It has been common for elementary teachers to read aloud to their students; however, it has not been so common in the middle school. The purpose of this phenomenological case study was to examine how middle school teachers and their students describe the use of read-alouds, including the teachers’ reasons for conducting read-alouds and the students’ descriptions of their experiences with them. Individual interviews and observations were conducted with two teachers and six students to gain the essence of their experiences with read-alouds. Results from this study indicated that what students gained from read-alouds matched the reasons their teachers utilized them. The students described their experiences as enjoyable, helpful to independent reading, motivating, engaging, and a learning opportunity which were all reasons their teachers stated for reading aloud. Findings in this study also indicated the fidelity with which read-alouds were implemented by teachers was impacted by district mandates and the pressure of preparing students for state tests. Results indicated students prospered both cognitively and affectively from listening to teachers read aloud. This study can be used to inform middle school teachers and administrators of the value of using read-alouds. Keywords: Read-Alouds, Middle School Teachers, Middle School Students, Middle School Reading

Although scholars have long advocated the use of informational texts in the primary grades, gaps and inconsistencies in research have produced conflicting reports on how teachers used these texts in the primary curriculum, and how primary students dealt with them during instruction and on their own (e.g., Saul & Dieckman, 2005). Thus, to add to research on informational texts in the primary grades, the purpose of this study was to examine: (a) a first-grade teacher's use of science informational trade books (SITBs) in her classroom, (b) the ways students responded to her instruction, and (c) how students interacted with these texts. My study was guided by a sociocultural perspective (e.g., Bakhtin, 1981; Vygotsky, 1978), providing me a lens to examine participants during naturally occurring social practices in the classroom, mediated by language and other symbolic tools. Data were collected by means of 28 observations, 6 semi-structured interviews, 21 unstructured interviews, and 26 documents over the course of 10 weeks. Three themes generated from the data to provide insight into the teacher's and students' practices and interactions with SITBs. First, the first-grade teacher used SITBs as teaching tools during guided conversations around the text to scaffold students' understanding of specialized vocabulary, science concepts, and text features. Her instruction with SITBs included shared reading lessons, interactive read-alouds and learning activities during two literacy/science units. However, there was limited use of SITBs during the rest of her reading program, in which she demonstrated a preference for narrative. Second, students responded to instruction by participating in guided conversations around the text, in which they used prior knowledge, shared ideas, and visual representations (e.g., illustrations, diagrams, labels, and captions) to actively make meaning of the text. Third, students interacted with SITBs on their own to make sense of science, in which they demonstrated their interest in reading the texts, formed connections to science, used reading strategies, and adjusted to the text type and variations of text complexity. The findings indicate the teacher's practices with SITBs were supportive of literacy and science learning for students at various levels of reading development. However, her inexperience with informational books and her preference for narrative demonstrates a need for training to assist her in providing guided and individualized reading instruction with SITBs, as well as provide students with full access to these texts in the classroom. Further, the teacher's overgeneralizations for science during instruction with SITBs indicates the need for training to strengthen her knowledge of science that would better prepare her to convey information and critically read information presented in these texts. Finally, the students' engagement with SITBs and their use of strategies to make sense of these texts on their own, indicates the first graders were motivated and capable readers of informational books.

Today’s society stresses the importance of written communication. Therefore the picture book seems less important to the public. As soon as one has learnt to read, the literary sphere changes radically and the picture book is often forgotten. But there are many benefits of working with picture books in education even after the pupils have learnt to read. Working with young students poses the problem of making sure they all have the opportunity to display their knowledge to the teachers and to share and develop it with the class. One way of doing so is through book talks. But there are different views of what a good book talk is. My aim is to identify and discuss some of the benefits of the picture book in everyday schoolwork. I discuss the benefits of book talks around picture books for both students and teacher. To do this I have conducted a descriptive literature study in which I consider relevant research. On the basis of my literature study and engagement with previous research, I find that book talks about picture books may have a positive impact on education the teacher is well pepared and open to the students own reflections.

It has long been known that vocabulary is essential in the development of reading. Because vocabulary leading to increased comprehension is important, it necessary to determine strategies for ensuring that the best methods of teaching vocabulary are used to help students make gains in vocabulary leading to reading comprehension. According to the National Reading Panel, multiple strategies that involve active engagement on the part of the student are more effective than the use of just one strategy. The purpose of this study was to determine if students’ use of visualization, student-generated pictures of onset-and-rime-patterned vocabulary, and story read-alouds with discussion, would enable diverse first-grade students to increase their vocabulary and comprehension. In addition, this study examined the effect of the multimodal framework of strategies on English learners (ELs). This quasi-experimental study (N=69) was conducted in four first-grade classrooms in a low socio-economic school. Two treatment classes used a multimodal framework of strategies to learn weekly vocabulary words and comprehension. Two comparison classrooms used the traditional method of teaching weekly vocabulary and comprehension. Data sources included Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading (FAIR), comprehension and vocabulary scores, and weekly MacMillan/McGraw Hill Treasures basal comprehension questions and onset-and-rime vocabulary questions. This research determined that the treatment had an effect in adjusted FAIR comprehension means by group, with the treatment group (adj M = 5.14) significantly higher than the comparison group (adj M = -8.26) on post scores. However, the treatment means did not increase from pre to post, but the comparison means significantly decreased from pre to post as the materials became more challenging. For the FAIR vocabulary, there was a significant difference by group with the comparison adjusted post mean higher than the treatment’s, although both groups significantly increased from pre to post. However, the FAIR vocabulary posttest was not part of the Treasures vocabulary, which was taught using the multimodal framework of strategies. The Treasures vocabulary scores were not significantly different by group on the assessment across the weeks, although the treatment means were higher than those of the comparison group. Continued research is needed in the area of vocabulary and comprehension instructional methods in order to determine strategies to increase diverse, urban students’ performance.

Recent research about L2 writing indicates that L2 writers are likely to instruct themselves on how and what to do during the writing process, using both languages to do so. This constant switch between their L1 and their L2 during their L2 composing process is known as "language-switching" (L-S). In this qualitative clinical study my goals were mainly three: a) to describe and understand the purposes for which participants would potentially language-switch to their L1s, b) to depict the perceptions and understandings these four participants have about their personal L2 composing process and the use of their L1s, and c) to describe the tensions they experienced during the L2 writing tasks in the study. The participants in this study were four students in an American university who completed two L2 writing tasks using a think-aloud technique, in which students verbalized all their thoughts while they wrote. Data collected in this study included interview transcripts, think aloud protocols, reflection sessions, videotapes, students' written texts and observations. The Atlas TI computer software assisted a constant comparative method which implied a continuous comparison of all the data sources (Merriam, 2009). I matched language-switching instances with the participants' behaviors and assigned codes referring the writers' actual activities, behaviors and perceptions. Findings suggest that the L2 composing process is a bilingual event in which L-S has a natural occurrence. The use of the writer's L1 during the L2 writing process is closely related to the writer's L2 proficiency, and the degree of proficiency can be related to the situational context (FL vs. SL) where the L2 is learned and used. Findings revealed that Generating L2 Content was the most recurring purpose for L-S during L2 writing, followed by Controlling the Process of Writing and Revising. It also revealed that participants transfer their L1 skills to the L2 writing process and that the writing expertise they bring to the L2 composing process may influence the L-S purpose frequency. One contribution of this study is the participants' perceptions about their L-S habits. Most were aware of the benefits that L-S brought to their L2 writing process. Their L1s helped them organize ideas, write better texts and understand the tasks given. This study also revealed that time frame, prompts, lack of L2 proficiency and think-aloud protocols can influence the participants' L2 writing process negatively.

Att undersöka uppfattningar och ta del av lärares erfarenheter rörande högläsning, boksamtal kopplat till elevernas språkutveckling inom årskurs 1–4 ger en bild av hur verkligheten i skolorna ser ut gällande ovannämnda moment av svenskaundervisningen. Denna studies huvudsyfte är att undersöka vilka pedagogiska syften lärarna har med högläsning och boksamtal samt hur dessa moment används i undervisningen. Denna studie har även som syfte att bidra med insikter om hur lärarnas arbetsmetoder bidrar till en språkutvecklande undervisning vid högläsning och boksamtal. För att uppnå syftet formulerat för denna studie har en kvalitativ undersökning genomförts. Studiens kvalitativa metod omfattas av semistrukturerade intervjuer som bygger på ett frågeschema med trettio nyckelfrågor. I resultatet framkommer det att samtliga respondenter använder sig av högläsning och boksamtal i sin svenskaundervisning. Resultatet visar även att lärarna arbetar på varierande sätt beroende på de egna uppfattningarna om vad högläsning och boksamtal som moment fyller för syfte. I resultatet fastställds likheter och skillnader mellan lärarnas uppfattningar och arbetssätt. Variationer bland lärarna kan härledas till skillnader inom klassernas ålder och årskurs. Lärarna i studien delar uppfattningen att språkutveckling har en central roll i undervisning vilket stämmer överens med tidigare forskning.

This study aimed to investigate how some teachers talk to students in grade 4-6 about fiction, more specifically, how the teachers in their reading aloud teaching enable students to develop imaginary worlds through conversation. The material was analyzed based on Langer’s (2005) theory about imaginary worlds. Two questions were formulated to answer the study’s aim: How do some teachers plan their conversations about fiction in reading aloud teaching? Moreover, how do teachers’ conversations about fiction vary in reading aloud teaching? The results showed that all teachers plan their conversations about fiction in the reading aloud teaching in different ways. Three of the teachers plan their conversations by reading the fictionin advance to get acquainted with the story and the characters. One teacher plans her conversations about fiction after reading aloud. The result also showed that all teachers vary their conversations about fiction in reading aloudin different ways, such as text extracts from chapters, work with illustrations, book conversations, and keeping the book secret from the students so that they can imagine what the characters and the environment can look like. Finally, the result showed that through the teachers’ conversations, the students were given opportunities to build imaginary worlds and an increased understanding of the text.

Studien undersöker F-3 lärares beskrivningar av högläsningsarbetet genom ett kvalitativt perspektiv. Det insamlade materialet kommer i huvudsak från öppna enkätfrågor, vilka sedan analyseras efter lärarnas, skriftliga beskrivningar. Syftet är att få inblick i lärarnas beskrivningar kring syfte, planering och arbetssätt i arbetet med högläsning. Studiens teoretiska utgångspunkt har det sociokulturella perspektivet på lärande med ett speciellt fokus på literacyutvecklande teorier. I studien finns tidigare forskning onämnd utifrån studier om lärares högläsning. Empirin hämtas från de svar som lärarna skriftligen besvarat genom strukturerade, öppna enkätfrågor. I resultatdiskussionen tolkas och ställs resultatet i förhållande till litteratur och tidigare forskning. Resultatet visar att högläsning förekommer flera gånger i veckan men att planering av högläsningen ofta hamnar i skuggan av annan undervisningsplanering. Samtal och diskussioner kopplat tll högläsning och elevernas egna arfarenheter kan utvecklas och planeras på en mer didaktisk utvecklande nivå. I slutet av studien ges förslag på vidare forskningsområden. Sist i studien presenteras källförteckning samt studiens bilagor.

The purpose of the study was to examine preschool teacher's perceptions in their speech when talking about stereotypes and norm critical literature in read alouds. The theory used in this study was discourse analysis, which here also uses some concepts from the discourse theory by Laclau and Mouffe. Some of these concepts were contextualization, sign and equivalence chain. The speech was later catagorized and analyzed. This study used interviews to gather information, where six preschool teachers from three different preschools were interviewed. The information resulted in a pattern where four categories were presented. These categories were called the corrective, the articulating, the debating and the representing preschool teacher. The analysis resulted in an understanding of a discourse, which used a speech that correlates to preschool teachers understanding of preschool policy documents, the norm critical perspective and their profession. / Studien syftar till att synliggöra förskollärares föreställningar kring högläsningav normkritisk litteratur och normbekräftande litteratur. Undersökningen haren diskursanalytisk ansats, vilket här uppfattas som ett synliggörande av det talsom kan kopplas till situation och sammanhang. Som stöd i analysen användsbegrepp som kontextualisering, subjektspositioner, tecken ochekvivalenskedja. Begreppen används som ett tillvägagångssätt för attundersöka talet och hur det används utifrån kontexten.Studien använder intervjuer som metod, där sex förskollärare från tre olikaförskolor intervjuades. Det resulterade i ett belysande av enförskollärardiskurs, vilket i denna text kategoriseras som: den korrigerande-,en artikulerande-, den diskuterande- och den representerande förskolläraren.Analysen resulterade i ett synliggörande av olika diskurser som förhåller signära till förskolans styrdokument och förskollärarens uppfattning av ettnormkritiskt förhållningsätt

The involvement of carers in oncology is important for the health of people diagnosed with cancer as well as carers themselves. To improve their involvement, three groups; patients, their carers, and  clinicians should maintain good communication. The e-learning interface, eTRIO, has a learning module for each of these three groups. The design of eTRIO is based on research from psycho- oncologists. This study aims to answer the question; What are the strengths and weaknesses of the eTRIO interfaces for clinicians, carers, and patients in terms of their usability? Heuristic evaluation and think-alouds have been conducted to answer this. The results of this study show that interactive activities, as well as neatly presented content, are engaging the user, buttons and content should have clear purposes. The eTRIO interface will enhance carers' involvement with good usability, making it easy for users to retain important information. Strengths and areas for improvement will be presented in this study. / Inkludera cancerpatienters närstående i onkologi är viktigt för både cancerpatienter och deras närstående. För att förbättra de närståendes inkludering måste tre grupper; patienter, deras närstående och läkare ha god kommunikation mellan varandra. E-lärande platformen, eTRIO, har en modul för varje ovannämnd grupp. Designen av eTRIO är baserad på forskning av psyko-onkologer. Denna studie har som syfte att besvara frågan; Vad är eTRIOs gränssnitts styrkor och svagheter för läkare, cancerpatienter och närstående med avseende på användarvänlighet? En heuristisk utvärdering och think-alouds har gjorts för att svara på denna fråga. Resultaten av denna studie visar att interaktiva aktiviteter och visuellt tilltalande presenterat innehåll engagerar användarna samt att knappar och innehåll behöver tydliga syften. Gränssnitten av eTRIO kommer att förbättra närståendes inkludering med bra användarvänlighet och gör det lätt för användare att komma ihåg viktig information. Styrkor och områden för förbättring kommer att presenteras i denna studie.