Research topic/aim

Despite Swedish as a Second Language (SSL) being its own subject in the Swedish school system since 1995, there is surprisingly little research on the actual teaching practices within the subject, particularly in the earlier school years. The purpose of this study is to contribute knowledge about the conditions teachers create for language and knowledge development in the subject of Swedish as a Second Language in elementary school. More specifically, it examines how experienced SSL teachers support students' literary understanding and develop their language repertoire.

Theoretical framework

The study is theoretically based on Langer's stances (2011) for developing students' literary understanding, in conjunction with the notion of interactional scaffolding to support language and knowledge development (Gibbons, 2006; Walldén & Nygård Larsson, 2021).

Methodological design

Data was collected during two months in the spring of 2023 in two sixth-grade classes, where a large proportion of the students had a migration background. During this period, both teachers worked with shared reading of a fiction book. The material consists of a total of 31 recorded classroom observations, field notes, photos, and interviews with the two teachers. Thematic content analysis was used to analyze the material in tandem with Langer's stances.

Expected conclusions/findings

Preliminary results show that in the work of shared reading of a fiction book, teachers use various types of reading-related activities in their instruction. They discuss the content of the books and link the reading to both their own reading experience and to contexts outside the text. There is a consistent focus on developing students' language in the instruction, which is shown in discussions and through various support materials such as visual aids and reading and writing strategies. Metalinguistic strategies are also highlighted by encouraging students to “derive” and “pull apart” words. The attention to language is integrated into a collaborative reading practice in which the students are encouraged to seek for deeper meaning in the texts and “daring to fail” when they express ideas using the target language.  

Relevance to Nordic educational research

The findings of this study are relevant to the conference as it contributes to knowledge about SSL subject teaching practices.