The aim of this study is to explore the makeup of teacher education programs for the language and literature school subjects Swedish (SWE) and Swedish as a Second Language (SSL) in upper secondary teacher education. We accomplish this through content analysis of syllabi from five universities. The results show a reduced amount of literary content and limited aims for the reading of fiction in SSL as compared to SWE. Other differences are that SSL has a stronger focus on Content and Language Integrated Teaching, migration, language ideology, attitudes and circumstances related to the pupil. Further, in SWE there is an almost complete lack of content relating to multilingualism. We discuss whether the SSL teacher education programs create different conceptions of SSL than the SSL courses prevalent in upper secondary school, at the expense of a subject oriented towards literature, and to what extent SSL is constructed as a subject primarily supporting other school subjects. In relation to Gess-Newsome’s (2015) model on teachers’ knowledge base, we also discuss to what extent the teacher education programs prepare for teaching in upper secondary school: for SWE in relation to the pupils students will meet, and for SSL in relation to the content and organization of the upper secondary school subject.

Informed by the conceptual-analytical framework of LPP and bilingual education policy, this study addresses a unique and under-researched case of heritage language education policy for complementary Polish State Schools abroad. These are a Polish governmental educational offering aimed at Polish migrants and their descendants. Data consist of two policy documents issued by Polish parliamentary and governmental authorities and are analyzed through qualitative content analysis. The specific research question is: What ideological and implementational spaces can be identified in the policy documents regarding the following six areas: academic goal; language ideology; linguistic goal; language orientation; bilingualism orientation; cultural orientation? The findings show that the policy opens up implementational and ideological spaces not only for language maintenance but also for various epistemic goals and literacy forms that create opportunities for a multifaceted personal and societal development of the students. Polish language and culture are positioned both as right and as resource, and spaces for cultural pluralism and plurilingualism emerge. Even if bilingualism and biliteracy are not explicitly expressed as goals, the policy recognizes the multiple linguistic realities of the students by assuming bilingualism, the orientation that is here called bilingualism as default. Future research directions are suggested in the conclusion. 

The current Polish population in Sweden came into being after World War II, and is the fourth largest migrant group in Sweden, and the largest Polish concentration in the Nordic countries; since the enlargement of the European Union in 2004, it has experienced significant growth. It contains not only ethnic Poles, but also Polish Jews, and is multi-generational, relatively wealthy, and engaged in Swedish public life. The group’s vitality is characterised by diverse activity forms, mainly – but not solely – aimed at the maintenance and cultivation of Polish culture and traditions, e.g. different associations, their own website, and involvement in the Catholic Church in Sweden. Linguistic research on Polish as a migrant and heritage language in Sweden has largely focused on child language acquisition, adult first language attrition, and some aspects of language choice, use, and maintenance at the family level. Thanks to Sweden’s educational policy, Polish is offered as an elective subject in the Swedish school system. It is also taught as foreign language at university level. More linguistic and educational linguistic research is needed. 

Syftet med föreliggande översikt är att belysa rådande tematik och aktuella trender inom forskningsfältet svenska som andraspråk (sva) på basis av doktorsavhandlingar skrivna 2013–2021. Utgångspunkten är en tidigare översikt av forskningsfältet norska som andraspråk (noa) grundad i doktorsavhandlingar. I de avhandlingar som klassificerats inom sva-fältet, utifrån författarens självpositionering, undersöks vilka forskningsämnen som representeras, huvudsakliga trender, framträdande teoretiska perspektiv samt hur trender och perspektiv i sva ser ut i förhållande till noa. Analyserna visar de båda forskningsfältens multidisciplinära karaktär på olika sätt. Utifrån en tidigare indelning av noa urskiljs i sva tre huvudsakliga perspektiv: (1) inlärning, (2) språk- och kulturkontakt samt (3) undervisning. I sva – liksom i noa – är undervisningsperspektivet mest framträdande där liknande teoretiska ramverk återkommer. Skillnader gäller både teman och elevgrupper. Medan sva har ett större fokus på (ämnesspecifik) litteracitet i relation till ungdomar och vuxna, ägnar sig noa mer åt undervisning av skönlitteratur samt bedömning, och främst i undervisning av yngre elever. Avslutningsvis diskuterar vi betydelsen av liknande översiktsstudier inom andraspråksfältet i Norden.

The aim of this overview is to highlight current themes and trends in the research field of Swedish as a Second Language (SSL) on the basis of doctoral dissertations written in 2013–2021. The starting point for the analysis is an earlier overview of the research field of Norwegian as a Second Language (NSL) based on doctoral dissertations. In the dissertations that were classified in the SSL field, from the self-positionings of the authors, we investigated which research topics are represented, main trends, prominent theoretical perspectives, and how trends and perspectives in SSL relate to those in NSL. The analyses show the multidisciplinary nature of both research fields in various ways. Based on an earlier classification of NSL, three main perspectives within SSL are identified: (1) learning, (2) language and culture contact, and (3) teaching. In SSL – like in NSL – the teaching perspective is most prominent, including similar theoretical frames. Differences concern both themes and student groups. While SSL has a greater focus on (subject-specific) literacy in relation to youths and adults, NSL is more concerned with the teaching of literature, and assessment, primarily in the teaching of younger learners. Finally, we discuss the importance of similar overviews in the second-language research field in the Nordic countries. 

This article is a critical review of research on the Polish language in Sweden. The main aim of the article was to indicate future research directions in this area. The article is based on eighteen scientific publications from 1953-2018. The current state of research is presented thematically around the following issues: phonetics and phonology, inflection, syntax, lexicon, communication strategies and sociolinguistic aspects of the Polish language in Sweden. According to the author, although it is justified to speak of a tradition of research on the Polish language in Sweden, much remains to be studied. The author suggests the most important directions for future research: (i) to verify numerous hypotheses put forward in previous research, and (ii)to develop new research directions, especially in the field of sociolinguistic aspects of the Polish language in Sweden, Polish-Swedish bilingualism and Polish as a heritage language. Also, the author suggests an interdisciplinary and bilateral approach that, undoubtedly, would have even greater value than scattered scientific efforts.

Niniejszy artykuł zawiera krytyczny przegląd badań nad polszczyzną w Szwecji. Jego nadrzędnym celem było wskazanie przyszłych kierunków badawczych w tej dziedzinie. Opiera się na osiemnastu publikacjach naukowych z lat 1953-2018. Stan badań jest przedstawiony tematycznie według następujących zagadnień: fonetyka i fonologia, fleksja, składnia, leksyka, strategie komunikacyjne i aspekty socjolingwistyczne polszczyzny w Szwecji. Według autorki, mimo że uzasadnione jest mówienie o istnieniu tradycji badań nad polszczyzną w Szwecji, wiele nadal pozostaje do zrobienia. Za najważniejsze kierunki przyszłych badań autorka uznaje (i) zweryfikowanie licznych hipotez wysuniętych w dotychczasowych pracach oraz (ii) rozwinięcie nowych kierunków badawczych, szczególnie w zakresie socjolingwistycznych aspektów polszczyzny w Szwecji, dwujęzyczności polsko-szwedzkiej i języka polskiego jako odziedziczonego. Autorka sugeruje również podejście interdyscyplinarne i bilateralne, które miałoby zapewne jeszcze większą wartość poznawczą niż rozproszone wysiłki naukowe.

The purpose of this paper is to explore conjunctive relations in recounts written by adult L2 Swedish beginners with a wealth of language learning experience as well as advanced literacy. Conjunctive relations were analyzed based on the following analytical categories: additive, temporal, comparative, causal, generally subordinating ‘att’ (that), and non-target-like. The principal results show the dominating category to be the additive. More unexpected was the relatively high proportion of comparative conjunctive relations, often associated with more advanced L2 levels. Relative to previous studies, the number of non-target-like conjunctives was small. Our major conclusion is that temporal conjunctives are challenging to these learners, who show a tendency to activate their L2 English rather than their L1 when learning and using an additional language. Further, participants with advanced literacy in prior languages might be underestimated regarding their ability to use conjunctives in beginner writing in additional languages. 

Föreliggande studie syftade till att med bas i kritisk provteori öka kunskapen om implementering av formativa andraspråksbedömningsverktyg genom att studera implementeringen av Bygga svenska (BS), ett formativt material för bedömning av nyanlända elevers språkutveckling i svenska skolan. Studien genomfördes med hjälp av en internetbaserad enkät riktad till lärare som använt, hört talas om eller provat materialet. Studiens forskningsfrågor gällde hur lärarna fått kännedom om BS:s existens, för vilka syften BS används och vilken den upplevda användbarheten och validiteten hos BS är. Nittio procent av lärarna i studien är enligt enkätsvaren behöriga att undervisa i svenska som andraspråk i den årskurs de undervisar. Resultaten visar att lärarna fått kännedom om BS genom framför allt officiella kanaler. BS approprieras på olika sätt av lärarna och används både för formativa syften och för höginsatsfrågor. Lärarna uppskattar att andraspråksanvändning i BS relateras till skolans språkbruk samt att BS underlättar kommunikation med elever och vårdnadshavare. Ett implementeringsproblem tycks vara att dessa språklärare, som är mest lämpade att använda BS, ibland inte ges ett legitimt utrymme för att kunna dela information om elevers språkutveckling med övriga kollegiet. Lärarnas kritik av BS rör främst tid, omfattning och komplexitet; i vissa fall relaterar sig den kritiken till att ingen tid tillhandahålles för att implementera materialet på skolan.

The purpose of the present study was to analyze the implementation of Bygga svenska (BS), an assessment tool designed for newly arrived students’ language development in school. The study was based on a questionnaire aimed at teachers of Swedish as a second language (SSL) and theoretically based in research on language education policy and in critical test theory in relation to formative language assessment. The research questions concerned how teachers had learned about BS’s existence, for what purposes BS was used and whether these were formative, and whether the teachers found BS useful and valid. The results indicate that BS is appropriated in different ways and is used both for formative and for high-stake purposes. An implementation problem seems to be that SSL teachers – who are most suitable to carry out assessment with BS – are not given a legitimate space for sharing information about students’ language development with other colleagues. Many teachers appreciate that second-language use in BS is related to the language of schooling and that BS facilitates communication with students and legal guardians/parents. The teachers’ criticism of BS mainly concerns time, scope and complexity; in some cases, the criticism relates to lack of time to implement the tool.

Informed by Spolsky’s language policy model and the notion of audience design, this study addresses the under-researched context of the multi-generational family originating in the old Polish migration to Sweden. Two families were studied with a focus on (i) intra-familial language choice, and (ii) language policies derived from this choice and from individual reflections. Data were collected through an open-ended bilingual form and interviews, and then underwent descriptive, thematic and appraisal analysis. The findings suggest that family language policy is a heterogeneous social phenomenon. At the ideological level, Polish is the language of the family at home. At the level of practice, family members modify the policy in multiple ways. Language management is primarily verbalized as consequent usage of Polish within the family. Also, an agency belief is expressed, meaning that subsequent generations make independent linguistic choices. With respect to the influence of audience design, the families adjust to the language of the participating audience. With a non-participating audience, Swedish is a preferred or accepted choice. This paper concludes that there should be a follow-up study on the families presented here, which would further contribute to the still limited understanding of how family language policies are reshaped by later generations.

Syftet med föreliggande studie har varit att öka kunskapen om konnektorbruket i svenska hos vuxna inlärare. Mer specifikt har studien fokuserat på berättande/beskrivande texter som samlats in vid fyra tillfällen under en termins universitetskurs på GERS-nivå A1. Med utgångspunkt i bland annat modeller av diskurskompetens har konnektorbruket analyserats avseende täthet och variation samt i relation till den utveckling som GERS förutspår. Analyserna visade att de vanligaste konnektorerna var och, men, som och också där konnektorn och var betydligt vanligare än de övriga, något som även observerats i andra studier. Förhållandevis överraskande var dock den höga frekvensen av konnektorn som. I jämförelse med tidigare forskning återfanns vidare en låg andel målspråksavvikande konnektorer; dock noterades en tillfällig ökning av dessa i ett initialt skede av språkkursen. Variationen av subjunktionerna minskade över tid, medan variationen av de konjunktionella adverben ökade först för att i slutet av språkkursen gå ner till den initiala nivån. Den utveckling av konnektorer som GERS förutspår bekräftades bara delvis av föreliggande studies resultat.