One of the most controversial topics in Applied Linguistics is the role of learners' metalinguistic knowledge (MK) in second language (L2) learning and teaching. There seems to be no agreement between those who propose that MK is essential for L2 learning and those who believe that it can even be detrimental for L2 acquisition.Additionally, the subjunctive has been reported to be one of the most difficult structures to master for L2 learners of Spanish. It has been suggested that the subjunctive is acquired fairly late in an acquisition hierarchy of Spanish grammar and that, as a consequence, learners must reach a stage where they can produce syntactically sophisticated utterances in order to be "ready" for acquisition.Taking an Information Processing (IP) approach to language learning as a framework, this dissertation investigates the relationship between MK and grammatical accuracy by learners of Spanish at beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels of proficiency. Their MK is assessed through a set of terminology and grammaticality judgment tasks. Their mastery of the Spanish subjunctive is evaluated through a set of receptive and productive tests involving different subordinate clauses.The three groups of participants are compared with respect to their MK and their mastery of the subjunctive, and it is examined whether MK correlates with mastery of the subjunctive. Findings include: 1) an improvement on both subjunctive accuracy and terminology knowledge across levels; 2) a positive correlation between English MK and Spanish MK; 3) a positive correlation between MK and accuracy in the use of the subjunctive; and 4) agreement between the learners' acquisition hierarchy within the subjunctive and teaching order of subjunctive substructures.The findings show that MK has a positive impact on the mastery of this "difficult" structure. They are also consistent with other experimental studies that suggest that explicit instruction has a positive impact on L2 learning. The late and uneven acquisition of the subjunctive demonstrated by the subjects in this study also suports the hypothesis that there are "many subjunctives" to learn and that learners will not acquire this structure until they are developmentally ready (third year of instruction).

In a description of language, Ellis (1994) claims that "the bedrock of L2 is its vocabulary" (p. 11); while for Lewis (1993), language consists of "grammaticalized lexis", not "lexicalized grammar", and Nation (2001) adds that attention to vocabulary is unavoidable. This status of vocabulary determines its pervasiveness and implies the need for attention as claimed by Meara (1980). In second and foreign language teaching and learning, instruction is an important contributor in the development and consolidation of vocabulary knowledge while Computer-Assisted Language Learning has been described as facilitative in mediating instruction and improving learner independence (Chapelle 1998, 2001; Warschauer, 1998).The present study investigates narrative comprehension, immediate and delayed vocabulary retention as a result of implicit and explicit teaching and learning of vocabulary (Hunt & Beglar, 2005), with a hypertext reading task. Many researchers support that enhanced vocabulary activities and reading for meaning affect vocabulary acquisition (Krashen, 1989, Zahar et al., 2001; Paribakht & Wesche, 1997; Lee & VanPatten, 2003). For others, the degree of involvement in the processing and the noticed properties of words determine the degree of retention (Groot, 2000; Smith, 2004).Seventy-eight fourth-semester students of French as a foreign language from six classes at an American university participated in the study. They were randomly assigned to either the implicit or the explicit conditions, and received differential treatments. The subjects read the same enhanced electronic text with permanently highlighted target items in the explicit condition, and temporarily highlighted target items in the implicit condition. The target items were hyperlinked to the same textual, auditory, and graphic enhancements. The study also makes an overview of the effect of the motivation type on the subjects' performance levels.The statistical analyses reveal both strengths and weaknesses in the two modalities with regards to immediate and delayed retention; as one of the modalities favors immediate gain and the other longer-term retention. It is thus suggested that both modalities can be jointly implemented in a Computer-Assisted Teaching and Learning condition in order to achieve higher learning outcomes. The combination may favor the dual improvement in gain and retention in the learning process.

The communicative approach to language learning is widely taught in Western education, and yet its predecessor, the grammar-translation method, is still commonly employed in other parts of the world. In Sweden, the increasing popularity of the communicative approach is often justified by the high level of students’ communicative skills (Öhman, 2013). At the same time, students’ written texts and speech contain many grammatical errors (Öhman, 2013). Consequently, being aware of their tendency to produce grammatical errors, some students express beliefs regarding both the explicit and implicit learning of grammar (Sawir, 2005; Boroujeni, 2012). The objective of this thesis is to gain more knowledge regarding students’ beliefs concerning the learning of English grammar at the upper secondary level, in Sweden. With this purpose a survey was conducted in two schools in Sweden, where 49 upper-secondary English students participated. Qualitative and quantitative methods were applied to process the collected data. Despite some difference in the participants’ ages, there were many similarities in their attitudes towards the teaching and learning of grammar. The results show that the participants in both schools believe that only by applying both, explicit and implicit methods, can they obtain a high level of language proficiency. The results of this study can help teachers in planning different activities that enhance the students’ knowledge of grammar.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of explicitly teaching students how to recognize and use context clues in content-area texts through a six-week instructional program. Quantitative analyses were performed to reveal any difference between a control and treatment group. Results indicated that students in the treatment group abilities to determine the meaning of unknown vocabulary words were increased significantly more than students in the control group. Students who received the six weeks of instruction more effectively used context clues to determine the meaning of unknown words than students who did not receive the instruction. Recommendations for further research are discussed.

Les enquêtes internationales montrent qu’en France, les élèves issus de milieux défavorisés ont moins de chances de réussir à l’école que les autres. Or, des données probantes attestent que l’enseignement socioconstructiviste utilisé majoritairement dans les classes françaises n’est pas celui qui donne les meilleurs résultats. A contrario, l’enseignement explicite est porteur auprès des élèves en difficulté scolaire. Cette recherche a pour objectif de comparer l’efficacité de l’enseignement explicite et de l’enseignement socioconstructiviste en mathématiques, auprès d’enfants scolarisés en éducation prioritaire. Elle est réalisée en France (Martinique), dans des classes de CE1, CM1, CM2 situées en éducation prioritaire où les performances des élèves sont faibles en mathématiques. L’hypothèse testée est la suivante : lorsqu’un professeur enseigne une notion mathématique, les résultats des élèves sont meilleurs s’il utilise un enseignement explicite plutôt que s’il utilise un enseignement socioconstructiviste ou usuel. Cette prédiction est testée dans trois études qui ciblent respectivement la technique opératoire de la soustraction en CE1, la technique opératoire de la division en CM1 et la notion d’aire en CM2. Les résultats obtenus révèlent que tous les élèves progressent. Toutefois, ceux des classes ayant reçu un enseignement explicite obtiennent des performances supérieures à ceux des classes ayant reçu un enseignement socioconstructiviste ou usuel. Enfin, les résultats indiquent que l’enseignement explicite est globalement plus efficace pour les élèves moyens à risque ou en difficulté. / International surveys show that in France, students from disadvantaged social backgrounds are much less likely to succeed at school than others students. However, evidence from studies on the effectiveness of teaching methods shows that the socioconstructivist pedagogies mainly used in the French classrooms do not give the best results. On the contrary, explicit teaching is particularly effective for students with learning difficulties. The work carried out in this present thesis aims to compare the effectiveness of explicit teaching and socioconstructivist teaching with students enrolled in priority education networks, in mathematics. This research is carried out in France (Martinique), in elementary school classes of schools from the priority education networks, where overall students’ performance is low in mathematics. The hypothesis tested is the following: when a teacher teaches a specific mathematical notion, students' results are better if he or she uses explicit instruction rather than socioconstructivist or usual instruction. This prediction is being tested in three studies that respectively focus on learning the partitioning technique of subtraction in second grade class, on learning the technique of the division in fourth grade class and on learning the concept of area in fifth grade class. The results show that all students do progress. But, the students in classes that have received explicit instruction outperform students in classes that have received socioconstructivist or usual instruction. Finally, the results indicate that explicit instruction is generally more effective for underachieving students or in difficulty.

A Abordagem Lexical (LEWIS, 1993) se distingue por conferir ao léxico a posição de elemento central no processo de ensino-aprendizagem de uma língua estrangeira. É constituída por princípios que propõem reavaliar a importância do léxico e o tipo de tratamento dado a esse elemento pelos professores e aprendizes durante o processo de aprendizagem da língua-alvo. De fato, esse elemento da língua tem um alto valor, uma vez que perpassa as quatro habilidades linguísticas, configurando-se em fator determinante para a comunicação. No entanto, a complexa natureza multifacetada das palavras e a realidade fluida do léxico dificulta a aprendizagem, acarretando em defasagem da competência lexical. O objetivo desta pesquisa é verificar as contribuições do ensino sistematizado e explícito de vocabulário norteado pelos princípios da Abordagem Lexical para a aprendizagem do léxico em língua japonesa, a curto e longo prazo, tanto quantitativamente quanto qualitativamente. Buscamos averiguar se complementar a aquisição incidental com o ensino sistematizado e explícito do léxico norteado pelos princípios da Abordagem Lexical contribui para o desenvolvimento da competência lexical do aprendiz de língua japonesa. Se sim, de que forma e em que medida? Trata-se de uma pesquisa empírica, de natureza aplicada, descritiva, com abordagem quantitativa e delineamento quase-experimental. Para responder ao problema de pesquisa, realizou-se um experimento com duas turmas do sexto ano do Ensino Fundamental II de uma escola particular da região da Grande São Paulo. Um grupo de participantes compôs o grupo experimental e outro o grupo controle. Elaborou-se uma sequência didática desenvolvida nos dois grupos, com a adição de quatro intervenções pedagógicas elaboradas com base nos princípios da Abordagem Lexical apenas no grupo experimental, sendo elas: a) uma aula sobre o conceito de chunks e outra sobre os tipos de itens lexicais; b) exercícios complementares com foco lexical; c) atividades complementares com foco lexical; e d) elaboração de um caderno lexical. Logo após o término da sequência didática e trinta dias depois, os participantes de ambas os grupos responderam ao teste VKS (Vocabulary Knowledge Scale) (WESCHE; PARIBAKHT, 1993). Os dados coletados passaram por um tratamento estatístico e foram analisados descritivamente. Realizou-se também uma análise das respostas escritas, visando identificar evidências de um possível efeito das intervenções pedagógicas no desempenho dos aprendizes. Os resultados das análises indicaram que o grupo experimental teve um desempenho superior ao grupo controle. Com base nisso, concluiu-se que o ensino sistematizado e explícito norteado pelos princípios da Abordagem Lexical contribuiu para o desenvolvimento da competência lexical do aprendiz de língua japonesa no contexto de ensino contemplado nesta pesquisa. / The Lexical Approach (LEWIS, 1993) is distinguished by giving the lexicon the central element position in the teaching and learning process of a foreign language. It consists of principles that propose to reevaluate the importance of the lexicon and the type of treatment given to this element by teachers and learners during the process of learning the target language. In fact, this element of the language is important, since it pass through the four linguistic abilities, being configured in determinant factor for the communication. However, the complex multifaceted nature of words and the fluid reality of the lexicon make learning difficult, resulting in a lag of lexical competence. The aim of this research is to verify the contributions of systematized and explicit vocabulary teaching guided by the principles of the Lexical Approach to lexical learning in Japanese, in the short and long term, both quantitatively and qualitatively. We seek to ascertain whether complementing the incidental acquisition with the systematized and explicit teaching of the lexicon guided by the principles of the Lexical Approach contributes to the development of the lexical competence of the Japanese language learner. If so, how and to what extent? It is an empirical research of applied nature, descriptive, with quantitative approach and quasi-experimental design. In order to answer the research problem, an experiment was carried out with two classes of the sixth grade of Elementary School II of a private school in the region of Greater São Paulo. One group of participants was the experimental group and the another was the control group. A didactic sequence developed in both groups was elaborated, with the addition of four pedagogical interventions elaborated based on the principles of the Lexical Approach only in the experimental group, which were: a) a class on the concept of chunks and another on the types of lexical items; b) complementary exercises with lexical focus; c) complementary activities with lexical focus; and d) development of a lexical notebook. Shortly after the end of the didactic sequence and thirty days later, participants in both groups responded to the VKS (Vocabulary Knowledge Scale) test (WESCHE; PARIBAKHT, 1993). The data collected underwent to a statistical treatment and were analyzed descriptively an analysis of written responses was also carried out to identify evidence of a possible effect of pedagogical interventions on the performance of learners. The results of the analyzes indicated that the experimental group performed better than the control group. Based on this, it was concluded that systematized and explicit teaching guided by the principles of the Lexical Approach contributed to the development of lexical competence of the Japanese language learner in the context of teaching contemplated in this research.

The aim of the study is to investigate how genre pedagogy is construed, evaluated and translated into practice according to handbooks for teachers, as well as according to professional teachers and whether there is a coherence between the application and evaluation of both parties. Genre pedagogy is a method that aims at developing students’ reading and writing skills and is therefore interesting when fresh surveys from e.g. PIRLS and PISA show that the reading ability of Swedish middle school students is dropping.   I have chosen to use two qualitative methods: interview and a literature study. I have interviewed three teachers from schools in central Sweden. In the results section, I present my empirical study into two main themes and associated thematic subheadings.   The results suggest that what the literature presents is well in line with how the teachers apply genre pedagogy in practice. All teachers considered that it’s very important to support their students in the language and knowledge-based teaching. A negative aspect of the circle model is that the teaching can get tedious, especially for those students who find it easy to write. In sum, the results suggest that genre pedagogy is a flexible set of methods for meeting some of the challenges facing language teaching today, and one that teachers find easy to translate from theory to practice. / Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur genrepedagogiken presenteras, värderas och omsätts i praktik enligt genrepedagogisk facklitteratur samt enligt yrkesaktiva lärare samt om det finns en samstämmighet mellan de båda parternas tillämpning och värdering.  Genrepedagogiken är en metod som bland annat syftar till att utveckla elevers läs- och skrivförmåga och är därför intressant när färska undersökningar från till exempel PIRLS och PISA visar att läsförmågan hos svenska mellanstadieelever sjunker.   Metoden som ligger till grund för min studie är kvalitativa intervjuer och en litteraturstudie. Jag har intervjuat tre lärare från skolor i Mellansverige. I resultat- och analysdelen presenterar jag min empiri i två huvudteman med tillhörande tematiska underrubriker.   I mitt resultat har jag fått fram att det facklitteraturen presenterar stämmer bra överens med hur lärarna tillämpar genrepedagogiken i praktiken. Något lärarna ansåg som extra viktigt var att undervisa explicit samt att stötta sina elever, göra dem trygga och motiverade i den språk- och kunskapsbaserade undervisningen. En negativ aspekt med cirkelmodellen är att undervisningen kan bli tjatig och inrutad, speciellt för de elever som har lätt för att skriva. Lärarna ansåg dock att de kunde göra modellen till sin egen och vara flexibla i sin undervisning. Sammanfattningsvis visar resultaten att lärarna tycker det är lätt att göra om teori till praktik och att genrepedagogiken är ett bra arbetssätt för att möta de utmaningar som finns inom dagens språkundervisning.

A Abordagem Lexical (LEWIS, 1993) se distingue por conferir ao léxico a posição de elemento central no processo de ensino-aprendizagem de uma língua estrangeira. É constituída por princípios que propõem reavaliar a importância do léxico e o tipo de tratamento dado a esse elemento pelos professores e aprendizes durante o processo de aprendizagem da língua-alvo. De fato, esse elemento da língua tem um alto valor, uma vez que perpassa as quatro habilidades linguísticas, configurando-se em fator determinante para a comunicação. No entanto, a complexa natureza multifacetada das palavras e a realidade fluida do léxico dificulta a aprendizagem, acarretando em defasagem da competência lexical. O objetivo desta pesquisa é verificar as contribuições do ensino sistematizado e explícito de vocabulário norteado pelos princípios da Abordagem Lexical para a aprendizagem do léxico em língua japonesa, a curto e longo prazo, tanto quantitativamente quanto qualitativamente. Buscamos averiguar se complementar a aquisição incidental com o ensino sistematizado e explícito do léxico norteado pelos princípios da Abordagem Lexical contribui para o desenvolvimento da competência lexical do aprendiz de língua japonesa. Se sim, de que forma e em que medida? Trata-se de uma pesquisa empírica, de natureza aplicada, descritiva, com abordagem quantitativa e delineamento quase-experimental. Para responder ao problema de pesquisa, realizou-se um experimento com duas turmas do sexto ano do Ensino Fundamental II de uma escola particular da região da Grande São Paulo. Um grupo de participantes compôs o grupo experimental e outro o grupo controle. Elaborou-se uma sequência didática desenvolvida nos dois grupos, com a adição de quatro intervenções pedagógicas elaboradas com base nos princípios da Abordagem Lexical apenas no grupo experimental, sendo elas: a) uma aula sobre o conceito de chunks e outra sobre os tipos de itens lexicais; b) exercícios complementares com foco lexical; c) atividades complementares com foco lexical; e d) elaboração de um caderno lexical. Logo após o término da sequência didática e trinta dias depois, os participantes de ambas os grupos responderam ao teste VKS (Vocabulary Knowledge Scale) (WESCHE; PARIBAKHT, 1993). Os dados coletados passaram por um tratamento estatístico e foram analisados descritivamente. Realizou-se também uma análise das respostas escritas, visando identificar evidências de um possível efeito das intervenções pedagógicas no desempenho dos aprendizes. Os resultados das análises indicaram que o grupo experimental teve um desempenho superior ao grupo controle. Com base nisso, concluiu-se que o ensino sistematizado e explícito norteado pelos princípios da Abordagem Lexical contribuiu para o desenvolvimento da competência lexical do aprendiz de língua japonesa no contexto de ensino contemplado nesta pesquisa. / The Lexical Approach (LEWIS, 1993) is distinguished by giving the lexicon the central element position in the teaching and learning process of a foreign language. It consists of principles that propose to reevaluate the importance of the lexicon and the type of treatment given to this element by teachers and learners during the process of learning the target language. In fact, this element of the language is important, since it pass through the four linguistic abilities, being configured in determinant factor for the communication. However, the complex multifaceted nature of words and the fluid reality of the lexicon make learning difficult, resulting in a lag of lexical competence. The aim of this research is to verify the contributions of systematized and explicit vocabulary teaching guided by the principles of the Lexical Approach to lexical learning in Japanese, in the short and long term, both quantitatively and qualitatively. We seek to ascertain whether complementing the incidental acquisition with the systematized and explicit teaching of the lexicon guided by the principles of the Lexical Approach contributes to the development of the lexical competence of the Japanese language learner. If so, how and to what extent? It is an empirical research of applied nature, descriptive, with quantitative approach and quasi-experimental design. In order to answer the research problem, an experiment was carried out with two classes of the sixth grade of Elementary School II of a private school in the region of Greater São Paulo. One group of participants was the experimental group and the another was the control group. A didactic sequence developed in both groups was elaborated, with the addition of four pedagogical interventions elaborated based on the principles of the Lexical Approach only in the experimental group, which were: a) a class on the concept of chunks and another on the types of lexical items; b) complementary exercises with lexical focus; c) complementary activities with lexical focus; and d) development of a lexical notebook. Shortly after the end of the didactic sequence and thirty days later, participants in both groups responded to the VKS (Vocabulary Knowledge Scale) test (WESCHE; PARIBAKHT, 1993). The data collected underwent to a statistical treatment and were analyzed descriptively an analysis of written responses was also carried out to identify evidence of a possible effect of pedagogical interventions on the performance of learners. The results of the analyzes indicated that the experimental group performed better than the control group. Based on this, it was concluded that systematized and explicit teaching guided by the principles of the Lexical Approach contributed to the development of lexical competence of the Japanese language learner in the context of teaching contemplated in this research.

Svenska elevers resultat på internationella studier som PIRLS visar på bristande läsförmåga hos eleverna och på bristande lässtrategiundervisning. Svenska elever undervisas mindre om lässtrategier än övriga deltagande länder i undersökningen. Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka vilken roll teorier om lässtrategier spelar i svenskundervisningen i årskurs 4-6 i den svenska skolan idag. Genom en enkät samt intervjuer så undersöks detta. Undersökningen fann att lärare använde sig av flera lässtrategier i sin undervisning. Undersökningen fann också att lärare undervisade både implicit och explicit, även om en stor del endast undervisade explicit. Undersökningen visade också att samtal om texter är en viktig faktor i lärarens syn på förbättrad läsförståelse hos eleverna. Slutsatsen är att det förekommer såväl implicit som explicit undervisning om lässtrategier och variationen av vilka lässtrategier det undervisas om är stor. / Swedish students' results in international studies of reading literacy such as PIRLS show a lack of reading ability among students and a lack of reading strategy teaching. Swedish students are taught less about reading strategies than other participating countries in the survey. The purpose of this essay is to investigate the role theories of reading strategies play in Swedish teaching in grades 4–6 in the Swedish school today. This is investigated through a questionnaire and interviews. The study found that teachers used several reading strategies in their teaching. The study also found that teachers taught reading strategies both implicitly and explicitly, although a great deal of them only taught explicitly. The study also showed that conversations about texts are an important factor in the teacher's view of improved reading comprehension for the students. The conclusion is that there is both implicit and explicit teaching about reading strategies and the variation of which reading strategies are taught is large.

Vocabulary development is important when it comes to learning a language, but it is also a challenging task. The Swedish syllabus focuses on implicit knowledge, and explicit teaching has been shown to have a positive impact on learners’ implicit knowledge. Therefore, this research synthesis explores to what extent explicit morphological teaching can be beneficial and improve vocabulary development for older adolescent and adult learners of English as a foreign language. It also explores how these findings are related to the English syllabus for upper secondary education in Sweden. The methods include searching several electronic databases with specific related search terms and using inclusion and exclusion criteria to obtain relevant articles. The research synthesis compiles the findings of a total of eight articles on both the effect of receptive vocabulary and productive vocabulary. The results indicate that explicit morphology instruction has a positive outcome for learners of English as a foreign language in both receptive and productive vocabulary, and, that it may be a useful teaching method. Finally, the results correlate with previous research and with the Swedish steering documents and the communicative classroom in the Swedish context. For further research, it would be of interest to see if the results are applicable in a Swedish context, and thus, further studies in a Swedish context are encouraged.