The aim of this study is to examine (from a didactic perspective) how two social studies teachers who work in two different elementary schools, grade three, pursue their oral instructions with subject terms. We have selected these four following questions as main evaluation points throughout the study, basing our conclusion upon the information composed from the answers: Which of the five “conceptions of high order thinking” do the teachers value as the purpose for the teaching content? How do the teachers in their use of notions relate to the needs of second language students and how do they reflect on it? How do the teachers use subject-specific notions in their teachings practices? How are students given the opportunity to use, communicate and integrate around notions and how are the teachers reflecting on it? In this study we applied two types of qualitative methods. Six observations combined with interviews in the form of four short unstructured interviews and an in-depth interview with each teacher. Previous research shows that great linguistic skills are a common factor for success in all subjects. Our investigation has been made from a sociocultural theory that promotes learning through interaction with others as well as by receiving support from the teacher, through scaffolding. Our result indicates, in conclusion that the number of second language learners in the class has an impact on how actively the teachers work to concretize abstract notions. The student population determines how they in teaching practices use notions. Social issues also decided how the teachers gave students room to use notions. For teacher no. 2 who worked in an environment where the second language students were a majority, a second language perspective was an obvious matter, whereas teacher no. 1 considered it to be a management issue and a collective responsibility.

Syftet med studien är att bidra med kunskap om vad andraspråksperspektiv och inkluderande undervisning betyder i praktiken för ett antal lärare på låg- och mellanstadiet i Sverige. För att uppnå syftet har frågeställningar handlat om hur lärarna förstår vad ett andraspråksperspektiv är i praktiken, hur andraspråksperspektiv tillämpas i undervisningen samt vilka utmaningar finns det för lärarna att lyckas möta andraspråksperspektiv i egna klassrum. Eftersom undersökningen utgår från lärarnas perspektiv bygger undervisningen på en kvalitativ metod och intervjuer med fem grundskollärare. Resultatet analyserades genom tematisk analysmetod. Resultatanalysen identifierade fyra temaområde: faktorer som stimulerar samarbete mellan elever, flerspråkighet som resurs, lärarnas direkta stöttning samt förförståelse och begreppsinlärning. Resultatens slutsats visar att utmaningarna lärarna upplever handlar om vuxen stödverksamhet för lärare med studiehandledning, SvA-verksamhet och modersmål som visas inte är organiserad på ett sätt som kan garantera SvA-elevens optimala stöd. Dessutom handlar slutsatsen om utmaningarna på individnivå för samtliga lärare vilket är förmåga att ta tillvara på elevernas kulturella bakgrund och kunna integrera detta i egen undervisning samt integrera användning av digitala hjälpmedel som stöd för SvA-elever. / The aim of the study is to contribute with knowledge about what second language perspective and inclusive teaching means in practice for some number of Swedish low- and middle primary school teachers. In order to achieve this aim the specific questions have been designed such as: how teachers comprehend what second language perspective is in practice; how second language perspective is applied in a teaching context as well as what the challenges are for the teachers in order to succeed meet the requirements for the second language perspective in their own classrooms. As this study is investigating teachers' perspective the survey has been conducted with a qualitative method approach using interviews with five primary school teachers as the method of collecting data. Thematic analysis has been used for analysis of research data. The results extracted from the analyses are: factors that stimulate collaboration among pupils, multilingualism as a resource, teachers direct support and pupils pre-understanding and concept acquisition. Conclusions are: the teachers´ adult support system (with first language supervisor, SvA-teacher and mother tongue teacher) that is, according to the study results, not organized to offer pupils in Swedish as a second language an optimal support. Other challenges have been identified on the teachers level which are teachers' ability to include pupils´ in Swedish as a second language cultural experiences as well as teachers being able to integrate the use of educational computer tools fit to support these pupils.