This diploma thesis is focused on acquiring communicative competence in teaching the English language as a foreign language. It is based on the presumption that students are not aware of some components of communication which partake in understanding when communicating in a foreign language (context of situation, nonverbal communication, paralinguistic features). This assumption is being verified via questionnaires. The theoretical basis describes the grounding and benefits of drama techniques used in teaching a foreign language and The Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) method. Both these approaches are used for preparation of three experimental lesson plans which are put into practice. Video recordings are made which, along with information from students and their teacher, serve as a detailed analysis of the whole experiment.

This essay argues that while the main character in The Outsiders challenges the norms of toxic masculinity on a surface level, his decision to continue fighting for his gang, the greasers, actually reinforces the stereotypical view that violence is connected to masculinity. Furthermore, it is argued that studying The Outsiders in a Swedish EFL classroom can promote critical thinking and knowledge of issues connected to gender through using empathetic reading.  Empathetic reading is a way to read carefully to gain new perspectives in order to discuss and criticize the text. Even though the term toxic masculinity assumes a healthy/harmful binary, it is needed since the power dynamics that sustain gender inequality remain. Recent events in the Western world, such as the #Metoo movement and Trumpism, are just a couple of examples of how power dynamics are showing through gender discrimination and sexual harassment. However, gender can be a sensitive subject in lower secondary EFL classrooms, and by focusing on being empathetic towards how others express gender may lessen the pressure of speaking about gender subjectively.

The present licentiate thesis aims to investigate pupils’ understanding and use of teacher written feedback in English as a foreign language (EFL). The study was carried out in two Swedish lower secondary schools in two different classrooms, one in year eight with 14-year-old pupils and one in year nine with 15-year-old pupils. A case study research design was adopted to gain insights into nine pupils’ understand-ing and use of feedback. The three participants in year eight wrote ‘a letter to Barack Obama’ and received teacher written feedback in their draft texts and on a separate paper with individualized comments. The six pupils in year nine wrote about ‘mov-ies’ and received teacher written feedback in their draft texts but were also provided with a writing checklist. Data were collected from multiple sources but the data used for analysis were comprised of pupils’ draft and final version texts and pupil reflec-tive interviews.  The findings suggest that pupils understand many of the issues addressed by the teachers in their written feedback. Most pupils express their understanding using everyday language and by resorting to different strategies such as explaining why the feedback is provided, suggesting adequate changes or just by providing a correc-tion. However, it seems hard for a few pupils to understand the use of implicit types of written feedback. The results of the present study also suggest that it is hard to know a priori what pupils will experience as difficult to understand when it comes to the language used by the teachers in their written explanations. The findings further show that the majority of feedback points trigger pupils to make revision operations that involve major text-based changes. In other words pupils make more changes than those addressed in the teachers’ written feedback. The results also highlight that most pupils do not challenge their teachers’ feedback.  The findings of this study contribute to research on foreign language (FL) writing by providing insights from pupils’ perspectives and may fill a gap in the field of FL writing, since there are not many studies based on pupils’ perceptions. The context in which this study took place, lower secondary level and EFL in Sweden, also makes an additional contribution to the field of FL writing.

This thesis analyses the approach to the concept of family in general Czech educational programme, specific educational programs of selected schools and currently used textbooks for Civics. The analysis is put into the context of current state of knowledge of the topic Czech family. Based on these findings, a teaching concept of the topic family at Lower Secondary Schools is presented. The proposed concept aims to help the children understand their family situation as well as prepare them for future situations while respecting the children's privacy. It combines methods of cooperative teaching, competence learning and unstructured staging. In the proposed concept, children form groups representing simulated families and take roles of given family members. A list of supporting teaching materials is attached in the appendix. These materials can be used to create a portfolio of information about the simulated family. KEY WORDS didactics, family, Lower Secondary School, family problems, Civics

Det här självständiga arbetet har som syfte att ta reda på vilka uppfattningar som flickor på högstadiet har om teknikämnet för att kunna se vad som kan förändras i den nuvarande teknikundervisningen. Syftet är också att det aktuella arbetet ska kunna bidra till att teknikundervisningen kan utvecklas åt ett håll så att fler flickor känner att de förstår vad teknik är och på så sätt kan utveckla ett intresse som gör att de vill välja att läsa vidare på gymnasiets teknikprogram. Frågeställningarna som användes i undersökningen var: - Vad gör teknikämnet intressant för flickor på högstadiet? - Vad påverkar flickor till att välja/inte välja teknikprogrammet på gymnasiet? Undersökningen genomfördes med två fokusgruppsintervjuer på två skolor i två olika kommuner. Av resultatet framkom det att en del flickor anser att de haft så lite teknikundervisning att de saknar kunskap om vad teknik är, och att det har bidragit till att de inte utvecklat något intresse för teknikämnet och därmed inte heller funderar på att välja teknikprogrammet. En del flickor anser även att lärarnas roll är viktig för att kunna utveckla ett intresse för teknikämnet, men att det också är väldigt viktigt att ha kvinnliga förebilder som kan visa att det är möjligt även för flickor att lyckas inom en teknisk bransch. / The purpose of this report is to find out what perception of technology girls in lower secondary school have, so that technology as a subject can be altered. Another aim of this report is to create a helpful tool for future developing the technology subject so that more girls can establish an interest in the subject. This is as an understanding within technology could increase the possibility that they want to study technology in the future. The research issues for this study are: - What makes girls in lower secondary school interested in technology? - What affects girls in their choice of studying or not studying technology in upper secondary school? The study was performed by group interviews conducted at two different schools in different municipalities. Results given reveal that some girls believe that they have had too little training in technology, leading to a lack of knowledge about what technology is. This contributes to a lack of interest within technology, which makes them not think about choosing the technology program in the future. Some girl believe that the teachers play a significant role when it comes to the development regarding an interest in technology, and also that it is important to have female role-models to show that it is possible for girls to succeed in the technological industry.

Till den här undersökningen har en kromatografilaboration konstruerats. Högstadieelevers attityd gentemot kemi före och efter genomförandet av kromatografilaborationen jämförs. Genomförandet skedde vid Vetenskapens Hus i Stockholm. Även medföljande lärares upplevelse av laborationen och eventuell påverkan på elever undersöks. Frågeformulär används för undersökande av elevernas attityder gentemot kemi och intervjuer med medföljande lärare används som komplement till elevernas svar. För en grupp av de deltagande eleverna syns en förändring i attityd gentemot kemi i positiv riktning, vilket stämmer överens med elevgruppens lärares upplevelse. För den andra gruppen deltagande elever syns ingen förändring i attityd gentemot kemi, vilket stämmer överens med elevgruppens lärares upplevelse. Laborationen anses lämplig av de medföljande lärarna, oavsett om den har en affektiv påverkan på eleverna eller inte. Utifrån elevernas svar på frågeformulären och lärarintervjuerna går det att fastställa laborationens möjlighet att påverka elever affektivt, men även att denna påverkan inte är självklar. / In this report, a chromatography lab is constructed and the attitudes towards chemistry of students in lower secondary school are compared before and after the lab is carried out at Vetenskapens Hus in Stockholm. The attendant teachers’ experiences of the lab and potential effects on the students are also taken into consideration. Questionnaires are used to survey the students’ attitudes towards chemistry, and interviews with the attendant teachers are used as a complement to the students’ answers. For one group of students, a significant positive change in their attitudes towards chemistry is measured, which is consistent with their teacher’s experience. For the other group of students, there is no significant change in their attitudes towards chemistry, which is consistent with their teacher’s experience as well. The lab itself is seen as appropriate by the attendant teachers, regardless of whether it influences the students affectively or not. Based on the answers of the students and the interviews with the teachers, it is possible to conclude that the lab has the potential to influence the students affectively, but also that this influence isn’t a necessary effect of the lab.

Den 9 mars 2017 beslutade regeringen att skolans styrdokument ska förtydligas i syfte att stärka elevernas digitala kompetens. Detta innebär bland annat att programmering från och med den 1 juli 2018 ska införas i matematikundervisningen på högstadiet och gymnasiet. En utmaning med detta är att lärare inte har kompetens eller verktyg för att implementera programmering i matematikundervisningen på ett bra sätt. Zifro är ett digitalt läromedel som försöker lösa detta problem genom att ge lärare ett material som ska vara lätt att ta till sig oavsett erfarenhet av programmering och även en pedagogisk kodmiljö för eleverna. En kvalitativ studie har genomförts med observationer och intervjuer som metod. Tre lärare och en VFU-student på olika skolor deltog i studien genom att använda två av Zifros aktiviteter i sin undervisning. Syftet med studien är att undersöka vad lärare tycker om materialet och hur det förhåller sig till läroplanen för att utveckla underlag för förbättringsmöjligheter. En slutsats från studien är att Zifro enligt lärare är ett bra läromedel och inga större förändringar behöver göras på materialet som redan finns. Det är ett av få läromedel inom programmering som existerar idag med en klar koppling till läroplanen och matematiken. Däremot behöver det finnas fler aktiviteter för att skolor eller arbetslag ska vilja köpa in det. Förutom fler aktiviteter likt de som redan finns fast inom andra matematiska områden skulle det även kunna finnas webbaserade test samt mer öppna uppgifter där eleven får vara mer kreativ. Ytterligare konkreta förslag på mindre förbättringar, som ett facit läraren kan skriva ut i pappersform, samt att Zifro kan ta fram en kurs för lärare presenteras under diskussion och slutsatser. / On March 9, 2017, the Swedish government decided that the school's governing documents should be clarified in order to strengthen students' digital skills. This means, among other things, that programming from 1 July 2018 will be included in the mathematics in lower and upper secondary school. A challenge with this is that teachers neither possess the skills or tools to properly implement programming in mathematics education. Zifro is a digital teaching aid that tries to solve this problem by giving teachers a user-friendly material regardless of programming experience and also an educational code environment for students. A qualitative study has been conducted with observations and interviews as a method. Three teachers and a VFU student at different schools in Stockholm, Sweden, participated in the study using two of ZIFRO's activities in their teaching. The purpose of the study is to investigate teachers’ opinions about the material and how it relates to the curriculum in order to develop improvement suggestions. A conclusion from the study is that, according to teachers, Zifro is a good teaching aid and no major changes are needed to the already existing material. It is one of few existing teaching materials in programming with a clear connection to the curriculum and mathematics. However, Zifro must provide more activities so that schools will want to buy it. Apart from more activities like the already existing ones, but within other mathematical fields, these activities can be web-based tests and more open tasks where the student can be more creative. Further concrete suggestions for minor improvements, as well as how Zifro could develop a course for teachers, are presented below the headings discussion and conclusions.

Syftet med min studie är att synliggöra elevers erfarenheter om vad som gör ämnet moderna språk i år 8 och 9 intressant, genom att ta reda på hur eleverna upplever sina språkstudier och studera vilka faktorer som styr deras motivation. Jag har genomfört två intervjuer med sammanlagt åtta elever i åk 8 och 9 på högstadiet. Två elever i franska , fem elever i tyska och en elev i spanska. Elevsvaren har sedan analyserats och sorterats upp utifrån uppsatsens huvudkategorier. De olika teorierna är: "mentala självbilder", "autentiska/verklighetsbaserade skoluppgifter", "growth mindset/självkänsla" och "lärarens roll". Eleverna tycker att läraren är den viktigaste källan till motivation i språkklassrummet. Andra exempel på motiverande faktorer eleverna nämner inkluderar mer muntliga verklighetsbaserade uppgifter och riligare lektionsupplägg. Några demotiverande faktorer som nämns av eleverna är att deras goda engelskakunskaper har negativ inverkan på inlärningen av det moderna språket samt att deras upplevelser av att kunna för lite på målspråket för att kunna uttrycka sig fritt.

This dissertation consists of two studies, a middle school study and a follow-up study. In the middle school study, the reading ability of a group of middle school students, of which some have reading difficulties, is described and analyzed along with the classroom conditions the students are given for the development of their reading abilities. The overall aim of the follow-up study is to describe and analyze the reading ability development in the same group of students from the beginning of middle school to the end of lower secondary school, as well as examine the students’ use of strategies in grade 9. In lower secondary school decoding, vocabulary and reading comprehension were tested like in middle school. Students’ reading comprehension was tested on both stages based on a reading comprehension test and a national test. Since the use of strategies seems to be important for students’ reading comprehension, even the use of learning strategies were examined by including a question from the PISA (2009) student questionnaire. Furthermore, six students who in the beginning of middle school had shown poor results in one or more of the reading aspects were, referred to as the small sample group and, were interviewed in grade 9 regarding their use of comprehension strategies when reading an age-appropriate historical factual text in a textbook. Analyses show that there is a small development in reading comprehension from the beginning of middle school to the end of lower secondary school. Even the development of correct reading and vocabulary is relatively small. The largest development is shown for the reading rate, but analyses show that the reason for that is not merely a more automated process of decoding. A comparison between the results in the reading comprehension tests and the national tests at both stages show higher results for the national tests, which can depend on the different aims of the two tests. Regarding learning strategies, the entire study group stated in the questionnaire that they mostly use the deeper monitoring strategies, while the students in the small sample group reported that they tended to use the more superficial memory strategies. The results of the interviews show that the small sample group as a group found it more convenient to use comprehension strategies for superficial rather than for deeper comprehension.

The aim of this compilation thesis is to describe prerequisites for what, in a Swedish educational context, is often called ‘entrepreneurial learning’ and to examine the possible influence that this has on school practice. The study was carried out in two lower secondary schools and was guided by the following two research questions. First, how is entrepreneurial learning reflected in educational practice regarding teaching, learning and assessment? Second, how has the phenomenon of entrepreneurship been recontextualized in educational discourse through politics and policy? Basil Bernstein’s concepts and theories have consistently been the point of departure for analysis. Altogether, 52 classroom observations were made, particularly focusing on the subjects of social science, science and mathematics. In addition, 8 individual interviews with teachers and 15 group interviews with pupils were conducted. For decades, national and international policy documents have promoted the need for a creative, innovative and flexible future working force; bringing this about has highly involved the education system. In Sweden, entrepreneurship was inscribed in the curriculum in 2011, and it is meant to run like a thread throughout education. In this study the broad approach of entrepreneurship in education, which is about generating an entrepreneurial mindset, is focused. Research points out various difficulties and dilemmas regarding the implementation of entrepreneurial learning. These difficulties and dilemmas are connected to concerns about perceived difficulties in relation to differences in school subjects, pupils’ backgrounds, degree of managerial support and/or collegial consensus and cooperation. The main findings are linked to recurrent difficulties regarding teaching methods and assessments in relation to entrepreneurial learning. Curricula and syllabi express explicit learning outcomes, which both teachers and learners perceive as being challenging to combine with entrepreneurial classroom work. This in turn links to an aspect which is often addressed in research—that is, the question about whether to use traditional or entrepreneurial (progressive) teaching methods. Curricula express a need for both, and teachers often find it difficult to find a functioning balance between them, not least because of current societal discussions and demands. In many respects, the implementation of entrepreneurial learning sends mixed messages. On the one hand, pupils are meant to develop entrepreneurial skills and competencies through cooperation and interaction within groups, and, on the other hand, the essence of entrepreneurship indicates competition; this is yet another dilemma addressed in the study. The study shows that, due to the schools’ different prerequisites regarding, for instance, teachers’ approaches and understandings and the schools’ catchment areas, entrepreneurial learning is performed somewhat different. Bernstein’s concepts and theories offer tools to explain and understand different aspects, including dilemmas and difficulties in relation to both classroom practice and social discourse.