<p>Although many studies have been conducted on second language acquisition and bilingual education, little is known about the role of language in the formation of identity by adolescent immigrants in the language classroom. More specifically, this study aims to investigate the use of code-switching by immigrant and refugee students learning Swedish and English in a high school preparatory program. Furthermore, this study investigates the relationship between students’ and teachers’ attitudes towards code-switching and language as a resource, and theories on language as a marker of identity. Quantitative collection of data and qualitative interviews reveal tensions between the ways in which teachers and students relate to code-switching and bilingualism. This study concludes that language in general, and code-switching in particular, can be used by students as a marker of identity. It further concludes that teachers to some extent discourage the use of code-switching, and thereby undermine the students’ possibilities in forming multicultural identities.</p>

Although many studies have been conducted on second language acquisition and bilingual education, little is known about the role of language in the formation of identity by adolescent immigrants in the language classroom. More specifically, this study aims to investigate the use of code-switching by immigrant and refugee students learning Swedish and English in a high school preparatory program. Furthermore, this study investigates the relationship between students’ and teachers’ attitudes towards code-switching and language as a resource, and theories on language as a marker of identity. Quantitative collection of data and qualitative interviews reveal tensions between the ways in which teachers and students relate to code-switching and bilingualism. This study concludes that language in general, and code-switching in particular, can be used by students as a marker of identity. It further concludes that teachers to some extent discourage the use of code-switching, and thereby undermine the students’ possibilities in forming multicultural identities.

The recently established National Assembly for Wales (with the vision of a “truly bilingual Wales”) and bilingual schools are but two major sites in which bilingualism is reconstituting and repackaging Welsh. By close examination of the discourse(s) of language policy texts, the public discourse of one bilingual secondary school and the discussions of four focus groups composed of pupils from the same school, this study identifies three types of discourse which are particularly salient in contemporary Wales: a globalising discourse, a nationalist discourse and an ecology-of-language discourse. By collating the data from focus group discussions, language use questionnaires and language diaries, this study also identifies three categories of bilinguals based on their reported language use: Welsh-dominant bilinguals, English-dominant bilinguals and ‘floaters’ (balanced bilinguals). These three categories correlate with how individuals discursively construct Welsh and bilingualism. However, the medium of the focus group discussions (English or mixed-medium Welsh) correlates more closely with the category that is dominant in each focus group. With performativity theory as a framework, bilingualism is to be seen as a dynamic phenomenon, which is constantly being performatively (re)constituted through the situated practices of bilinguals. In short, this study examines how bilingualism in Wales is being performed, i.e. both how it is discursively constructed by various players in various sites, and how it is formed through everyday bilingual practices, not least those of young people in bilingual education. / Den nyetablerade rådsförsamlingen National Assembly for Wales (med en vision om ett ”verkligt tvåspråkigt Wales”) och tvåspråkiga skolor utgör två av de viktiga arenor där tvåspråkighet omstöper och ompaketerar walesiskan. Genom en närmare granskning av diskursen i språkpolitiska texter, den diskurs som används av en tvåspråkig skola i sina kontakter med allmänheten samt de diskussioner som förs i fyra fokusgrupper med elever från samma skola identifierar den här studien tre diskurstyper som är särskilt framträdande i dagens Wales: en globaliseringsdiskurs, en nationell diskurs och en språkekologisk diskurs. Genom att sammanställa data från diskussioner i fokusgrupper, enkäter om språkanvändning samt språkdagböcker identifierar studien också tre kategorier av tvåspråkiga elever utifrån deras angivna språkanvändning: tvåspråkiga med walesiska som starkare språk, tvåspråkiga med engelska som starkare språk samt ”floaters” (balanserat tvåspråkiga). De här tre kategorierna överensstämmer med hur individerna diskursivt konstruerar walesiska och tvåspråkighet. Det språk som talas i fokusgrupperna (engelska eller walesiska med engelska inskott) korrelerar däremot med den kategori som dominerar i varje fokusgrupp. Med performativitetsteori som utgångspunkt framstår således tvåspråkighet som en dynamisk företeelse, som ständigt (om)skapas genom de tvåspråkigas situerade praktiker. I korthet visar den här studien hur tvåspråkighet i Wales görs, det vill säga både hur den diskursivt konstrueras av olika aktörer på olika arenor och hur den formas av vardagliga tvåspråkiga praktiker, inte minst bland unga i tvåspråkig utbildning.

The aim of this study is to investigate what educational approaches and strategies that are used by five teachers of English as a second language (ESL) and how they differ between three different schools. This was done through reviewing literature about educational approaches and strategies in ESL and analyzing the responses from a questionnaire given to five teachers in grades seven to nine at three different schools. The results showed a wide usage of the following approaches and strategies: using computers, including drama and role-playing, watching films and TV programs in English, listening to radio, news, or songs in English, using code-switching, encouraging pupils to speak like native speakers, teaching about cultures where English is spoken, and promoting discussions and social interaction.   The results of this study showed that most of the differences exist between the individual teachers rather than between the schools, when it comes to the use of and attitudes towards these approaches and strategies. However, the two which differed the most, judging from the responses, were: using code-switching and encouraging pupils to speak like native speakers. In these two cases it was possible to see differences both between specific schools and teachers.