<p>The aim of this study was to investigate how the target language is used in the foreign language classroom and how different teachers combine the target language and the first language in their teaching. The study was conducted in three different Swedish schools at different levels: one at the intermediate level; one at the secondary level; and two at the upper secondary level. The teachers were observed during class and interviewed. In addition to this, the students answered a questionnaire about their own and their teacher's use of the target language.</p><p>The results showed that the teachers used the target language as the most common language in their teaching, although the first language was also used. The intermediate teacher used the first language when she did not have enough language herself, when she explained grammar or went through important information. The secondary teacher used the first language when she explained grammar as well as the upper secondary teacher, who also used the first language when she had important information. The results showed that the teacher's choice of language in the classroom had an impact on the students since more teacher target language use encouraged more student target language use in the classroom, and that it is important to start the lesson in the target language to encourage more target language use by the students. Both the teachers and the students thought that the target language was important during language teaching.</p>

The aim of this study was to investigate how the target language is used in the foreign language classroom and how different teachers combine the target language and the first language in their teaching. The study was conducted in three different Swedish schools at different levels: one at the intermediate level; one at the secondary level; and two at the upper secondary level. The teachers were observed during class and interviewed. In addition to this, the students answered a questionnaire about their own and their teacher's use of the target language. The results showed that the teachers used the target language as the most common language in their teaching, although the first language was also used. The intermediate teacher used the first language when she did not have enough language herself, when she explained grammar or went through important information. The secondary teacher used the first language when she explained grammar as well as the upper secondary teacher, who also used the first language when she had important information. The results showed that the teacher's choice of language in the classroom had an impact on the students since more teacher target language use encouraged more student target language use in the classroom, and that it is important to start the lesson in the target language to encourage more target language use by the students. Both the teachers and the students thought that the target language was important during language teaching.

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published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

This thesis is concerned with the phonological representations of words used in lexical storage and retrieval, during speech perception by second language speakers. There is evidence of categorical perception of certain phonological features of words by native speakers of particular languages. This can be constrained by language- particular phonological properties, such as lexical tone, or by distinctions between certain types of consonant. If native language perceptual strategies were used in second language word retrieval, then this would mean there were differences in word storage for second language speakers. This would be reflected in differing patterns of word retrieval for second language speakers of a language with different phonological properties from their own. In order to test this possibility, Hong Kong Cantonese speakers with English as their second language were required to retrieve English words from their word store. Their native language is tonal, unlike English, and they have been found to perceive tones in their native language categorically. Subjects were presented aurally with English sentences which each contained a malapropism for the last word, and were asked to produce the correct word. The malapropisms were systematically varied in their phonological similarity to the target. The phonological variation was determined from evidence drawn from speech error analyses in production and from an analysis of a high frequency sample of words conducted as part of the thesis. Native speakers of English were used as controls in the experiments. Results showed similarities and differences in retrieval between the two groups of subjects. Both groups made use of a number of phonological properties in retrieval. The differences were associated with perceptual strategies involving a suprasegmental phonological property of English, that of lexical stress. Correct words could be retrieved by the Cantonese speakers when word stress was the only shared phonological property of error and target. Native speakers only made use of word stress when other phonological properties were shared by error and target. The use of a number of phonological properties by both sets of speakers during word retrieval is consistent with recent generative linguistic accounts of enriched phonological structure in phonological representations. It is possible that the mind takes account of such constituent structure during speech perception to disanibiguate phonetic stimuli. However, the phonological organisation of lexical representations may vary from one language to another, with information from the same sound signal being used differently by second language speakers of a given language from native speakers

This Master’s report explores the literature related to learners’ motivation to read in a second language (L2). First providing some background on second language learning motivation as a general construct, the paper then reviews several studies specific to L2 reading motivation. Findings in the current research indicate that L2 reading motivation may coincide with subcomponents, such as intrinsic value, of larger constructs of motivation (Mori, 2002). Some studies explore what factors influence L2 reading motivation, while others look at what factors are influenced by it. With indications from the literature pointing toward types of reading materials as a possible predictor of motivation and extensive reading as a possible predictor of L2 reading attitudes, a curriculum is proposed for supporting motivation in the L2 reading classroom. Suggestions for extending classroom implications beyond the given context are also presented. / text

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