This thesis is a study of the narrative language of Elsa Beskow, Sweden's most famous children's writer of the early twentieth century. The overall aim of the thesis is to contribute to the understanding of why Beskow's stories are still among the most popular children's books in Sweden, more than a hundred years after her literary debut. My investigation is a quantitative study of word-class distribution, various syntactic features, and readability in four picture-books and four other stories. To begin with, Beskow's language is compared to that of other texts written for young readers, including children's fiction, a contemporary reading-book, and popular comic strips. The results indicate that Beskow has something in common with all of these materials, especially with children's fiction. However, she also has her own style, which is different from the children's fiction I compare with. For example, her sentences are comparatively long and often begin with a conjunction. Moreover, Beskow uses many address phrases and interjectional phrases, and the initial clause-constituent is often some other clause element than the subject. Additionally, Beskow's narrative language is compared to conversational language and to formal prose. The results show that Beskow moves along the whole scale, from conversation to formal writing, depending on what aspect of her language use is considered. In some cases, her style even falls outside of the scale. For example, placing the subject in initial position is less common in Beskow's writing than in both conversation and formal writing. Finally, the variation between Beskow's texts is examined. The analysis shows, among other things, that the oral influences on Beskow's style increased during the five decades she wrote stories.

Flera forskare menar att grunden för läsinlärning börjar så fort små barn hör ramsor, sånger och människor prata. Inom förskoleverksamheten är högläsning en vanligt förekommande aktivitet. Läser man högt för barn redan från en tidig ålder kan det resultera i att barnen tidigt utvecklar sin talförmåga. Under högläsningen kan också barnen ta lärdom av nya ord och påbörjar processen av att lära sig läsa. Högläsning kan också lära barn andra saker, t.ex. hur rösten förändras när man uttrycker känslor. Studier har visat att genom samtal och lek i samband med högläsning stimuleras barnens tankeförmåga då de blir delaktiga i en lärprocess. Föreliggande studie genomfördes med hjälp av två fokusgrupper bestående av pedagoger från förskoleverksamhet. Resultatet visar att pedagoger i förskoleverksamhet medvetet arbetar med högläsning för att stimulera barns språkutveckling. Pedagogerna framhöll att de upplever svårigheter med högläsning, t.ex. avbrott under tiden de läser, annat arbete som tar tid ifrån verksamheten samt för många barn samtidigt som de skall läsa för. Trots svårigheterna som finns läser pedagogerna högt för barnen i verksamheten flera gånger om dagen. De uttryckte att barnen då får en lugn stund där de kan slappna av och vila sig från den annars fartfyllda och högljudda verksamheten. Tillsammans med barnen utforskar pedagogerna böckernas värld och erövrar nya kunskaper i samspelet dem emellan. / Several scientists agree that a base for literacy learning forms as soon as small children hear verses, songs and conversations. Reading aloud is a common occurrence in preschool activities and can result in early development of speech at a young age. Children will learn new words and begin the process of learning how to read. Reading aloud can also teach the children other things for example how the voice changes when someone expresses emotions. Studies have shown that through conversation and play during the process of reading aloud stimulates children’s thinking ability as they take part in a teaching process. This study is conducted with a help of two focus groups which consists of educationalists from preschool activities. The result from this study shows that the educationalists deliberately work with reading aloud to stimulate children’s language development. The educationalists expressed that they experience some difficulties with reading aloud. For example interruptions during the reading, other tasks that takes time away from the activity as well as a too large group of children at the same time. Despite the difficulties the educationalists read aloud to the children in their care several times a day. They expressed that this is a chance for a quiet time when the children can relax and rest from the otherwise loud and busy day. Together with the children the educationalists explore the world of books and conquer new knowledge.

Det här examensarbetet undersöker hur fem lärare arbetar med högläsning i grundskolans årskurs fyra till sex. Studien är kvalitativ och syftet har varit att utifrån ett didaktiskt perspektiv ta reda på hur lärare arbetar med högläsning i skolan. Urvalet för studien har förutom lärare på mellanstadiet varit skolor som har ett fokusbibliotek detta för att undersöka om dessa har haft inflytande på arbetet med högläsning. Underlag för studien har skapats genom intervjuer med verksamma lärare. Resultaten visar att samtliga lärare arbetar med högläsning främst på två sätt, dels när läraren läser högt och dels när eleverna läser högt. Förutom att bara högläsa använder lärarna olika metoder på ett varierat sätt. Reciprok undervisning och Chambers boksamtal är de två metoderna som är mest framträdande. Dessa metoder är introducerade för lärare och elever av  fokusbibliotekarierna. Studiens resultat visar att lärarnas syften med högläsning är att ge eleverna läsupplevelser, större ordförråd, läsförståelse, använda lässtrategier, läsintresse, omvärldskunskap, kunskap om människors olika livsvillkor samt att uppmärksamma eleverna på att det finns en riklig tillgång av litteratur. Studien visar att lärarna bedömer att högläsning kan vara en effektiv och gynnsam undervisningsform om den används på ett strukturerat sätt med hjälp av särskilda metoder. Lärarna anser att det är positivt att ha ett fokusbibliotek med en utbildad bibliotekarie. Det är en fördel att ha en utbildad och kompetent bibliotekarie på plats i skolan därför att denne besitter kompetensersom lärarna inte har. Dit kan eleverna söka sig för att få hjälp att hitta en passande bok och söka fakta.

The aim of the study was to gain insight into how two different preschools work with planned reading aloud. My questions were: To what extent does planned reading aloud occur at the preschools? How do the planned situations when they read aloud look like? How do they make the choice of children’s literature to the planned reading aloud sessions? And; how can these different factors affect children's learning and development? This I have tried to find out by using a qualitative method. My material was collected through interviews and observations, these have been audio recorded and transcribed and supplemented with notes. I have during the study had three informants, Informant A, Informant B, and Informant C. The Informants Informant A and Informant B have participated in each separate interview, and at the departments where they work I have made two observations each. Informant C has been my backup informant and has participated in an interview, but I did not do any observations on the department where he/she works. My collected material was then analyzed with the help of the socio-cultural perspective and the theories of learning, development and interaction that that involves. My results showed that the two preschools worked in both partly similar and in different ways with reading aloud. These different yet similar approaches had different characteristics that showed that the work of reading aloud can be varied, enjoyable and a learning experience in many ways. The teacher plays an important role in children's learning and development in the reading aloud situations because he/she has the opportunity to see and support the child and control what books are being used and how they are used. The child also gets a chance to gain access to different cultures and contexts through the books content and can thereby learn. The study also showed that children get the opportunity to broaden their experiences and ideas in conversations with other children and adults in the situation if the teacher gives the children space to talk to each other and him/her.

The challenges in learning pinyin, the romanized Chinese orthography, faced by 5-to-7-year-olds, have received little attention. This study represents an attempt to better understand learning an alphabetic writing system from the viewpoint of the alphabetic principle, in the context of the Chinese language, by examining both reading aloud and spelling, with a particular focus on spelling. To detect the challenges, a pinyin syllable-type test (STT) was developed, in which syllables were classified into seven spelling types guided by the alphabetic principle, where there is a letter-sound correspondence. Syllables of all the lengths under each type of spelling pattern were given to two age groups, 6-year-old first-grade pupils and 7-year-old second-grade pupils, at the start of their school year. The sample consists of a total of 192 pupils. In spelling, the STT reveals that challenges appear when the spelling type departs from the alphabetic principle. The results show that the hardest type of spelling is not the type containing the longest syllables, but a type one-half of that length, for which the correspondence between letters and sounds is abridged, but explicitly taught. In contrast, the latter type poses no problem in the reading-aloud test, where the results show little variation between the spelling types. Comparing the students' performance on the STT shows an order of challenges among the seven types emerging in the first grade. This order is confirmed in the second grade in some types but not others. The pupils' raw data reveal not only what is challenging but also why it is so. Along with an indication of the influence from the local speech, the data also point to the effect of the teaching method, which is more or less uniform all over China. Thus, there is a possible application of the findings to a larger population.

Syftet med examensarbetet är att undersöka vad tidigare forskning sagt och vad som sägs om litteraturens betydelse och användningsområden i förskolans verksamhet. Frågeställningarna är: Vilken betydelse har litteraturen och högläsningen för barns utveckling av språket?, Hur kan vuxna påverka barnens literacyutveckling? och Hur kan boksamtal utformas i förskolan?   Ett av de återkommande begrepp som beskriver barns lärande och utveckling av skriftspråket är litteracitet, eller engelskans literacy. Begreppet inkluderar både sociala och kulturella aspekter på lärande inom skriftspråkande, men också symboler, tecken, bilder och berättande. Samspelet, interaktionen, med människor i barnets omgivning är viktig i utvecklingen och lärandet och det är något som därför kan koppla litteracitetsutvecklingen till det sociokulturella perspektivet.   Denna systematiska litteraturstudie visar att man på flera håll i världen använder litteraturen för högläsning, men utan att se den som ett verktyg för att öka barnens literacyförmågor. Analysen bygger på fyra studier som på olika sätt beskriver arbetet med barns litteracitet genom intervjuer och observationer. Materialet är hämtat från studier gjorda i Sverige, Australien, Amerika och Storbritannien.   Resultatet visar att det finns stora kunskaper och erfarenheter kring arbetet med barn och literacy, som tyvärr inte framkommer i den dagliga verksamheten. Prioriteringen och planeringen av arbete med litteratur på olika sätt behöver komma fram och vara bland de viktigaste punkterna i förskolans arbete. Man kan ana att resultatet skulle förbättras om arbetet gjordes på en högre kvalitativ nivå än vad som nu är fallet.

Denna studie innefattar en enkätundersökning på en gymnasieskola i Västra Götaland kring elevers attityder till bruket av ljudböcker, vilket kopplas samman med motivation för läsning av skönlitteratur. Enkätundersökningen genomfördes i skolan, tillsammans med närvarande lärare och var anonym. Samtliga respondenter blev således informerade om anonymiteten. Studien lyfter vad en ljudbok är, vad motivation som begrepp innebär i sammanhanget, samt hur de tillfrågade elevernas attityder till ljudbokens plats i skolan är. I samband med detta lyfts även högläsningens tradition i skolan då lyssnandet till uppläst text är en tradition i den svenska skolan som sträcker sig långt tillbaka. Resultatet av enkäten uppvisar en generellt positiv inställning till bruket av ljudböcker, oavsett relativt låga erfarenheter av det sedan tidigare. Då majoriteten av respondenter indikerar att de vill öka intaget av ljudböcker i skolan, tillsammans med fysiska böcker indikerar det en möjlighet till införande av ljudböcker som metod för att nå motivation för läsning av skönlitteratur skolan. / This study reveals attitudes among pupils in upper secondary school about the usage of audiobooks and its connection with motivation about reading fiction. The data material is gathered through poll surveys that takes place in an upper secondary school in the Västra Götaland county. The poll survey participants were informed about that the survey was anonymous and were accompanied by a teacher while doing it. In the study the concept of motivation, and audiobooks are discussed. Further more the study discusses the Swedish tradition of listening to fiction read aloud. This has to do with the usage of audiobooks as it’s an extension of that, since it has to do with a recorded reading of a book. The result reveals patterns pointing out positive attitudes among the pupils. This is due to the majority of answers that points to a desire of increased usage of audiobooks in school. The connection of audio books and motivation is therefore revealed in the results as the majority of pupils answer that they wish for an increased usage of audiobooks together with physical books. This could be interpreted as that the usage of audiobooks could work as an incentive for pupils to read fiction.

Partindo do entrecruzamento entre a linguística, a psicanálise e a clínica fonoaudiológica, o presente trabalho tem o objetivo de discutir o papel da leitura em voz alta no processo de apropriação da linguagem pela criança, sustentando a hipótese de que a leitura em voz alta, em função de suas especificidades, interfere positivamente nesse processo. Tomamos a leitura em voz alta em sua dimensão discursiva e subjetivante, que coloca em cena a língua, o corpo e o desejo de quem lê e de quem escuta. Admitimos os processos de apropriação da linguagem sob uma perspectiva não desenvolvimentista, mas que considera tais processos como relativos a diferentes posições subjetivas. Trata-se de uma pesquisa teórica ilustrada por vinhetas da clínica fonoaudiológica e da literatura literária. A partir de nossas reflexões e da discussão teórica, argumentamos que as características da leitura em voz alta a presencialidade atualizada pela voz e pelo olhar, a convocação do corpo sonoro e seu potencial para transmitir cultura são significantes e podem interferir positivamente no processo de apropriação da escrita. / Based on the intersection among linguistics, psychoanalysis and clinical practice in speechtherapy treatments, this thesis aims to discuss the role of reading aloud in the process of language appropriation by the child, supporting the hypothesis that reading aloud, due to its specificities, positively interferes in this process. We take reading aloud in its subjectivating and discursive dimension, which calls into play the language, the body and the desire of the one who reads (the reader) and the one who listens (the listener). We assume the processes of language appropriation from a non developmental perspective, but which considers such processes as relative to different subjective positions. This is a theoretical research illustrated with transcripts/vignettes from speechtherapy clinical treatments and excerpts from the literary literature. From our reflections and from the theoretical discussion, we argue that the characteristics of reading aloud the presentiality updated by the voice and by the look, the summons by the sounding body and its potential to transmit culture - are significant and may positively interfere in the process of writing appropriation.

Syftet med det här arbetet var att undersöka om och i sådana fall hur tre pedagoger använde sig av högläsning i sina barngrupper. Jag ville även titta lite närmre på om högläsning kan hjälpa barnen att få bättre språkförståelse samt om miljön spelar in på något sätt för att läsro ska uppnås. Mitt resultat visade att alla tre pedagogerna arbetar ganska mycket med högläsning i verksamheten men att de jobbar på olika sätt med det. Samtliga anser dock att högläsning är oerhört viktigt för barnens språkliga utveckling, eftersom man i samband med att man läser pratar om ord samt händelser i boken. En annan sak som framkom i undersökningen var att pedagogerna ansåg att det var viktigt att det skulle finnas en speciell plats i rummet som barnen kunde förknippa med berättande och läsning. Det här var tyvärr något som inte uppfylldes riktigt i allas dagliga verksamhet, men det visar ändå på hur betydelsefullt de ansåg att det var. Beträffande miljön så ansågs den spela en ganska stor roll men det som framförallt framhölls var vikten av att den som läser högt för barnen verkligen ger sig hän sitt uppdrag så att barnen blir intresserade av att lyssna på det som läses. Nyckelord: Högläsning, språkutveckling, läsmiljö / The purpose with this work was to investigate if and in that case how three pedagogs use reading aloud in their work with the children. I also wanted to look a little closer if reading aloud can help children to improve their language proficiency and I also wanted to see if the environment plays a role in any way to achieve reading peace. My results showed that all three teachers are working quite a lot with reading aloud in their activities but they work in different ways with it. All of them, however, believe that reading aloud is extremely important for children's linguistic development, since when reading aloud they talk with the children about words and events in the book. Another thing that emerged from the survey was that the teachers felt it was important that there would be a special place in the room that the children could associate with storytelling and reading. This, unfortunately, was something that was not met really in everyone's daily activities, but nevertheless it shows how important they felt it was. Regarding the environment, so it was considered to play a fairly important role but what was especially emphasized was the importance of that when reading aloud to children you really need to devote yourself to the mission so that the children will be interested to listen to what is read. Keywords: Reading aloud, language, environment

Based on the previous review (Levin & Sjöstedt.2016) we discovered that reading aloud was an advantage for children's future Reading and-writing comprehension. The purpose of this work is, therefore, to visualize the application of reading aloud in contemporary education. Application means, in this case, which methods are mostly used, for example: silent reading/reading aloud, and also how it is implemented and what effect, chosen method supposed to provide. The study is conducted at three different Swedish schools in the county of Skåne and they are limited to the grade five. The research methods we used were questionnaires and classroom studies. The questionnaires are based on the mindset of active and legitimate educators, regarding the main subject, reading aloud. The results of the classroom observations and the questionnaires are reported in the latter section and finally a conclusion and discussion of the report and its results are presented.