AbstractThe aim of this essay is to identify English out-of-school activities among students with an immigrant background to find out to what extent English out-of-school activities have an impact on the students’ results at the National Test of English.An additional aim is to find out if English out-of-school activities are a way of integration outwards or vice versa if the lack of English out-of-school activities is a sign of integration inwards. The present study is based upon a questionnaire with closed questions, which was filled in by 54 third graders enrolled in the Child and Recreation Programme. The informants are divided into two groups, one of which is a control group of native Swedish students. The study showed a tendency that students with an immigrant background who are not involved in English out-of-school activities obtain lower grades in English and that they integrate inwards by using their native language on the Internet, listening to music and watching films from their home country. Furthermore, the study showed that there is a slight difference between native Swedish students and students with an immigrant background as regards computer habits.Keywords: English out-of-school activities, integration, third language acquisition, informal learning, computer habits, National Test of English, the third culture

The aim of this study is to contribute to greater knowledge of the basis on which teachers award grades and how they view the national test. Five upper secondary school teachers of Swedish were asked in semi-structured interviews to say what significance they ascribe to the national test in general, what reasons they can see to explain why the course grade differs from the test grade, how they reasoned when they awarded a course grade that differed from the grade on the national test, and how they view a strengthened and clearer relationship between national tests and course grades in order to increase equivalence in Swedish schools. The material was then analysed with a method inspired by phenomenology. The study shows that there is no agreement in the outlook on the national test. One of the teachers does not think that the national test is more important than other tests, three think that it is more important, and one uses the national test chiefly to confirm previous results. There are three reasons why the course grade can differ from the national test grade: (1) the design of the test, (2) that the test result does not reflect the pupil’s knowledge and skills, and (3) that the teacher deliberately awards a wrong grade. The teachers was to see greater equivalence. Some think that a clearer and stronger relationship between national tests and course grades is not the right way to go, while others are in favour of the suggestion. Regardless of their opinion, however, most of the teachers wonder how it will be possible in practice to link the test grade to the course grade.

The purpose of this essay is to investigate Year 5 pupils’ evaluation of their own abilities regarding spoken English and to see if this is reflected in an individual’s communicative activity and participation in the lesson. This essay also poses the question if it is possible to increase spoken communicative activity in the lesson through a three-week programme of interactive exercises designed to emulate the criteria of the syllabus and the National Test. A class of 24 pupils participated in the study. The material was collected through a pre-study questionnaire and a post-study evaluation, class logbook writing after each activity and my own active observations as teacher. Results show that although the majority of pupils at this age believe they can cope in a communicative situation in English, this is no guarantee of their active participation in classroom speaking activities. However, communicative activity can be increased with the establishment of the dialogical classroom characterised by genuine discourse, authentic questions and subjects relevant to the age group. At this stage, differences can be witnessed in pupils’ language skills with some able to use language strategies to achieve understanding whilst others rely on translation into their mother tongue. The study concludes that controlled practice helps those pupils with lower self confidence in the subject and pair- or group work maximises participation from all parties. It is essential that the teacher draws on the pupils’ enthusiasm for the subject in order to create a successful forum for language acquisition.

Since the school subject Swedish as a second language was established in the Swedish school system in the mid-1990s, the organization of the subject has varied widely across schools, and the outcomes have been poor. This thesis investigates these problems linguistically. The main objective is to explore the school subject Swedish as a second language in relation to the language of students taking the subject. Another aim of this thesis is to illuminate the complex relation between the Swedish language and the use and conception of Swedish as a second language. A critique of the concept of ‘language’ and of language attitudes in the school context is a recurring theme in the thesis. The thesis contains four papers addressing different aspects of the school subject Swedish as a second language. Paper I examines texts and oral presentations from a group of students born in Sweden, analyzing their language from a normative, mainly grammatical, perspective. Paper II develops a model for analyzing text as activity. In Paper III, the model from paper II is applied to analyze students’ narrative texts written as responses to an assignment, focusing on texts that received failing grades. Papers I and III include comparisons with Swedish as a language and as a school subject. Paper IV, finally, analyzes views of language in policy documents. One critical result of the thesis is the identification of a need for a raised awareness about language in schools and society. In the current situation it is hard to establish a discrete boundary dividing the language of students in the subject Swedish as a second language from the language of students in the subject Swedish, but differences can be observed, which in some sense resonates well with the definition of the subject given by the policy documents. Swedish as a second language in schools can be vaguely defined as Swedish with non-Swedish or foreign markers. The vague definition of the subject and the many linguistic conditions built into the subject entail that Swedish as a second language does not seem well-suited for anyone. Employing a combination of a traditional and an alternative view of language, as proposed in this thesis, may be a fruitful way to accommodate all students.

Den här studien har haft som syfte att studera om kvalitetskraven i betygsskalan stämmer överens mellan nationellt prov i SVA1 och motsvarande kursplan svenska som andraspråk 1 (SVA1) samt på vilket sätt det nationella provet underlättar tolkningen av kunskapskraven i kursplanen för SVA1. Undersökningen begränsar sig till att omfatta enbart den muntliga delen, delprov A muntlig framställning. För att beskriva och analysera vilka kunskaper som anses vara eftersträvansvärda i muntlig framställning har en kvalitativ innehållsanalys genomförts som ger en grundmodell till den efterföljande kunskapsanalysen. Resultaten från studiens innehållsanalys visar fram en hur processen kring den muntliga framställningen utgår från den retoriska arbetsmodellen med ett gediget förberedande arbete som följs upp med anförande och avslutas med elevresponser. Resultatet från kunskapsanalysen visar hur eleverna behöver behärska en kombination av kunskapsformerna episteme, techné och fronesis för att uppfylla betygskraven på de högre nivåerna. Studiens slutsatser är att kvalitetskraven stämmer överens mellan det nationella provets bedömningsmatris och kursplanen i svenska som andraspråk 1 (SVA 1) vad gäller bedömningen av elevens språkliga kvaliteter. Dessutom går det att dra slutsatsen att de krav på anpassning till det retoriska sammanhanget också är krav som återfinns i kursplanen men beskrivs mer allmänt i ett språkutvecklande perspektiv vilket underlättar tolkningen av kunskapskraven i kursplanen. Studien visar hur eleven för att få det lägsta betyget (E) behöver kunskaper om en retorisk framställning och att eleven kan presentera ett förberett innehåll inför en publik. / This study has aimed to study whether the quality of the grading scale is consistent between national test in Swedish as a Second Language (SSL) and corresponding syllabus in the curriculum of SSL 1and the manner in which the national test facilitates the interpretation of proficiency in the curriculum of SSL 1. The investigation is limited to include only the oral part, Section A Oral presentation. To describe and analyze the skills that are considered desirable in oral presentation, a qualitative content analysis was carried out to provide a basic model for the subsequent knowledge analysis. The results from the study's content analysis shows how the students developed a gradually expected to litigate an oral preparation taken from the rhetorical work model with a solid preparatory work followed up with speech and ends with response from the pupil class. The result of analysis shows how the students need to master a combination of knowledge forms episteme, techne and phronesis to meet rating requirements at the higher levels. The conclusions drawn from the study is that the quality is consistent between the national sample assessment matrix and the curriculum in Swedish as a Second Language (SSL) regarding the assessment of students' linguistic qualities. I also find that the requirements of customization available in the subsample to the rhetorical context is also the requirements listed in the syllabus but are more commonly described in a language development perspective. Thus it is possible to say that the national test facilitates the interpretation of the knowledge requirements of the curriculum. The study shows how the student to get the lowest score (E) requires knowledge of a rhetorical presentation and the student can present a prepared content to an audiense.

The main purpose of this study is to analyze texts written by pupils during the national test in the subject Swedish for grade 9 in order to identify and illustrate how they have met the instructions for the writing task including genre. The texts have been analyzed using Palmér & Östlund-Stjärnegårdh’s (2005) model for student text analysis. This model has been supplemented by studying word and sentence length, as well as indexes for level of readability (LIX) and word variation (OVIX) in order to illustrate possible differences in a gender perspective. The results of this study are in line with previous research, as the girls’ texts are longer and more descriptive, while the boys’ texts are shorter and show a wider range of word variation. The pupils have succeeded in fulfilling the genre and have to a large extent met the task instructions, producing communicative and engaging writing. However, the results of the analysis would have further improved and developed the texts.

När lärares undervisning blir påverkad av ett nationellt prov talar man om washbackeffekter av provet. Det är vad den här licentiatuppsatsen handlar om. Genom att studera svensklärares uppfattningar om det nationella läsförståelseprovet i kursen Svenska 1 på gymnasiet belyser studien vad som kan hända när nationell policy bestående av ett nationellt prov möter den lokala kontexten i form av enskilda lärares undervisning. I studien har arton gymnasielärare i svenska fått komma till tals genom intervjuer. Resultaten visar att det nationella läsförståelseprovet i Svenska 1 inte i någon nämnvärd utsträckning påverkar lärarnas undervisning. Detta beror dels på att lärarna uppfattar att undervisningen redan behandlar det som provet testar, dels på att lärarna inte anser att resultatet på provet är användbart vid betygsättningen. Lärarna uppfattar också att deras tolkningar av vad läsförståelse är skiljer sig från provkonstruktörens. Delvis kan detta bero på att lärarna saknar ett metaspråk för att tala om läsförståelse och bedömning av elevers läskompetens. Maria Larsson är verksam gymnasielärare i svenska och engelska vid Lugnetgymnasiet i Falun och har bedrivit forskarstudier på halvtid med start höstterminen 2013. Hon har ingått i forskarskolan Skolnära som är ett samarbete mellan Högskolan Dalarna och Karlstads universitet. / This study investigates the washback effects on teaching practices caused by the national test in the course Swedish 1 which was introduced in upper secondary school in 2011. The test consists of three parts; oral presentation, writing proficiency and reading comprehension. The focus of the study is on the washback effects of the reading comprehension test which is an entirely new type of test for upper secondary school in Sweden. The study draws on qualitative data from interviews with 18 teachers of Swedish in upper secondary school. The interviews were carried out in four focus groups and also in a series of four interviews with five individual teachers. The theoretical framework consists of Stephen Ball’s theory of policy enactment. In addition, theory about reading comprehension and an adaptation of Ivanič’s concept discourses of writing transferred into the context of reading are used in order to analyse data. The findings indicate that even though there seems to be substantial washback from the oral and the writing tests, the reading comprehension test does not seem to have affected reading instruction to any large extent. One reason seems to be that reading instruction already covers the contents of the test to a great extent. The teachers in the study also perceive that there is a discrepancy in the alignment between the results of the test and the assessment critera of the course, making it problematic to communicate the results to pupils and to relate them to the final grade. As the result of the test is not interpreted as being useful to the teachers they admit to paying little attention to the reading comprehension test. Furthermore, the teachers tend not to consider the test as an important indicator of pupils’ reading competence as they seem to oppose the notion that interpreting fiction is something that can be measured and objectively assessed according to preset standards. When talking about reading instruction the teachers seem to value most the type of reading which deals with basic values, gives new perspectives on what it means to be human and which encourages pupils to want to read more literature, a type of reading the test cannot offer. Findings also indicate that even though the teachers have adequate knowledge about the teaching of reading comprehension they seem to lack a metalanguage to talk about the different components it is made up of which affects how they perceive the national reading comprehension test.

När lärares undervisning blir påverkad av ett nationellt prov talar man om washbackeffekter av provet. Det är vad den här licentiatuppsatsen handlar om. Genom att studera svensklärares uppfattningar om det nationella läsförståelseprovet i kursen Svenska 1 på gymnasiet belyser studien vad som kan hända när nationell policy bestående av ett nationellt prov möter den lokala kontexten i form av enskilda lärares undervisning. I studien har arton gymnasielärare i svenska fått komma till tals genom intervjuer. Resultaten visar att det nationella läsförståelseprovet i Svenska 1 inte i någon nämnvärd utsträckning påverkar lärarnas undervisning. Detta beror dels på att lärarna uppfattar att undervisningen redan behandlar det som provet testar, dels på att lärarna inte anser att resultatet på provet är användbart vid betygsättningen. Lärarna uppfattar också att deras tolkningar av vad läsförståelse är skiljer sig från provkonstruktörens. Delvis kan detta bero på att lärarna saknar ett metaspråk för att tala om läsförståelse och bedömning av elevers läskompetens. Maria Larsson är verksam gymnasielärare i svenska och engelska vid Lugnetgymnasiet i Falun och har bedrivit forskarstudier på halvtid med start höstterminen 2013. Hon har ingått i forskarskolan Skolnära som är ett samarbete mellan Högskolan Dalarna och Karlstads universitet. / This study investigates the washback effects on teaching practices caused by the national test in the course Swedish 1 which was introduced in upper secondary school in 2011. The test consists of three parts; oral presentation, writing proficiency and reading comprehension. The focus of the study is on the washback effects of the reading comprehension test which is an entirely new type of test for upper secondary school in Sweden. The study draws on qualitative data from interviews with 18 teachers of Swedish in upper secondary school. The interviews were carried out in four focus groups and also in a series of four interviews with five individual teachers. The theoretical framework consists of Stephen Ball’s theory of policy enactment. In addition, theory about reading comprehension and an adaptation of Ivanič’s concept discourses of writing transferred into the context of reading are used in order to analyse data. The findings indicate that even though there seems to be substantial washback from the oral and the writing tests, the reading comprehension test does not seem to have affected reading instruction to any large extent. One reason seems to be that reading instruction already covers the contents of the test to a great extent. The teachers in the study also perceive that there is a discrepancy in the alignment between the results of the test and the assessment critera of the course, making it problematic to communicate the results to pupils and to relate them to the final grade. As the result of the test is not interpreted as being useful to the teachers they admit to paying little attention to the reading comprehension test. Furthermore, the teachers tend not to consider the test as an important indicator of pupils’ reading competence as they seem to oppose the notion that interpreting fiction is something that can be measured and objectively assessed according to preset standards. When talking about reading instruction the teachers seem to value most the type of reading which deals with basic values, gives new perspectives on what it means to be human and which encourages pupils to want to read more literature, a type of reading the test cannot offer. Findings also indicate that even though the teachers have adequate knowledge about the teaching of reading comprehension they seem to lack a metalanguage to talk about the different components it is made up of which affects how they perceive the national reading comprehension test.

I denna uppsats undersöks det nationella provets skriftliga del i Svenska 1 och Svenska 3. Undersökningen syftar till att ta reda på hur elever hanterar källor för att se hur de är rustade för vidare studier och/eller ett liv i dagens informationssamhälle. Totalt har 40 elevlösningar genomsökts efter omarkerad avskrift, patchwriting, citat och källhänvisningar. Resultaten visar att många elever återanvänder språk från källtexterna genom att skriva av eller genom att göra mindre förändringar i källtextens språk. Denna tendens förekommer på samtliga betygsnivåer i både Svenska 1 och Svenska 3, även om patchwriting och antalet ord i avskrifter generellt minskar i takt med att betygsnivån stiger. I de fall eleverna använder citat är nära hälften felaktiga, främst på grund av korrekturfel. I både Svenska 1 och i Svenska 3 är källhänvisningarna dessutom många gånger ofullständiga. Detta gäller främst för de lägre betygsstegen, medan samtliga elevlösningar på A-nivå i båda kurser innehåller fullständiga källhänvisningar. Trots detta är det dock inte alltid tydligt för läsaren när information från källan presenteras, eftersom vissa elever inte skiljer mellan egna och andras tankar. Otydlig källanvändning förekommer endast på F- och E-nivå i Svenska 3, men i Svenska 1 förekommer det även på C- och A-nivå. / This paper examines the written national test in courses Swedish 1 and Swedish 3. The study aims to find out how students handle sources to learn how they are equipped for further studies and/or a life in today's information society. In total, 40 essays have been searched for copying, patchwriting, quotes and source references. The results show that many students reuse language ​​from their sources by copying or by making minor changes to the source language. This tendency occurs at all grades in both Swedish 1 and Swedish 3, although patchwriting and the number of words in copied strings generally decrease in the higher grades. In cases where students use quotes, almost half are incorrect, mainly because of proofreading errors. In both Swedish 1 and Swedish 3, the source references are often incomplete. This is especially true for the lower grades, whereas all essays that received A’s in both courses contain complete source references. Nevertheless, it is not always clear to the reader when information from the source is presented, as some students do not differentiate between their own and others' thoughts. Unclear source usage occurs only at grades F and E in Swedish 3, but in Swedish 1 it also occurs at grades C and A.

Sverige har under flera år fått svaga resultat i matematik i flera olika internationella undersökningar. Under min VFU-erfarenhet på ett gymnasium var matematik 2b en stor utmaning där cirka 83% av alla elever som skrev nationella provet år 2019 fick betyget F. Extra anpassningar i form av ett anpassat läromedel för dessa elever ansågs vara nödvändig och ett nytt utbildningsmaterial togs fram av mig. Syftet med arbetet är att skapa ett utbildningsmaterial för matematik 2b för att eleverna ska klara nationella provet. För att uppnå syftet har gamla nationella prov analyserats och ett utbildningsmaterial har tagits fram som grundar sig på områden som kommit flest gånger på dessa nationella prov. Vidare syftar rapporten till att följa upp eleverna som använt utbildningsmaterialet. Uppföljningen sker genom att utvärdera dessa elevers motivation och självförtroende med hjälp av intervjuer samt att deras resultat på nationella prov bedöms. Motivation är en viktig faktor i matematikundervisning och kan delas in i inre och yttre motivation. Inre motivation handlar om egen drivkraft medan yttre motivation handlar om att bli belönad av en annan person och motiveras genom detta. En studie gjord i USA visar att motivation är viktigare än intelligens för att lyckas inom matematik. Det finns även starka samband mellan självförtroende och betyg inom matematik. Det utvecklade utbildningsmaterialet prövades på 15 elever som tidigare fått ett F i kursen under en 2 veckorsperiod på en sommarlovsskola. Sedan utvärderades den genom att eleverna fick uppskatta hur materialet påverkat deras motivation och självförtroende. Denna uppskattning gjordes genom kvalitativa intervjuer via google meet. Eleverna skrev även ett nationellt prov som rättades. Åtta av de femton elever som deltog i sommarlovsskolan fick ett godkänt betyg på nationella provet. Eleverna tyckte även att utbildningsmaterialet hade en positiv påverkan på deras självförtroende och motivation. Det är inte säkert hur stor del av denna positiva påverkan utbildningsmaterialet haft. Andra saker som kan ha påverkat elevernas motivation och resultat är att sommarlovsskolan bestod av en mindre elevgrupp och att det var en ny lärare som undervisade dem. / Sweden has during many years received weak results in mathematics in different international surveys. During my placement experience at a high school, I noticed that mathematics 2b was a major challenge for the high school, where approximately 83% of all students who wrote the national exam received an F in 2019. The high school considered that extra adjustments in the form of adapted teaching materials were necessary for the students with an F. Therefore I created a teaching material for those students. The purpose was to create a teaching material for mathematics 2b to enable the students to pass the national exam. The teaching material was based on previous national exams and the types of questions that had occurred most often. Motivation is an important factor in mathematics teaching. Motivation can be divided into intrinsic and external motivation. Intrinsic motivation is about self-motivation, while external motivation is about being rewarded by another person and getting motivated by this. A study conducted in the United States shows that motivation is more important than intelligence to succeed in mathematics. There is also a strong connection between self-confidence and grades in mathematics. The educational material was tested on 15 students who had received an F in the course during two weeks in the form of a summer school. The educational material was evaluated by feedback from the students based on qualitative interviews via Google meet focusing on how the material affected their motivation and self-confidence. The students also wrote a national test that was corrected. Eight of the fifteen students who attended the summer school and used the teaching material received a passing grade on the national exam. In addition to this, the students also made it clear that the teaching material had a positive impact on their self-confidence and motivation.