Assessment has been shown to be crucial in the teaching work as it impacts the students´ strategies for learning. Formative assessments, in particular, have been identified to strengthen the students´ learning as they help the students to identify how far they have got in their learning process and how they can achieve higher levels of knowledge. In order to understand the students´ experiences of involvement in their own learning processes and in the classroom dynamics, a series of formative assessments were planned and carried out in conjunction with a five-week chemistry teaching. The evaluation of the assessments were based on teacher´s feedback, self-assessments and peer-responses. The study also aimed on getting a better understanding of the students´ experiences of different forms of assessment. The data was collected from a whole class of twenty-six students in grade eight in the form of responses to a questionnaire (with open questions), and qualitative interviews with four students (stratified selection based on gender and grade, followed by a random selection based on availability). Most of the students had a positive experience of the formative assessments as they could figure it out how much they have learnt and what needs to be done as the next step. They appreciated using more detailed assessment matrices to identify the required knowledge and the expected capacities. About one third of the students found the self- and peer-assessments useful. However, the majority expressed uncertainties in such assessments and showed a strong tendency to rely on the teacher´s assessments. The students highlighted different aspects of involvement in the classroom dynamics and for their own learning processes, more indirectly. There was a strong tendency to focus on the effects of formative assessments on the improvments of the grades. The results cast light on the necessity of creating a permissive classroom environment, open discussions and more collaborative activities in order to set the basis for a class where everyone contributes to his/her own learning as well as his/her classmates. This paves the way to achieve higher levels of students´ involvement in the teaching work. The study also shows the importance of continuity in the use of formative assessments and the time aspect, as it allows the students to gain experience and the teacher to adjust the assessments and use them as both teaching tool and the basis for grading. To be able to apply the formative assessments to support the students to achieve higher levels of knowledge, it is important to create a common understading of the learning processes among a group of teachers.

Syftet med detta examensarbete är att undersöka mellanstadieelevers förståelse av idiomatiska uttryck samt huruvida de känner igen idiomatiska uttryck till sin form och jämföra detta inom ämnena svenska och engelska. Vidare ämnar detta examensarbete att undersöka om det finns någon åldersprogression sett till elevernas förståelse av idiomatiska uttryck samt undersöka hur lärare arbetar med idiom. För att undersöka dessa frågor har en enkätundersökning samt intervjuer med lärare genomförts. Enkätundersökningen genomfördes på två olika skolor i Mellansverige, där totalt 196 elever från årskurs 4–6 deltog. Intervjuerna genomfördes på respektive skola med totalt fem legitimerade lärare. Undersökningen visar att förståelsen för idiomatiska uttryck, generellt sett, är relativt låg där elevernas förståelse för svenska idiom är högre än förståelsen för engelska idiom. Progressionen gällande engelska idiom följer en mer linjär utvecklingskurva medan progressionen gällande svenska idiom avtar efter årskurs fem. I ämnet svenska uppvisar eleverna en större förståelse för idiomens form, hur ett uttryck är uppbyggt, än betydelsen av dessa medan i ämnet engelska uppvisar eleverna motsatt resultat, det vill säga, större förståelse för idiomens betydelse än form. Resultatet visar att lärare i både ämnet svenska och ämnet engelska arbetar med idiomatiska uttryck i liten utsträckning. I ämnet svenska arbetar lärarna sporadiskt med idiom, i stort sett endast när det uppkommer i skönlitterära texter som eleverna läser och de få gånger det förekommer i läromedel. I ämnet engelska är arbetet med idiomatiska uttryck något mer planerat och strukturerat. / The purpose of this study is to investigate and compare middle school student’s understanding of Swedish and English idiomatic expressions. Furthermore, this study aims at investigating whether there is any age progression in the understanding of idioms and examine how teachers work with idiomatic expressions. The study was conducted at two different schools and a total of 196 students from year group 4 - 6 participated in a questionnaire survey and a total of five legitimized teachers was interviewed. The study shows that the overall understanding of idiomatic expressions is relatively low. However, the understanding of Swedish idioms is higher than the understanding of English idioms. The progression of English idiom comprehension follows a more linear development curve, while the progression of Swedish idiom comprehension decreases after year five. In Swedish, students show a greater understanding of the idiomatic form, how an expression is structured, rather than the actual meaning of the expression. In English idiomatic comprehension, the study shows that the students have a greater understanding when it comes to the meaning of the expression rather than the form. The result of the interviews shows that teachers, in both subjects, works with idiomatic expressions to a small extent. Swedish teachers work sporadically when idioms occur in fictional texts or when they appear in other educational materials. English teachers, on the other hand, work with idiomatic expressions in a more planned and structured way.