Sveriges förskolor är idag präglade av många olika språk vilket har gjort att förskollärare har fått ett bredare ansvar när det handlar om barns språkutveckling. Forskning visar på att det är av fördel och viktigt att barn med annat modersmål än svenska ska få möjlighet att utöva sitt eget språk i verksamheten, då det i sin tur leder till att barnet kan utveckla och förstå det svenska språket snabbare och lättare. Min studie syftar till att få ökad kunskap om hur förskollärare som arbetar inom förskolan arbetar inkluderande i miljö och i den dagliga verksamheten med fokus på modersmål. Hur de gör för att synliggöra olika språk i verksamheten och vad för pedagogiska artefakter de använder som en stöttning i kommunikation eller bara som en stöttning för barn med annat modersmål än svenska. Det sociokulturella perspektivet är en utgångspunkt i min studie då lärande sker i sociala sammanhang och språket är ett viktigt verktyg för alla människor. För att få in mycket breda och många svar som möjligt har gjort en kvantitativ studie i form av en enkätundersökning där förskollärare har fått möjlighet att delta. Studiens resultat visar att artefakter så som tecken som stöd och bildstöd är två vanliga och betydande redskap att använda sig av som komplement i barns utveckling och lärande. / Sweden’s preschools today are characterized by many different languages, which has means that preeschool teachers have been given a broader responsibility when it comes to children’s language development. Research shows that it is beneficial and important that children with a mother tounge other than swedish should have the opportunity to practice their own language in the activity, as this in turn leads to the child being able to develop and understand the swedish language faster and easier. My study aims to get more knowledge about how educators who work in pre-school works inclusievly in the environment and daily activites with a focus on mother tongue. How they do to make different languages visible in the preschool and what pedagogical artifacts they use as a support in communication or just as a support for children with a mother tongue other than swedish. The socio-cultural perspective is a starting point in my study as learning takes place in social contexts and language is an important tool for all people. In order to get as broad and as many answers as possible, I have conducted a quantitative study in the form of a questionnaire survey which preschool teachers have been given the opportunity to participate. The results of the study shows that artifacts such as signs as a support and picture-support are two imporant and significant tools to use as a complement in children’s development and learning.

The focus of this research is on implementing a professional development intervention aimed at improving the teaching practice of teachers teaching English as a subject at a rural high school in Lesotho. The study presents the way in which I as the principal researcher and my English teacher colleague facilitated learning, using innovative methods in our English classes in a way that promoted learner-centredness. In this study improvement of the teaching practice of teachers of English was intended to reduce the overuse of mother tongue in English classes to promote the teaching of English through English (Cook, 2005) and to improve learners’ proficiency in English as a subject. The study was conducted using an action research design. Action research was used as a professional development process with a view to improving educational practice; it enabled me as the facilitator of the professional development intervention and my colleague to rethink our approaches to facilitating learning of English in order to innovate our teaching. A mix of qualitative and quantitative approaches was used for collecting and analysing both qualitative and quantitative data in one study. These approaches were used to promote an in-depth understanding of the research problem under investigation. Open-ended interviews, observations, observation sheets, reflective journals and a questionnaire were used as data collection procedures that created a convergence of viewpoints, methods and conclusions. The conceptual and theoretical framework that guided the study emerged from the literature review. Findings of the study revealed that the innovative methods implemented in the English classes at a rural high school have contributed to the improvement in professional development and the teaching practice of teachers of English. Although learners preferred the use of both English and mother tongue in their English classes, findings of the study have revealed that there was an improvement in learners’ proficiency in English as a subject which was facilitated using English. The study recommends that the whole brain thinking model, multiple intelligences and action research as a constructivist approach be utilised daily in English classes and in all learning areas in Lesotho high schools as a basis for transformation and facilitation of learning that promotes learner-centredness. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Humanities Education / MEd / Unrestricted

The South African Language-in-Education Policy (LiEP) states that mother tongue should be the preferred medium of instruction in the Foundation Phase (grade R-3). Primary tuition is therefore currently offered in the 11 South African official languages. The challenge faced in South African schools that offer African languages in the Foundation Phase, is the fact that from grade 4 onwards, education is only available through the medium of English. This results in a vast number of learners having to make a transition in grade 4 to English as medium of instruction. In this qualitative study, I explored the experiences of teachers and learners in this transition. The context of this case study is a poverty-stricken and underdeveloped rural area. SiSwati is the language commonly spoken in this area and English is spoken, heard and read only in the classroom. Purposive sampling was done, including three grade 3 classes and their teachers, as well as the grade 4 learners and the teachers teaching siSwati, English and Mathematics. Data was collected through interviews, observations, document analysis and field notes. Conventional content analysis was conducted. Among the theoretical lenses adopted for the study was Krashen’s input-interaction-output model of second language learning. This informed the process grade 4 learners undergo in learning English as a second language and medium of instruction. The findings of this study revealed that the challenge regarding this transition is not the English language per se, but rather a deficient home language foundation and the quality of teaching offered. The learners’ age at the time of this transition also plays a significant role, as it affects their readiness to switch to another language. The implications of this study relate to the necessity of a solid mother tongue foundation and improved quality of teaching. It is suggested that the admission age in grade 1 be seven years and the actual point of transition prolonged. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Early Childhood Education / MEd / Unrestricted

Sverige är idag ett mångkulturellt samhälle, där många är flerspråkiga. Skolan blir därför en central plats där många språk möts samt en plats där de ska lära sig ett annat språk. Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur elevernas språkutveckling fungerar men även hur lärare och pedagoger arbetar för att utveckla elevernas språkutveckling samt vilka verktyg de använder sig utav. Jag har skickat ut en enkät till sju olika pedagoger som jobbar på en skola där majoriteten av alla barn som går på skolan är flerspråkiga. Studien är både kvantitativ genom enkätfrågor. Studien är framställd i Mellansverige på en skola som ligger i en låginkomsttagande stadsdel. På skolan är tvåspråkigheten stor och cirka 70 procent av eleverna som går på skolan är tvåspråkiga, vilka antingen är födda i Sverige eller har kommit till Sverige när de var små. Resultatet visar att mycket är beroende på elevens bakgrund samt att lärarna försöker utveckla språket genom olika hjälpmedel såsom till exempel bildstöd, datorer och dokumentkameror.

Thesis (M.Ed. (Language Education)) -- University of Limpopo, 2010 / This research study investigated subtractive bilingualism in teaching and learning through the medium of English without the support of the mother tongue. The aim was to investigate if it is possible for learners to acquire a second language (English) without totally losing their home language. This was done through: probing the reasons why the language policy is difficult to implement in schools as outlined by the constitution of South Africa; determining the causes of subtractive bilingualism in the school settings and; an emphasis of the rights and responsibilities of educators and parents to make a positive difference in the lives of bilingual and bicultural learners. This research was grounded on Cummins (1991) theory of second language acquisition. The literature review examined other theories of second language acquisition and learning (Krashen 1981). In particular, emphasis was placed on the following broad areas in the literature review: mother tongue development; language shift and language loss; language planning and language policy; language and culture; language and identity, attitudes and equity; language in education; the National Language Policy Framework; and multilingualism. This research was conducted using the qualitative research methodology. A case study design was employed. Three instruments were used for collecting of the data. These were: questionnaires, interviews and classroom observations. The data analysis strategy used in this research was interaction analysis which was done through transcriptions of observations and video and audio recordings of interviews and classroom observations. The following were some of the findings from this research study: learners were not happy with their educators who unduly force them to communicate in English as the educators themselves are also not proficient in the language; learners are afraid to take risks of communicating in English for fear of other learners intimidating them; and many learners now communicate only in English and cannot understand the greater details of their mother tongue. iv The recommendations of this study are: to reduce the extent of language loss, parents should establish a strong home language policy and provide ample opportunities for children to expand the functions for which they use the mother tongue; parents and care-givers should spend time with their children and tell stories or discuss issues with them in a way that develops their mother tongue vocabulary and concepts so that children come to school prepared to learn the second language successfully without being distracted; funding and resources must be made available for additional language acquisition; well-trained and dedicated teachers with similar linguistic backgrounds to the learners should be hired; and the new language policy should be adopted.

Studies on the incidence of socio-pragmatic competence in the teaching of mother tongues are very scarce. The aims of this qualitative study are two folded: First, we want to describe the teachers’ use of socio-pragmatics in the subject of Spanish as a mother tongue. In addition, we want to determine the degree of use of socio-pragmatics u in this specific subject. a mixed method was applied. The results were obtained by means of aclassroom’sssemi structuredsIt was assumed that there would be a sociopragmatic approach in the teaching of mother languages but it was found to be different in each class and it depended on the teachers’ academic training and on the teaching materials, which do not always met the requirements of the subject’s curriculum. The present study assumes that there is a big difference between what appears in the curricular plan and what happens inside the classroom. Sociopragmatic aspects are not sufficiently reflected in the pedagogical practice due to two main reasons: on the one hand, internal and external factors that affect teaching negatively; and, on the other, the fact that teachers are not sufficiently acquainted with socio-pragmatic views. The results show that in all classes the teaching of socio-pragmatic aspects works although mostly intuitively. The degree of employment of socio-pragmatics is different depending on the knowledge that the teacher has about socio-pragmatic competence. Finally, yet importantly, it was found that various internal and external factors affect mother tongue teachers. These factors have a big impact on the properly development of the subject and, specifically, on the teaching of socio-pragmatic competence.

The thesis focuses on mother tongue education in The Gambia, attempting to analyse factors affecting its implementation in public lower basic schools across the country. The work is based on a field study investigating the strategies and the controversies behind multilingual education, with reference to a project launched in 2015 and aimed at the introduction of the seven Gambian national languages beside English

Nästan en tredjedel av grundskolans elever har annat modersmål än svenska. De är berättigade en timmes undervisningstid på modersmålet per vecka trots att forskning visar att de tidiga språkfärdigheterna bör utvecklas på elevens starkaste språk. Syftet med föreliggande studie är att tillföra forskning genom semistrukturerade intervjuer om hur tre klasslärare och tre modersmålslärare beskriver sin undervisning och sin kommunikation sinsemellan för flerspråkiga elevers skrivutveckling. Sociokulturell teoribildning och transspråkande utgör studiens teoretiska ansats. Studiens resultat visar att klasslärarna beskrev skrivundervisning med fokus på semantiska och pragmatiska aspekter av språk medan modersmålslärarna fokuserade på fonologiska aspekter. Klasslärarna beskrev att flerspråkiga elever specifikt gynnas av att få samarbeta och få stöttning av klasskamrater. Fyra av deltagarna beskrev flerspråkighet som en resurs i lärandet och två av modersmålslärarna organiserar undervisning med flerspråkigt skrivande genom transspråkande. Modersmålslärarna var i högre grad nöjda med kommunikationen än klasslärarna. Klasslärarna önskade en förbättrad kommunikation och beskrev att kommunikationen påverkas av organisatoriska och tidsmässiga hinder. / Almost one third of elementary school students have a different mother tongue than Swedish. They are entitled to one hour of teaching time per week in the mother tongue, despite research showing that early language skills should be acquired in the student's strongest language. The aim of this study is to investigate through semi-structured interviews how three class teachers and three mother tongue teachers describe their teaching and their communication with each other for multilingual students' writing development. Sociocultural theory formation and translanguaging constitute the study's theoretical approach. The results of the study show that the class teachers described writing instruction with focus on semantic and pragmatic aspects of language while the mother tongue teachers focused on phonological aspects. The class teachers described that it is specifically beneficial for multilingual students to be able to collaborate and receive support from classmates. Four of the participants described multilingualism as a resource in learning and two of the mother tongue teachers organize instruction with multilingual writing through translanguaging. The mother tongue teachers were more satisfied with the communication than the class teachers. The class teachers wanted improved communication and described that communication is affected by organizational and time-related limitations.

Globalisation and fast evolution of technologies have driven people to immigrate and live outside their home country. The multicultural society is no longer extraordinary. This thesis project explores the role and form of technologies and interactive design in assisting the parents with an ethnic background to introduce their culture and language to their children, as well as in maintaining its application in their everyday lives. The primary focus group are parents whose originated from Indonesia and have been living in other countries for more than two years. This research has utilised the user-research method employed in the design research process. The result suggested that persistence, consistency and community support are primary in promoting the preservation of the parents’ cultural background and language. Therefore, technology and interactive design have a significant impact to support it. The design outcome is a physical prototype combined with digitalised media support such as a website and an application.

Mother tongue teaching (modersmålsundervisning) has started from the 1960s in Sweden and is open to the students with Chinese as mother tongue. Swedish Chinese mother tongue teaching is different from the overseas Chinese education considering of it is offered by the Swedish municipalities, for example, Stockholm municipality, Huddinge municipality and etc. One of the most fundamental aspects in Chinese teaching is Chinese characters teaching. How to teach Chinese characters is discussed heatedly not only in China but also overseas. With the previous research overview, it is found that there are numerous approved ways to teach Chinese characters but with very limited available information on the teaching methods used in mother tongue classes in Sweden and therefore I did the research about several selected methods to see which one is considered as most effective and preferred by both the students and teachers together with collecting brief background information of them.  The research is done among the Chinese mother tongue teachers and the students who take part in the Chinese mother tongue lessons. The teaching methods are specific to teach Chinese characters’ pronunciation, formation, meaning and usage. The main research methods are snowball sampling and questionnaire.  The results indicate that the majority of Chinese mother tongue teacher participants are with no teaching licenses in Sweden and lack of teacher professional education and not all the students use Chinese as the main home language. The language level can be varied. Additionally, although the most of the choices made by the teachers and students on the preferred teaching methods are overlapped but there are also different choices which draw the attention from the mother tongue teachers.