This essay aims to assess the efficacy of the Picture Word Inductive Model (PWIM) in the acquisition of new English vocabulary for Swedish grade-4 pupils of a primary school in southernSweden. In this study, two aspects of vocabulary acquisition were concerned, namely, the recognition of vocabulary forms (spelling and pronunciation) and general understanding of word meaning in the short term. The pupils were divided into two groups and the methods were tests; questionnaires and the data were analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. After teaching lessons with the PWIM for one group and with using the word-list for the other close-level group, the results show that the group taught by the PWIM  gained relatively higher test scores and performed more actively and found the lesson more enjoyable in the classroom. Teaching by the PWIM is found to be effective in learning the new English vocabulary ofSLA(Second Language Acquisition). Although this efficacy is not prominent, a larger sample size and longer length of the cycles for the teaching of the PWIM would increase precision and will probably provide a different result for the efficacy of the PWIM in further studies.

Word frequency seems to be unknown for many teachers’ and possibly deemed not very important for vocabulary development. We set out to investigate the importance of incorporating word frequency in the EFL classroom. The aim of the study was to conclude if teachers incorporate word frequency into their teaching, as well as how this could be done efficiently. In order to collect data for this study, we used a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. Despite a focus on teachers in years 4-6, in an effort to not only expand our potential samplegroup and to take into account the importance of transition between school forms, we reached out to teachers of English in years 4-9. This was accomplished with the help of various teacher forums on Facebook and a convenience sample. The initial results from the questionnaire showed that the majority of teachers were aware of word frequency. However, on closer inspection of the questionnaire, it became clear that several of the teachers did in fact not have sufficient knowledge of word frequency. Previous research has shown the importance of high-frequency words and that the 2,000 most frequent words are a necessary learning goal. Implications of not considering word frequency when teaching vocabulary can have a negative effect on students' progression. Our research has found a discrepancy between steering documents in Sweden, in which word frequency is not explicitly considered, and previous studies analysing the use of word frequency. This could be seen as the explanation for why teachers are not aware of word frequency.

Social media as a tool in the classroom is not a concept one hears much about. Being that social media is still a relatively new phenomenon, this is not particularly strange. Research surrounding the subject is sparse, but there are several articles that show there being a possible place for social media in the classroom. These studies find that there is a need for educators to be properly informed and make precise decisions regarding how and why they want to use social media in the classroom. In this paper we found evidence that supports the idea that social media can be useful as a tool in the classroom; however, findings show that there are few if any moments of explicit vocabulary learning, and therefore social media should be used more as a motivational tool, resulting in implicit vocabulary acquisition. In order to get proper usage of social media, educators need to conduct their own research, thereby expanding the knowledge of social media as a tool.

This research examines how low-level vocabulary students, in particular, might better progress tohigher levels of vocabulary in the EFL context. In addition, a variety of strategies and teachingmethods are analysed. Vocabulary is the foundation of language learning and is an essential partof reading, writing and speaking. This research examines the importance of high frequencywords, teaching methods and strategies in the EFL classroom. Several methods and strategies areanalysed to compare and draw conclusions regarding which are the most effective. To be able tofind answers to these questions, a number of scientific articles and experimental studies werereviewed. Our findings indicate that the 2,000 most common words in the English language areimportant in order to progress to higher levels of vocabulary. The research also showed thatstudents who possessed the high frequency words were superior in reading, writing and speakingcompared to the students who did not have this word level. Additionally, students with largervocabulary gained significantly more vocabulary from activities and reading. Choosing the correctteaching strategy and method has proven to be important in order to develop students’vocabulary. Strategies such as visual aids, function-based teaching and post-reading tasks haveshown to be effective methods for teaching vocabulary. Although the 2,000 most frequent wordsis an important learning goal, the teachers’ choice of methods to achieve this is crucial.

This study investigates the possible benefits of using the extensive reading approach as means of enhancing reading motivation, and through that improve and develop EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners’ vocabular repertoire. According to the Swedish Media Council, almost 49% of the Swedish youth do not read books in their free time, and the numbers keep decreasing (Statens Medieråd, 2019). At a time where reading is no longer as common, several researchers have claimed that implementing the extensive reading approach in EFL classrooms gives space for incidental vocabulary acquisition to take place. It has been further argued that extensive reading is an appreciated approach by students, since it gives them the freedom to learn at their own pace. However, there is still some disagreement among researchers as to whether extensive reading does increase reading motivation or not. For this study, data and material were gathered through electronic searches from numerous educational databases to investigate this matter and provide an overview of the findings. The overall results indicate that extensive reading does have a beneficial impact on vocabulary acquisition, and that students are generally positive and receptive to extensive reading, especially when combined with reading-tasks and activities. However, further research is necessary to be able to understand whether vocabular gains from extensive reading actually are affected by reading motivation or not.

The importance of vocabulary knowledge gained through incidental learning is well documented. The growth of incidental vocabulary knowledge is especially crucial for middle school students due to the complex words encountered in their studies. However, research on incidental vocabulary acquisition for middle school students is lacking. The purpose of this study was to compare the relative effectiveness of three instructional conditions (reading, writing, and reading and writing) on incidental vocabulary acquisition and retention with middle school students in an English as a first language (L1) environment. In this within subjects repeated measure study, 263 eighth-grade participants received treatment in three instructional conditions with three differing levels of involvement load. Data from 2,893 individual student measures were used to evaluate the influence of instructional conditions on incidental vocabulary acquisition and retention. Analysis of mixed-effects models showed that participant scores on the reading and writing condition were consistently higher than the writing only or the reading only condition. These results indicate that instructional tasks with higher involvement loads (e.g., reading and writing or writing) offer benefits to L1 middle school students for the incidental vocabulary acquisition necessary to be academically successful.

This study investigates the impact that reading aloud has on receptive vocabulary for youngerlearners. It takes the current environment of English language learning within Swedish schoolsinto account and explores several language acquisition theories that are deemed instrumental indeveloping a foundation for receptive vocabulary, as well as contrasting and comparing with howthe method of reading aloud has an impact on language learning. The study will also investigatehow this method differs among first- and second- or foreign-language learners. Through thesynthesis of multiple research articles that have been made on the subject, we discover that thepositive effects of a read aloud experience translate to a greater understanding of receptivevocabulary, and that there are ultimately only positives to draw from the experience. However,conflicting sources regarding second-language or foreign-language learners’ performances pointsto the importance of ensuring the material and exercises be carefully selected and structured inorder to foster an equal ground for everyone’s developmental trajectory.

As the world and society evolve into a more digitized era, school systems have to follow. Sweden the national board of education has started to include digital tools into the curriculum and to place demands on the digital competence of Swedish teachers. The consequences that follow are that teachers are expected to implement digital tools of varying kinds into their lessons, which is done with varying success. This thesis aims to examine how software tools such as Kahoot and elevspel are perceived by English teachers in Sweden as tools they can use as they teach learners in grades 4-6. More specifically, this thesis will focus on how English teachers in an EFL setting perceive that they can use these tools to facilitate vocabulary development. In this essay, we have conducted quantitative research by using a questionnaire to gather data from English teachers in Sweden. Along with this, we have also examined previous research in this field to review the scientific background and take this into consideration. The results from this questionnaire showed that English teachers in Swedenincorporate software tools in their lessons and perceive software tools as necessary. However, a majority of the participating teachers noted that more support and ideas are needed for them to incorporate these tools to a fuller extent.

Abstract The acquisition of a sufficient vocabulary is crucial in order to learn a language. It is suggested that, to comprehend a text well, at least 95% of the words should be recognized and understood. Hence, it is of value to investigate different methods of learning new words. The study compares two different methods of learning new words in English, the translation method, i.e. learning unknown words by using L1 translations, and the explanation/synonym method, which means learning unknown words by using explanations and synonyms in L2. This was undertaken by inviting a group of pupils use the two methods and then comparing the results between the tests. The research question was to establish whether there are any differences between these two methods. The study aimed to investigate whether one of the methods shows better results than the other and, if so, to what degree. To achieve this, data was collected from students at the Swedish IM-program at the upper secondary school. In this case, all the participants had been diagnosed within the ASD-spectre. This investigation is of interest because the Swedish curriculum is reluctant to permit the use of translation between the learners’ L1 and L2. The analysis of the findings indicates a slight advantage for the explanation/synonym method. The difference is not so substantial that any certain and far reaching conclusion can be drawn as to which method is the most effective, especially with such a relatively small study. The indication is that both methods can be useful in teaching, particularly when combined with other vocabulary learning activities. Keywords: Vocabulary acquisition, English, ASD-spectre, IM-program

Due to the increasing diversity of mathematics classrooms today, teachers need guidance on how to support English Learners (ELs) in mathematics classes in a way that situates language learning within mathematical activity. Unfortunately, neither mathematics education research nor EL education research is sure how to navigate the complexity of teaching ELs mathematics while supporting both their language development and their mathematical development through their participation in mathematical activity. This study examined ELs' participation in mathematical Discourse, investigating both the mathematical purposes ELs accomplished by using multiple symbol systems, and the way ELs used non-English language (NEL) symbol systems to support their spoken English. The participants were college-aged ELs beginning their studies at the English Learning Center at an American university. The students all had fluency with basic conversational English, and had many different levels of mathematical experience. I identified five categories of purposes in which ELs engaged during mathematical Discourse. I also developed the Replace Augment Learn (RAL) framework that describes how ELs used NEL symbol systems to make up for their decreased English literacy and facilitate their participation in mathematical Discourse. Analysis of the data suggests ELs' use of NEL symbol systems (1) played a significant role in achieving many of the purposes associated with mathematical Discourse, and (2) opened up a space for effective language acquisition. These findings indicate that authentic mathematical activity can be a productive site for language development, and that ELs with basic conversational English and literacy with a variety of symbol systems can participate meaningfully in mathematical Discourse.