working methods and a personal commitment to get students' attention and create motivation. An important basis is to get to know the student, starting from a survey of the student's level and then find adapted material. The results also show that a large part of the student group has difficulty with decoding and language / listening comprehension, which are important factors for reading comprehension.   The study shows that reading comprehension is not only a cognitive ability, but motivation and how one sees oneself as a reader is of crucial importance.   The study's special pedagogical relevance shows that educators need to be active in text conversations and strategies to engage students in reading comprehension teaching.

Syftet med studien är att undersöka specialpedagogers erfarenhet av inåtvända barn, även uppfattningar om faktorer som kan bidra till inåtvändhet, samt vilka strategier specialpedagoger förespråkar för att inkludera dessa barn i förskolan. Specialpedagogers upplevelser av normer och förväntningar berörs även. Detta undersöks genom att intervjua specialpedagoger verksamma mot förskolan kring deras uppfattning och erfarenhet gällande barn som påvisar inåtvända tendenser. Studien grundar sig i sociokulturellt perspektiv som i sin tur grundar sig i att barn lär i sociala sammanhang, där språk och miljö är två viktiga redskap. Begreppet inåtvänd används som ett samlingsbegrepp. Studien är baserad på kvalitativa intervjuer med sex stycken specialpedagoger verksamma mot förskolan, från fyra olika svenska kommuner. Intervjuerna analyserades via tematisk analys, där resultatet presenteras i de övergripande teman som framkommer från samtliga intervjuer. Resultatet visar att inåtvändhet, och dess orsaksgrunder, är en komplex och mångfacetterad företeelse som kräver stor förståelse och varsamhet från pedagoger. De strategier som kan användas i arbetet kring dessa barn är bl.a. en tydlig verksamhetsstruktur, mindre grupper där lek kan uppmuntras, pedagoger som är lyhörda och varsamma, samt implementering av alternativa kommunikationsmetoder. / The aim of this study is to examine how special education teachers percieve and experience the needs of withdrawn children in a preschool context. The study also focuses on which useful inclusive strategies can be used to include withdrawn children in a preschool setting, and how special education teachers percieve expecations and norms considering preschool children. The theoretical foundation of the study focuses on a sociocultural perspective, where children are thought to learn in all social contexts with language and invironment as important implements. The research is based on interviews with six special education teachers, active and teaching in four different swedish municipalities. Using thematic analysis, the interviews has been categorized by main themes presented in the result section. The main results show that withdrawal, and the causes of it, is a complex and multifaceted issue which requires understanding and precaution from teachers. The result shows that the main findings concerning inlcusive strategies are to use a distinct structural setting, the usage of smaller groups where play can be encouraged, teachers who are gentle and responsive to the childs needs, and to use alternative ways of communication.