This study was performed in Eskilstuna, Sweden in the spring of 2011. The Sörmland CountyCouncil (SCC) initiated the study to improve the communication with the public by adjustingthe language on its website. The website is an important communicative tool since manypeople search for health care information online. Thirty-six terms on the website of the SCCwere the objects of study, a majority of them being names of the departments atMälarsjukhuset Hospital. The departments are presented as a list of links on the website. Fouradditional medical terms were included. The comprehension of the 36 terms was investigatedamong 210 health care centre visitors in Eskilstuna. A questionnaire was used where theinformants were asked to shortly explain what health care issues are dealt with in the differentdepartments. The understanding varied greatly among the terms, from Klinisk fysiologi ochnukleärmedicin (clinical physiology and nuclear medicine/Clinical physics and nuclearmedicine) which only 14.6% of the informants understood to Ögon (eyes/Ophthalmology)which was understood by 92.98%. Seven of the terms were understood by less than 50% ofthe informants. The recommendation of the study to the SCC was to replace terms that werehard to understand to direct the website visitors to the information they are looking for andalso to review the language in all written communication with this study in mind.

Inom forskningsområdet för serious games (SG) råder en oklar uppfattning om narrativets roll i lärande-spel, samtidigt som SG som koncept har visat sig ha positiv effekt i flera studier. Mot bakgrund av detta undersöker den här studien hur unga vuxna uppfattar den berättelsedrivna speldesignen i ett ordförståelse-spel som självskattad motiverande faktor för att spela vidare. En artefakt, inspirerad av högskoleprovets ORD-del, och enkätfrågor användes för att samla in data från 26 respondenter. Kombinationen av ordförståelse och narrativ kontext visade sig vara ett uppskattat koncept av majoriteten trots ett varierat resultat angående motiverande faktorer för att spela vidare; spelet uppfattades som ett alternativ för att öva ordförståelse. Resultatet utmynnade i ett antal speldesign-principer för spelarens motivation att spela vidare, lämpliga att ha i åtanke vid utvecklingen av liknande lärande-spel. På längre sikt skulle studien kunna fokusera på huruvida spelkonceptet har potential för inlärning och studera eventuella kopplingar mellan detta och motivation. / While serious games (SG) as a concept has been proven effective in several studies, there is a residing unclear perception regarding the role of narrative in games for learning. This study examines how young adults perceive the narrative-driven game design in a word comprehension game as a self-evaluated motivational factor to continue playing. An artifact, inspired by Högskoleprovet, and a survey were used to collect data from 26 respondents. The combination of word comprehension and narrative context proved to be an appreciated concept that the majority, despite varied results regarding motivational factors to continue playing, perceived as an alternative learning method. Game design principles in regards to motivation to continue playing were formed which would be useful to have in mind when developing similar games for learning. Long-term, this study could focus on whether the game concept has the potential for learning and to study possible connections between this and motivations.

<p>Video games are very popular among children in the Western world. This study was done in order to investigate if video games had an effect on 49 Swedish students‟ comprehension of English words (grades 7-8). The investigation was based on questionnaire and word test data. The questionnaire aimed to measure with which frequency students were playing video games, and the word test aimed to measure their word comprehension in general. In addition, data from the word test were used to investigate how students explained the words. Depending on their explanations, students were categorized as either using a “video game approach” or a “dictionary approach” in their explanations.</p><p>The results showed a gender difference, both with regard to the frequency of playing and what types of games that were played. Playing video games seemed to increase the students‟ comprehension of English words, though there was no clear connection between the frequency with which students were playing video games and the choice of a dictionary or video game approach as an explanation.</p>

Video games are very popular among children in the Western world. This study was done in order to investigate if video games had an effect on 49 Swedish students‟ comprehension of English words (grades 7-8). The investigation was based on questionnaire and word test data. The questionnaire aimed to measure with which frequency students were playing video games, and the word test aimed to measure their word comprehension in general. In addition, data from the word test were used to investigate how students explained the words. Depending on their explanations, students were categorized as either using a “video game approach” or a “dictionary approach” in their explanations. The results showed a gender difference, both with regard to the frequency of playing and what types of games that were played. Playing video games seemed to increase the students‟ comprehension of English words, though there was no clear connection between the frequency with which students were playing video games and the choice of a dictionary or video game approach as an explanation.

The aim of this study is to investigate what differences there are in vocabulary comprehension between pupils with Swedish as a first and second language. The strategies used for understanding unknown words are also investigated. Above all, the aim of this study is to see whether the subject teacher is aware of which words could be difficult to understand for pupils with Swedish as a second language and if she is aware of their vocabulary ability.          Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used in the form of observation, vocabulary test and semi-structured interviews with both pupils and subject teacher. There were 12 informants from a national gymnasium programme participating in the vocabulary test. Seven of them had Swedish as a second language and six of them has Swedish as a first language. Six informants participated in interviews.          The results showed that there were both quantitative and qualitative differences between the groups. The results also imply that informants with higher scores in the vocabulary test are more aware of which methods to use in the hearing and reading of an unknown vocabulary. The subject teacher was well aware of which words in teaching could be hard to understand for second language pupils, but underestimated the pupils’ knowledge of words.          The test results were not statistically tested and could therefore not be generalized for the population. Contemporary field research supports the test results.

The purpose of this study was to examine which of the two vocabulary-learning methods non-contextualized vocabulary learning and vocabulary learning combined with semantic relations promote the learning and retention of new vocabulary items. The following research questions were asked: Which of the two above-mentioned methods best promotes the students’ vocabulary learning and word comprehension? What differences can be noted in the students’ test results regarding learning and retention of new vocabulary items between these two methods? Which method promotes the students' long-term retention of vocabulary items and word comprehension? In total, 36 students from two classes, divided into four groups, participated in the study. Each group was taught using one of the two methods. After the first round of lessons, the teaching methods were swapped such that all the students tried both methods and so that the survey could be considered reliable. The empirical material was obtained from field experiments and tests in direct connection with the lessons and retention tests four days later. The results were analyzed using Schema theory and a theory of memory processing called Executive Control Processes. These theories were used to investigate the students’ retention of vocabulary items and how students use schematic knowledge to associate words to one another. The results showed that the second method, the combined method, seemed to be the most promising not only for retention, but also for the number of learned vocabulary items and for word comprehension.

Skolans uppdrag är att ge eleverna förutsättningar att leva i ett föränderligt samhälle och att lära ut språk som gör att de kan delta i olika samhällsfrågor. Syftet med studien är att undersöka vilka didaktiska val lärare gör vid muntlig undervisning för att utveckla elevernas ordförståelse. Frågeställningen som studien utgår ifrån är ”vilka didaktiska val ligger till grund för lärares muntliga undervisning, i årskurserna F-3?” Utifrån en granskning av tidigare vetenskapliga studier som berör föreliggande studies frågeställning, kunde fyra teman synliggöras, vilket utgör studiens analytiska ramverk. Dessa är ”lärarens ordval”, ”lärarens upprepning av ord”, ”lärarens konkretisering av ord” och ”dialogisk undervisning”. Det analytiska ramverket används för att analysera och diskutera resultatet. Studiens empiri samlades in via semistrukturerade intervjuer med 11 lärare som är verksamma i F-3. Empirin analyseras därefter med teoridriven tematisk analys. Resultatet visar att lärarna väljer ut ämnesord och vardagsord. Lärare väljer också att upprepa ord på olika sätt i olika situationer samt att konkretisera ord med exempelvis bilder. Dialogisk undervisning förekommer genom att lärare exempelvis låter elever förklara ord för varandra. Gemensamt för alla lärare i studien är att en del didaktiska val är planerade och andra är mer spontana. I föreliggande studie framkommer det även att tidsbrist gör att dialogisk undervisning och repetition av ord ibland bortprioriteras. Vetskapen om detta samt vikten av ordförståelse pekar på att det hade varit intressant att genomföra en kvalitativ studie där lärare i sin undervisning prioriterar att utgå från alla fyra teman inom ordförståelse som denna studies analytiska ramverk presenterar. Detta med syftet att se om prioriteringen av alla fyra teman är gynnsamt för elevers ordförståelse i praktiken. / The school’s mission is to provide pupils with the conditions to live in a changing society and to teach languages that enable them to participate in various social issues. The study aims to investigate which didactic choices teachers make in verbal teaching to develop pupils’ vocabulary. The study’s question is “what didactic choices form the basis for teachers’ verbal teaching, in grades F-3?”. Based on a review of previous scientific studies relating to this study’s question, four themes could be highlighted, constituting the study’s analytical framework. These are “the teacher’s choice of words,” ”the teacher’s repetition of words,” “the teacher’s concretization of words,” and “dialogical teaching.” The analytical framework is used to analyze and discuss the results. The study’s empirical data was collected through semi- structured interviews with 11 teachers working in F-3. The empirical data is then analyzed with theory-driven thematic analysis. The results show that teachers select subject words and everyday words. Teachers also choose to repeat words in different ways in different situations and to concretize words with, for example, pictures. Dialogic teaching occurs when teachers, for example, let students explain words to each other. Common to all teachers in the study is that some didactic choices are planned and others are more spontaneous. The present study also shows that lack of time means that dialogical teaching and repetition of words are sometimes not prioritized. The knowledge of this and the importance of word comprehension indicates that it would have been interesting to conduct a qualitative study where teachers in their teaching prioritize starting from all four themes in word comprehension that this study’s analytical framework presents. The purpose of this would be to determine if prioritizing all four themes is beneficial for students’ word comprehension in practice.

I dagens samhälle är det viktigt att kunna kommunicera. För att en kommunikation ska kunna ske på ett bra sätt behövs en bred ordförståelse och rikt ordförråd. Syftet med studien i det här arbetet är att undersöka hur lärare och andra professioner runt eleverna arbetar språkutvecklande för att ge eleverna ett ökat ordförråd och ordförståelse samt om de använder sig av återkopplingsövningar för att stärka elevernas ordförståelse.Utifrån intervjuer med lärare, fritidspersonal och logoped samt genom en klassrumsundersökning i en åk 2 kommer syftet med studien undersökas. Resultatet av undersökningen var att ett av det vanligaste sättet att använda sig av ett språkutvecklande arbetssätt och ge eleverna ett brett ordförråd och rikt ordförråd var genom högläsning. Anledningen till det är att högläsningen ger möjligheten att gemensamt diskutera orden och betydelsen av dem samt att eleverna möter olika typer av texter där orden kan ha olika betydelser. Den vanligaste typen av återkopplingsövningar var genom att be eleverna återberätta information på olika sätt eller i olika sammanhang. Slutsatsen gällande återkopplingsövningar i klassrumsmiljö är att det är en viktig komponent för att se elevernas aktuella kunskaper. Däremot har den pågått under en för kort period för att se om eleverna har befäst några nya kunskaper. / Today, it is important to be able to communicate. For a communication to take place in a good way, a broad understanding of words and a rich vocabulary are needed. The purpose of the study in this work is to investigate how teachers and other professions around the students work with language development to give the students an increased vocabulary and word comprehension and if they use retrieval practice to strengthen the students' vocabulary. Based on interviews with teachers, teachers in after-school activities, and speech therapists as well as through a classroom survey in year 2, the purpose of the study will be investigated.  The result of the study was that one of the most common ways to use a language development approach and give students a broad vocabulary and rich vocabulary was through reading aloud. The reason for this is that reading aloud provides the opportunity to jointly discuss the words and the meaning of them and that the students encounter different types of texts where the words can have different meanings. The most common type of retrieval practice was by asking students to recount information in different ways or in different contexts.  The conclusion regarding retrieval practice in a classroom environment is that it is an important component to see students' current knowledge. However, it has been going on for too short a period to see if the students have consolidated any new knowledge.