| 1. |
- Eriksson, Linda, 1989-
(författare)
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Affective factors involved in reading course literature in English at university in Sweden
- 2021
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- English is increasingly used in parallel with Swedish in tertiary education, particularly as a reading language (Pecorari, Shaw, Malmstr.m, & Irvine, 2011). A majority of course literature across most disciplines in higher education in Sweden today are English-language publications (Bolton & Kuteeva, 2012), even in courses that do not have English as the official medium of instruction (Kuteeva, 2014; Pecorari et al., 2011). Despite this, little research has been done on the use of foreign-language textbooks in contexts where the focus is on content learning (Pecorari et al., 2011). In this presentation, results from a questionnaire and interview study involving university students in Sweden will be presented.Initial results show that a majority of students feel they were unprepared to read course literature in English when they started university. Approximately half of students express negative emotions in relation to reading in English. These include emotions such as fear, anxiety, panic and stress, but also that reading in English is considerably more time-consuming than reading in Swedish. In this presentation, I will argue that these negative emotions are caused by a lack of preparation forquote from one of the participants:“I have almost never read any English literature in upper secondary school, so when you have to read English literature at university I feel a lot of pressure, that it will be difficult and that I will not understand (…) It’s a difficult transition.”
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Eriksson, Linda, 1989-
(författare)
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Difficulties Involved in Academic Reading in English as a Foreign Language in Sweden
- 2022
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- A majority of course literature across most disciplines in higher education in Sweden, a Nordic country where English is a foreign language, are English-language publications (Bolton & Kuteeva, 2012), even in courses that do not have English as the official medium of instruction (Pecorari, Shaw, Malmström & Irvine, 2011). Swedes have a reputation as having high general competence in English and as a result, universities generally expect students to be able to read course literature in English without any help or guidance. Despite this, little research has been done on students' perceptions of academic reading in English or any potential problems that this practice may cause. In my PhD project, I aim to demonstrate not only to what extent Swedish university students have problems reading academic English, but also what the cause of these issues are and how they may be resolved. During the first phase of the project, a sequential explanatory design (Creswell, Plano Clark, Gutmann & Hanson, 2003) has been used, involving two questionnaires with 505 participants in social science and follow-up interviews with 12 of the participants. The closed-ended questionnaire items have been analyzed using a combination of descriptive and inferential statistics, while the open-ended questionnaire items and interview transcripts have been analyzed using content analysis. Results show that more than half of Swedish university students in social science express negative attitudes including fear, anxiety and stress toward reading in English. Students further perceive reading in English to be considerably more time-consuming, and report trying to avoid it entirely. Early results also show that students who are not the highest achievers are actively discouraged from attending additional English in upper secondary school, likely making the transition from school to university more difficult.ReferencesBolton, K., & Kuteeva, M. (2012). English as an academic language at a Swedish university: Parallel language use and the 'threat' of English. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 33(5), 429-447.Creswell, J., Plano Clark, V., Gutmann, M., & Hanson, W. (2003). Advanced mixed methods research designs. In A. Tashakkori, & C. Teddlie (Eds.), Handbook of mixed methods in social and behavioral research (pp. 209-240). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.Pecorari, D., Shaw, P., Malmstr m, H., & Irvine, A. (2011). English textbooks in parallel language tertiary education. TESOL Quarterly, 45(2), 313-333.
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| 4. |
- Eriksson, Linda, 1989-
(författare)
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Does English 7 Prepare Students for Reading Academic English at University?
- 2022
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Ingår i: ASLA-Symposiet 7–8 april 2022. ; , s. 30-30
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The ability to comprehend academic texts is one of the most important skills that university students who speak English as a second or foreign language need to acquire (Dreyer & Nel, 2003), but previous research has showed a majority of Swedish students understand less when the textbook is in English (Pecorari, Shaw, Malmström, & Irvine, 2011). Despite this, the role of upper secondary school in students’ preparedness for reading academic English at university has not been investigated. In this paper, the aim is to explore what role English 7 – an optional course in upper secondary school – has currently and suggest what role it should have in the future by looking at students’ perceptions of the course. In addition, this paper will present the results from quantitative analyses contrasting the reading ability of students who have attended English 7 with students who have not.To answer these questions, a sequential explanatory design (Creswell, Plano Clark, Gutmann & Hanson, 2003) has been used, involving two questionnaires with 505 participants and follow-up interviews with 12 of the participants. The closed-ended questionnaire items have been analyzed using a combination of descriptive and inferential statistics, while the open-ended questionnaire items and interview transcripts have been analyzed using content analysis. Results show students who have attended English 7 report fewer difficulties with reading English course literature than students who only attended English 6 on a number of different variables. However, students who have attended English 7 also report having had higher grades in English in previous years (p < .001). Interview data suggests students with lower grades are discouraged from taking the additional course by teachers and other students, seemingly creating two large groups with varying abilities in English.ReferencesCreswell, J., Plano Clark, V., Gutmann, M., & Hanson, W. (2003). Advanced mixed methods research designs. In A. Tashakkori, & C. Teddlie (Eds.), Handbook of mixed methods in social and behavioral research (pp. 209-240). Sage Publications.Pecorari, D., Shaw, P., Malmström, H., & Irvine, A. (2011). English textbooks in parallel language tertiary education. TESOL Quarterly, 45(2), 313-333.
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| 5. |
- Eriksson, Linda, 1989-
(författare)
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“Gruelling to read” : Swedish university students’ perceptions of and attitudes towards academic reading in English
- 2023
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Ingår i: Journal of English for Academic Purposes. - : Elsevier. - 1475-1585 .- 1878-1497. ; 64
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Students around the world are expected to read, comprehend and learn from growing numbers of English texts in higher educational contexts where the official medium of instruction is the local language. Despite this language shift, relatively little attention has been paid to the challenges academic texts in English present for students. The present paper provides insights into first-year university students’ perceptions of and attitudes towards academic reading in English in Sweden through a sequential explanatory design with questionnaires and follow-up interviews. Sweden is often seen as a model country in terms of second-language proficiency in English, but as this study shows, a majority of first-year university students expressed negative attitudes towards academic reading in English. Student responses suggested more than one third of first-year Swedish university students in social science subjects struggled to comprehend and keep up with their assigned reading, with vocabulary and reading speed cited as their biggest challenges. This paper further shows that a considerable number of students entered higher education unaware that they were going to be required to read academic texts in English, with some questioning this common practice. Finally, implications for teachers are discussed.
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| 6. |
- Eriksson, Linda, 1989-
(författare)
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“It’s a difficult transition” - Academic Second Language Reading in English Amongst Swedish Upper Secondary School Pupils and University Students
- 2021
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Abstract including topic, research questions, theoretical framework The growing importance of internationalization for universities across Europe has resulted in an increasing use of English at various levels of higher education (Bolton & Kuteeva, 2011; Seidlhofer, 2010). In Sweden, English is increasingly used in parallel with Swedish in tertiary education, particularly as a reading language (Pecorari, Shaw, Malmström, & Irvine, 2011). In this paper, I will present the results of a questionnaire and interview study involving 400 Swedish university students and upper secondary school pupils. The study reported on aims to contribute new knowledge on academic reading in English. This will be done by addressing the following research questions: To what extent do Swedish university students have problems reading the English texts on course reading lists? Which attitudes do Swedish upper secondary school pupils and university students express in relation to reading academic English? To what extent do Swedish upper secondary school pupils and university students feel prepared to read in English when they start university? To what extent are Swedish upper secondary school pupils and university students familiar with reading strategies?A majority of course literature across most disciplines in higher education in Sweden today are English-language publications (Bolton & Kuteeva, 2012), even in courses that do not have English as the official medium of instruction (Kuteeva, 2014; Pecorari et al., 2011). It is unquestionable that this shift toward English has resulted in new challenges for students across Europe, but little research has been done on the use of foreign-language textbooks in contexts where the focus is on content learning (Pecorari et al., 2011). Higher education institutions depend on upper secondary schools to provide students with the necessary English language skills for further education, but the curriculum for English in upper secondary school in Sweden “contain(s) arbitrary and ambiguous language” (Siegel, 2019, p. 275) and “lacks explicit guidance about timings and priorities” (Siegel, 2019, p. 267). These so-called grey areas in steering documents (Hult, 2012), combined with a lack of focus on scientific content and academic reading in the curriculum, allows for a wide range of teaching practices. Attitudes toward the second language (L2) is one of the main motivational influences involved in Dörnyei’s (2001) process model of L2 motivation. Attitudes also play a key role in Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior (TPB) and determines what we as humans will and will not do (Ajzen, 1975; Dörnyei, 2001). According to TPB, the impact of attitudes “is modified by the person’s subjective norms (perceived social pressures) and perceived behavioural control (perceived ease or difficulty of performing the behaviour)” (Dörnyei, 2001, p. 11). In a Swedish context where citizens are exposed to English daily through media, business and education (Philipson, 1992) and a majority of the population are said to be bilingual in English (Falk, 2001), the perceived social pressure to be able to read academic English are likely greater than in many other parts of Europe. This could potentially result in that students who perceive reading academic texts in English to be difficult express negative attitudes toward the English language in general or the use of English texts in university in particular. Method, research instrumentsThe survey was conducted through two online questionnaires which were distributed in person in digital classrooms and lecture halls in early 2021, and follow-up interviews with a smaller number of participants. Both the questionnaires and the interviews were designed to cover the following content areas: (1) students’ and pupils’ perceived difficulty of reading in English and perceived preparedness for reading in English; (2) attitudes toward reading in English; and (3) familiarity with reading strategies. The two questionnaires consist of a number of closed-ended items, which have been analyzed quantitatively using a combination of descriptive and inferential statistics, and a smaller number of open-ended questions which have been analyzed using qualitative content analysis (Dörnyei & Taguchi, 2009). The main purpose for combining qualitative and quantitative methods is to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of a complex phenomenon by looking at it from different angles, and to triangulate one set of findings against another (Dörnyei, 2007, p. 164). The questionnaire that is aimed toward university students focuses on the past and present and has been distributed to first-year students at selected social science programmes at three universities. The questionnaire that is aimed toward upper secondary school students instead focuses on the present and future and has been distributed to groups of students who are attending their second or third year at a social science program. The questionnaires were distributed in person in order to try to minimize self-selection from students who are especially good at English. The follow-up interviews are semi-structured in nature and are informed by each individual’s questionnaire data. This sequential explanatory design (Creswell, Plano Clark, Gutmann, & Hanson, 2003) allows for the collection of in-depth data, in which respondents can be asked to elaborate on or explain their answers. In addition to the previously mentioned content areas, the interviews also focused on what students associate with academic reading in English and whose responsibility they believe it is to enable them to read academic texts in English. The interview participants were located through a question at the end of the questionnaires about whether or not the individual was interested in participating in a follow-up interview. The interviews were audio recorded and transcribed using a simple discourse transcription method (Du Bois, Schuetze-Coburn, Cumming, & Paolino, 1993), and analyzed using qualitative content analysis.Conclusions, expected findingsInitial results show that although a majority of students felt prepared to read course literature in English when they started university, they perceive reading in English to be considerably more difficult than reading in Swedish, with 44 percent of university students saying reading in English is ‘quite difficult’ or ‘very difficult’ compared to only 6 percent in Swedish. More than half of students express negative emotions in relation to reading in English. These include emotions such as fear, anxiety, panic and stress, but also that reading in English is considerably more time-consuming than reading in Swedish. In this presentation, I will argue that these negative emotions are caused by a lack of preparation for reading academic English in upper secondary schools in Sweden, as exemplified by the following quote from one of the participants:“I have almost never read any English literature in upper secondary school, so when you have to read English literature at university I feel a lot of pressure, that it will be difficult and that I will not understand (…) It’s a difficult transition.” Another cause for concern is that when confronted with a word in English they do not understand, as many as 10 percent of university students say they give up and stop reading. Regarding reading strategies, a majority of university students report a lack of awareness of the concept. This is in contrast with the participating upper secondary school pupils who predominantly appear to be familiar with reading strategies, although few report using any reading strategies on a regular basis. When asked how often they were taught about reading strategies in upper secondary school, more than half of the participants responded ‘never’ or ‘do not remember’, while less than 5 percent responded ‘every month’.ReferencesAjzen, I., & Fishbein, M. (1975). A Bayesian analysis of attribution processes. Psychological Bulletin, 82(2), 261-277. Bolton, K., & Kuteeva, M. (2012). English as an academic language at a Swedish university: Parallel language use and the 'threat' of English. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 33(5), 429-447. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2012.670241Creswell, J., Plano Clark, V., Gutmann, M., & Hanson, W. (2003). Advanced mixed methods research designs. In A. Tashakkori, & C. Teddlie (Eds.), Handbook of mixed methods in social and behavioral research (pp. 209-240). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.Du Bois, J. W., Schuetze-Coburn, S., Cumming, S., & Paolino, D. (1993). Outline of discourse transcription. In J. A. Edwards, & M. D. Lampert (Eds.), Talking data: Transcription and coding in discourse research (pp. 45-89). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Dörnyei, Z. (2007). Research methods in applied linguistics: Quantitative, qualitative and mixed methodologies. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Dörnyei, Z. (2001). Motivational Strategies in the Language Classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Dörnyei, Z., & Taguchi, T. (2009). Questionnaires in second language research. New York, NY: Taylor and Francis.Falk, M. L. 2001. Domänförluster i svenskan [Domain Losses in Swedish]. Stockholm, Språkrådet: Nordic Council of Ministers.Hult, F. M. (2012). English as a transcultural language in Swedish policy and practice. TESOL Quarterly, 46(2), 230-257.Kuteeva, M. (2014). The parallel language use of Swedish and English: The question of 'nativeness' in university policies and practices. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 35(4), 332-344. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2013.874432Pecorari, D., Shaw, P., Malmström, H., & Irvine, A. (2011). English textbooks in parallel-language tertiary education. TESOL Quarterly, 45(2), 313-333. Phillipson, Robert. 1992. Linguistic Imp
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| 7. |
- Eriksson, Linda, 1989-
(författare)
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Perceptions of and Attitudes toward Academic Reading in English amongst Swedish Students
- 2021
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The growing importance of internationalization for universities across Europe has resulted in an increasing use of English in higher education in Sweden (Bolton & Kuteeva, 2011), particularly as a reading language (Pecorari et al., 2011). In this paper, I will present the results of a study involving 505 Swedish university and upper secondary school students focused on their attitudes toward reading in English and their perceptions of their ability to read academic English.Two questionnaires have been distributed in 36 classrooms and lecture halls, with follow-up interview involving a smaller number of participants. This sequential explanatory design, in which respondents can be asked to elaborate on their answers, allows for the collection of in-depth data (Creswell et al., 2003). The closed-ended questionnaire items have then been analyzed using a combination of descriptive and inferential statistics, while the open-ended questionnaire items and interview transcripts have been analyzed using content analysis.Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior (TPB) is used to contextualize the attitudes expressed by the students in this study. In TPB, the impact of attitudes is modified by perceived social pressures and perceived ease or difficulty of performing the behavior (Dörnyei, 2001). In a Nordic context where citizens are exposed to English daily and a majority of the population are said to be bilingual in English (Falk, 2001), the perceived social pressure to be able to read academic English is likely greater than in many other parts of Europe. This could potentially result in the expression of negative attitudes toward the English language in general or the use of English texts in education in particular.Results show that more than half of university students express negative attitudes toward reading in English. These attitudes include fear and anxiety, but also stress caused by a perception that reading in English is considerably more time-consuming than reading in Swedish. The results further show that university students perceive academic reading in English to be more difficult than upper secondary school students. Universities depend on upper secondary schools to provide students with the necessary English language skills for further education, but in this paper I will argue that students' negative attitudes are related to a perceived difficulty of performing the behavior which in part may be caused by a lack of preparation for reading academic English.ReferencesBolton, K., & Kuteeva, M. (2012). English as an academic language at a Swedish university: Parallel language use and the 'threat' of English. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 33(5), 429-447. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2012.670241Creswell, J., Plano Clark, V., Gutmann, M., & Hanson, W. (2003). Advanced mixed methods research designs. In A. Tashakkori, & C. Teddlie (Eds.), Handbook of mixed methods in social and behavioral research (pp. 209-240). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.Dörnyei, Z. (2001). Motivational Strategies in the Language Classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Falk, M. L. 2001. Domänförluster i svenskan [Domain Losses in Swedish]. Stockholm, Språkrådet: Nordic Council of Ministers.Pecorari, D., Shaw, P., Malmström, H., & Irvine, A. (2011). English textbooks in parallel-language tertiary education. TESOL Quarterly, 45(2), 313-333.Phillipson, Robert. 1992. Linguistic Imperialism. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
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| 8. |
- Eriksson, Linda, 1989-, et al.
(författare)
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Preparing students for academic reading in English : A comparative study of Swedish and Norwegian university-preparatory curricula
- 2023
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper aims to compare upper secondary school curricula for English studies in Norway and Sweden for the purposes of identifying similarities and differences in the description of the purpose and learning outcomes for using English as an academic reading language in higher education. In Scandinavian countries, most students are expected to read academic texts in English at university. Studies from both countries (e.g. Pecorari et al., 2011; Hellekjær, 2009) have found that upper secondary school does not necessarily prepare students for the English they encounter at university. Therefore, it is important to examine the focus and priorities of the national curricula in order to identify how these programs are designed to help students prepare for tertiary studies, and how this might differ between countries which are often considered to share many relevant characteristics. Both countries have undergone changes to the English curriculum in 2021, and this paper will also look at these changes and discuss them in relation to relevant research. This study takes a comparative approach to curricular research both between countries and over time. Preliminary findings suggest that a focus on academic English is potentially underspecified in both countries in the current as well as in the preceding curricula. The curriculum change in Norway has added information about the importance of academic English whereas in Sweden, the focus on academic texts and scientific content has been reduced. With respect to academic English reading proficiency as an indispensable preparation for university, the findings suggest that these seemingly similar countries have some interesting differences in their English curricula which could have implications for the teaching practices in the English classrooms.
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| 9. |
- Eriksson, Linda, 1989-
(författare)
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Student Preparedness for Reading Academic Texts in English at Swedish Universities
- 2022
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The use of English has been gaining ground in numerous educational contexts where another language was previously used (Gabriëls & Wilkinson, 2021). At university, students are frequently expected to engage with English texts even though the official medium of instruction is the local language. This shift toward English has resulted in new challenges for students, particularly for students who do not have the proficiency required to read English-language publications (Cenoz, 2012). Previous research on academic reading in higher education has primarily focused on the faculty perspective (Gorzycki et al., 2020). In this paper, I illustrate the issue through the Swedish case by discussing the transition from upper secondary school to university, with a particular focus on first-year university students’ experiences with academic texts in English in Swedish-medium instruction programmes. The ability to comprehend academic texts is one of the most important skills that university students who speak English as a second or foreign language need to acquire (Dreyer & Nel, 2003), but previous research has showed Swedish students understand less when the textbook is in English (Pecorari et al., 2011). The potential impact on student retention and academic success means there is a need for more attention to be paid to students’ experiences with reading in higher education. This paper aims to remediate this issue by providing insights into students’ perceptions and attitudes of English academic texts through a sequential explanatory design involving questionnaires and follow-up interviews. Results show that more than half of university students express negative attitudes toward reading in English and perceive reading in English to be considerably more difficult and time-consuming than reading in Swedish. Universities take it for granted that students have the ability to read academic texts in English without any support (Arnbjörnsdóttir, 2018), but I will argue that students' negative attitudes and self-reported challenges are related to a lack of preparation for reading academic English in upper secondary school. ReferencesArnbjörnsdóttir, B. (2018). Using English at university. In B. Arnbjörnsdóttir & H. Ingvarsdóttir (Eds.), Language development across the life span: The impact of English on education and work in Iceland (pp. 143-162). Springer.Cenoz, J. (2012). Bilingual educational policy in higher education in the Basque Country. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 25, 41-55.Dreyer, C., & Nel, C. (2003). Teaching reading strategies and reading comprehension within a technology-enhanced learning environment. System, 31(3), 349–365. Gabriëls, R., & Wilkinson, R. (2021). Two types of reflections about English as a medium of instruction. European Journal of Language Policy, 13(2), 161-180.Gorzycki, M., Desa, G., Howard, P. J., & Allen, D. D. (2020). “Reading Is Important,” but “I Don't Read”: Undergraduates’ Experiences With Academic Reading. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 63, 499-508.Pecorari, D., Shaw, P., Malmström, H., & Irvine, A. (2011). English textbooks in parallel language tertiary education. TESOL Quarterly, 45(2), 313-333.
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| 10. |
- Eriksson, Linda, 1989-
(författare)
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Swedish Upper Secondary School and University Students' Perceptions of Academic Reading in English as a Second Language
- 2021
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The growing importance of internationalization for universities across Europe has resulted in an increasing use of English at various levels of higher education (Bolton & Kuteeva, 2011; Seidlhofer, 2010). In Sweden, a majority of course literature across most disciplines in higher education today are English-language publications (Bolton & Kuteeva, 2012), even in courses that do not have English as the official medium of instruction (Kuteeva, 2014; Pecorari et al., 2011). Despite this, little research has been done on students' perceptions of academic reading in English as a second language. In this paper, I will present the results of a questionnaire and interview study involving more than 500 Swedish upper secondary school and university students, focused on students' attitudes toward reading in English and their perceptions of their ability to read academic English. Results show that more than half of university students express negative attitudes toward reading in English. These attitudes include fear, anxiety, panic and stress, but also that reading in English is considerably more time-consuming than reading in Swedish. Students in both groups further report trying to avoid reading in English, and as many as 6% say they give up reading when they are confronted with a single word they do not understand. The results further show that university students perceive academic reading in English to be more difficult than upper secondary school students. For example, 37% of university students say reading in English is 'quite difficult' or 'very difficult' compared to 25% of upper secondary school students. Higher education institutions depend on upper secondary schools to provide students with the necessary English language skills for further education, but in this presentation, I will argue that students' negative attitudes are in part caused by a lack of preparation for reading academic English in upper secondary schools in Sweden.
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