This research review investigates the effectiveness of digital multimodal learning games in teaching and how digital learning games affect students' language learning in English teaching. In society, it is becoming increasingly common to use digital means in teaching. There is an interest among educators and researchers in gaining knowledge and understanding of how game technology can be implemented for learning and to find out how digital games can help students develop language skills. In this research review we used various databases to find relevant scientific articles that could answer the research questions. The results of the research review show that digital multimodal learning games in English teaching have a positive impact on students' language learning. The result also shows that there are both advantages and disadvantages to digital learning games in teaching, but that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

Peer learning is a learning strategy that enables learners to interact with others and become active participants in their learning. To design peer learning activities, a model of peer learning is necessary to provide peers with guidance. However, previous models related to peer learning have not contained systematic strategies from diagnosis to evaluation. Scaffolding is an appropriate tactic for peer learning as it includes diagnosis, specific learning strategies, and assessment procedures. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop and validate a model of peer learning that incorporates scaffolding strategies in order to provide a structure for designing and implementing effective peer learning, and to enhance peers' teaching skills and learners' capability to gain new knowledge. This study drew from design and development research, including model development and model revision. This process was arranged in four phases. The first phase comprised of an intensive literature review to identify related theories, the conceptualization of scaffolding, and the operationalization of scaffolding. In the second phase, the model of peer learning was developed based on the results of the literature review. The model was synthesized using the data from the literature review, which included the main elements and characteristics of scaffolding suitable for peer learning. An online education program was also developed to teach the steps in the model to peer tutors participating in a peer tutoring program, which is one type of peer learning, for the purposes of model validation. In the third phase, model validation through internal (expert review) and external (external validation interview for field evaluation) validation was implemented. Based on the outcomes of these model validation processes, in the fourth phase, guidelines for revisions were developed to improve the proposed model. This model exhibits a synthesis of scaffolding strategies that enhance peer learning, including related theories, the conceptualization of scaffolding, and the operationalization of scaffolding. This model consists of four steps: (a) knowing each other, (b) learning together, (c) checking what you learned, and (d) finalizing peer learning. According to the results of model validation using an online education program designed for peer tutors participating in a peer tutoring program, which is one type of peer learning, this model of peer learning was useful for peers in providing structure and guidance for the design of their peer learning activities and the selection of appropriate peer learning strategies for learners who had different backgrounds and skills. This model is also applicable to various subjects and fields. / Doctor of Philosophy / Peer learning is a learning strategy that enables learners to interact with others and become active participants in their learning. To design effective peer learning activities, a model of peer learning is necessary to provide peers with guidance. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a model of peer learning that incorporates scaffolding strategies in order to provide guidance for designing and implementing effective peer learning, and to enhance peers' teaching skills and learners' ability to gain new knowledge. This study was conducted through model development and model validation. For model development, previous research and books were reviewed to identify main elements of scaffolding such as related theories, the conceptualization of scaffolding, and the operationalization of scaffolding. Based on identified elements of scaffolding, the model of peer learning was developed. This model consists of four steps: (1) knowing each other, (2) learning together, (3) checking what you learned, and (4) finalizing peer learning. According to the results of model validation using an online education program designed for peer tutors participating in a peer tutoring program, which is one type of peer learning, this model of peer learning was useful for peers in providing guidance for the design of their peer learning activities and the selection of appropriate peer learning strategies for learners who had different backgrounds and skills. This model is also applicable to various subjects and fields.

The purpose of this study was to examine two scaffolding methods on the performance of students in computer-based concept linking and retention of comprehension. After training and practice in concept mapping and CmapTools--a computer-based concept mapping program, 116 undergraduate students were randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups to work on a computer-based concept mapping task. Students in the no scaffolding (NS) group did not receive any scaffolding. Students in the linking phrase scaffolding (PS) group received linking words or phrases as scaffolding. Students in the articulation hint scaffolding (AS) group received a hint question as scaffolding, which asked them to elaborate on relationships between concepts in full sentences. Students in the linking phrase and articulation hint scaffolding (PAS) group received both scaffolding while working on the computer-based concept mapping task. One week after the treatment, students took a concept linking posttest, in which they constructed a concept map in CmapTools based on a web-based instruction on the human heart. After another week, they took another posttest on retention of comprehension about the heart. Two 2 X 2 factorial Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were conducted to examine the main effects of linking phrase scaffolding and articulation hint scaffolding and any interaction effect between them on the performance of students in computer-based concept linking and retention of comprehension. The results showed no significant difference in the performance of students in both tests. However, the Pearson's correlation analysis showed that there was a positive correlation between students' performance in computer-based concept linking and retention of comprehension (γ = 0.447, p < 0.01). / Ph. D.

·   Denna undersökning behandlar lärares inställning till och användning av läsförståelsestrategier i undervisningen. För att elever ska utveckla sin läsförmåga räcker det inte att endast läsa mycket. Eleverna behöver också en explicit undervisning i lässtrategier. Utifrån ett socialkonstruktivistiskt perspektiv  är syftet att undersöka lärares inställning till olika typer av läsförståelsestrategier och deras mål med användningen av dessa i undervisningen för förskoleklass till årskurs 3.   För att besvara undersökningens syfte används följande frågeställningar:      · Vilka olika typer av läsförståelsestrategier används av tillfrågade lärarna och i vilket syfte?       ·   Vad har lärarna sett i praktiken att läsförståelsestrategier kan bidra med för att utveckla elevers läsförståelse?        · Vilken roll anser de tillfrågade lärarna att de har under textsamtal och i relation till undervisning av läsförståelsestrategier?           Material för undersökningen består av kvalitativa intervjuer av nio lärare verksamma i förskoleklass till årskurs 3. Resultatet visar att de intervjuade lärarna ser läsförståelsestrategier dels som redskap för läraren för att kunna ge eleverna en explicit undervisning i läsförståelse och dels som verktyg till eleverna för att de genom användning av strategierna ska kunna skapa en förståelse av texten på flera olika plan. / This study deals with teachers' attitude to reading comprehension strategies and its use in teaching. It is not enough to read a lot for students to develop their reading skills. Students also need explicit instruction in reading comprehension strategies. From a social- constructivist perspective, the aim is to explore teachers' attitudes to different types of reading comprehension strategies and their goal of using these in teaching for preschool to grade 3. In order to answer the aim of this study following questions is being used:   What kinds of reading comprehension strategies do the surveyed teachers use and for what purpose?   What have teachers seen in practice that reading comprehension strategies can contribute with in order to develop students reading comprehension?   What role considers the surveyed teachers that they have during text talks and in relation to the teaching of reading comprehension strategies?   Materials for the study consists of qualitative interviews with nine teachers working in preschool up to third grade. The results show that the interviewed teachers see reading comprehension strategies as implements for the teacher to be able to give students an explicit instruction in reading comprehension and as tools for the students to be able to create an understanding of text on several different levels.

According to recent statistics, the number of people in Sweden who choose to go into higher education after upper secondary school has grown compared to 25 years ago. Lectures within some university programs are conducted entirely in English, and Swedish students’ abilities to understand, record and recall the information given at lectures are therefore crucial for their academic success. The course English 6 in upper secondary school is supposed to cover different ways of taking notes while listening. Three qualitative interviews were conducted in this study to examine how teachers interpret the course’s note-taking aspects, and how they intend to work with note-taking in the classroom. A quantitative study was carried out with students in upper secondary school to look into their experiences of note-taking in the course English 6. Results show differences in how the teachers approach note-taking and how they choose to work with note-taking in the classroom. A majority of the students participating in the study claimed not to have been introduced to different ways of taking notes in the course English 6. This information calls for teachers to make sure note-taking skills are being taught in an explicit way. More knowledge and communication among teachers also seem necessary in order to help students develop strategies for note-taking in the best way possible.

This research involved two observational studies. It explored the scaffolding processes as part of classroom pedagogy. The research shed light on the way a teacher's instructional methodology took shape in the classroom. The target event for this study was the time in which a novice learner was engaged publically in uttering a sentence in Arabic in response to a task posed by the teacher. The central question was: What does the teacher do to assist and support this interactive sentence production process? It was decided to label this assistance and support as "scaffolding," i.e., temporary support to help a learner accomplish a challenging task slightly beyond his or her current level of proficiency. The research involved detailed descriptions and analysis of videotaped classroom episodes conducted in first-year Arabic language classrooms at a private liberal arts college during a three-month period. A central finding in this study was that oral Arabic sentence production was achieved through several related steps. These steps involved providing the students a pattern to follow, subsequently removing the pattern, and asking the students to produce sentences after explaining the grammatical rules. The teachers differed in the extent to which they launched models and patterns for students to follow.

My point of origin concerning this thesis was an interest for how school may develop students’ reading comprehension. International surveys show that the results for Swedish students’ performance regarding reading comprehension have declined and the current curriculum, Lgr-11, emphasizes the importance of incorporating this into all school subjects. The special teacher education programme has raised the awareness concerning the importance of including the students and that learning is achieved in an interactive setting. A special teacher must therefore work proactively alongside with teachers in order to find methods that may enable inclusion of all the students regardless of their need. The purpose of this study is therefore to take part of teachers’ experiences with developing reading comprehension. The study is based on interviews with eight teachers that have extensive experience from working with reading comprehension. The sociocultural perspective has been chosen as a starting point. The collected results show that the teachers teach in full classes to a higher extent, they teach in full classes by using structured methods and communal book talks that focuses on reading comprehension strategies. The teachers have a central role in this form of co-learning and acts as a support. Assessment within a sociocultural perspective should be conducted in an authentic situation and together with the students. My result shows that the teachers use different tests and mappings as decided by each school. However, some teaches emphasizes the importance of assessing in authentic situations and provides some examples of that. / Utgångspunkten för detta arbete var intresset för hur skolan kan utveckla elevers läsförståelse. Internationella mätningar visar att svenska elever har försämrade resultat i läsförståelse och nuvarande läroplan, Lgr 11, betonar betydelsen av att arbeta med detta i samtliga ämnen. Speciallärarutbildningen har ökat medvetenheten om vikten av att elever ska inkluderas och att lärande sker i ett interaktivt samspel. En speciallärare bör därför arbeta förebyggande tillsammans med lärare för att hitta metoder som kan möjliggöra inkludering för samtliga elever oavsett behov. Studiens syfte är därför att ta del av lärares erfarenheter av att arbeta med att utveckla elevers läsförståelse. Studien bygger på intervjuer med åtta lärare som har erfarenhet av att arbeta med läsförståelse. Det sociokulturella perspektivet har valts som utgångspunkt. Det sammantagna resultatet visar att lärarna undervisar i helklass med strukturerade metoder, i en större utsträckning än tidigare, med gemensamma textsamtal där man arbetar med läsförståelsestrategier. Lärarna har en central roll i detta samlärande och agerar som stöd. I ett sociokulturellt perspektiv ska bedömning genomföras i autentiska situationer i ett samspel med eleverna. Mitt resultat visar att de använder olika test och kartläggningar som respektive skola har bestämt ska genomföras. Några lärare betonar dock betydelsen av att bedöma i autentiska situationer och ger exempel på detta.

This study used explanatory mixed methods to examine the effects of two computer-based reflection writing scaffolds, question prompts and writing process display, on preservice teachers’ levels of reflection in their online reflective journal writing. The scaffolds were embedded in a system simulating the Professional Accountability Support System Using a Portal Approach (PASS-PORT). The outcome measure was the level of reflection achieved in participants’ writing. The researcher collected data at the College of Education of a major southern university in the United States. Participants were undergraduate students enrolled in a technology integration course in fall 2007. Sixty-five preservice teachers participated in quantitative phase of the study; sixteen out of the 65 preservice teachers were purposefully selected to participate in qualitative phase of the study. The majority of the preservice teachers were white females between the ages of 20-29 in their junior year. During the quantitative phase of the study, participants in control group and two treatment groups were randomly and evenly assigned to one of three different Web pages associated with their treatment conditions. The participants reflected on a critical incident that happened during their practical teaching. Two raters, blind to the participants’ treatment conditions, coded the highest level of reflection achieved in their writing samples using the reflection rubric developed by Ward and McCotter (2004). The researcher employed ANOVA to assess the group differences in the highest level of reflection reached and in the length of the reflective writing in the number of words. The alpha level was set at .05 for all analyses. During the qualitative phase, the researcher conducted open-ended interviews with the participants as a follow-up to their reflection writing. The participants’ reflection writings and interviews served as data sources. Miles and Huberman's (1994) data analysis procedures guided the qualitative data analysis. The quantitative results indicated that computer-based scaffolds significantly enhanced preservice teachers’ levels of reflection in their online journal writing. Preservice teachers who used the scaffolds wrote longer reflection than those in the control group. Correlation analysis revealed that there was a positive relationship between the level of reflection and the length of journal writing. Three overarching factors emerged from the qualitative data analysis that explained how and why the computer-based scaffolds enhanced their reflective journal writing. The factors included (a) the specific requirements conveyed in the scaffolds; (b) the structure of the scaffolds; and (c) the use of the critical incidents to anchor reflective journal writing. How to improve preservice teachers’ critical reflection capability and skills remains an actively debated topic. Recent years have witnessed an emergence of research and development in Web-based educational systems to help prepare highly qualified teacher candidates. However, the articulative/reflective attribute of meaningful learning does not seem to be evident in most of these systems. Although there is considerable research on the potential for embedding scaffolds in technology-enhanced learning environments, mechanisms intended to facilitate reflective practice in such environments also seems to be lacking. In order to help fill this gap, it is hoped that the analyses and results of the current study can be used as a building block for research on how to leverage the affordances of computer-based scaffolds to enhance preservice teachers’ reflective practice in technology-enhanced educational systems.

Denna studie har som syfte att undersöka hur resurspedagoger arbetar med elever i behov av särskilt stöd i årskurs F-3 och vilka faktorer som påverkar motivationen hos dessa elever i arbetet med svenskämnet. Resultatet visar att det råder en viss samsyn hos resurspedagoger om vad i arbetet som utgör framgångsfaktorer i det dagliga arbetet i svenskämnet, men att det finns förbättringsmöjligheter. Sammanfattningsvis fungerar det väl att använda resurspedagoger som ett stöd för elever i behov av särskilt stöd, men det krävs förtydliganden från huvudman och rektor i samråd med ansvariga lärare för hur arbetet ska ske.

Sammanfattning  Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur mikrokulturer i klassrum påverkar elevernas resultat inom matematik. I denna studie observerades och intervjuades tre lärare kring deras undervisningsmetoder och användning av extra resurser.  I studien framkom att de tre lärarna hade flera olikheter i sin undervisning. Det hade skapats olika mikrokulturer. Mikrokulturerna påverkade innehållet på genomgångarna, hur lärarna använde extra resurser. I studien framkom även att lärarna hade olika syn på vad som motiverar eleverna och på vad som var framgångsfaktorer i elevernas utveckling. Två av de observerade lärarna använde specifika elevgrupper baserade på elevernas kunskapsnivå medan den tredje läraren inte gjorde detta. För att mäta elevernas kunskapsnivå genomfördes ett delprov från ett tidigare frisläppt Nationellt prov från 2013. Provresultaten analyserades sedan för att se om eventuella kunskapsskillnader kunde kopplas till lärarnas undervisningsmetoder, studien visade att elevernas resultat påverkades mest hos lärarna som använde fokusgrupper. Lärare A:s fokusgrupp undervisades i högre grad på avanceradnivå och eleverna presterade bättre på uppgifterna med avanceradnivå. Lärare B:s fokusgrupp undervisades till största del på grundnivå och eleverna presterade bättre än genomsnittet på uppgifterna på grundnivå. Medan lärare C inte hade fokusgrupper och elevernas resultat både på grund- och avanceradnivå var något lägre. / Abstract  The purpose of the study was to investigate how micro cultures was created in teachers’ classrooms and how it affected the students' results in mathematics. In this study, three teachers were observed and interviewed about their teaching methods.  The study revealed that the micro cultures that had been created influenced the content of the lectures and how the teachers used extra resources. Two of the observed teachers used specific student groups based on the students' level of knowledge, while the third teacher did not. Also a test was conducted and analyzed to see if any knowledge differences could be linked to the teachers' teaching methods. The test was a part from National test from 2013. The study showed that the students' results were most affected by the two teachers who used focus groups. Teacher A's focus group was taught in advanced level and the students performed better on the tasks in the advanced levels. Teacher B's focus group was taught for the most part at the basic levels and the students performed better than average on the tasks with basic levels. While teacher C did not have focus groups and the students' results at both the basic level and advanced level were slightly lower.