Swedish as a Second Language Teachers’ Perceptions and Experiences with CALL for the Newly Arrived

Authors

  • Anna Hell Malmö University
  • Shannon Sauro University of Maryland

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/cj.41169

Keywords:

CALL, education, newly arrived students, second language acquisition, Swedish as a second language

Abstract

The use of digital technology in the subject of Swedish as a second language (SSL) has increased in recent years. Schools in Sweden have received many newly arrived students due to the migration situation prevailing in contemporary European society. This article shares the findings of a study carried out on six SSL teachers’ perceptions and experiences of using digital technology for SSL with newly arrived students. Participants’ responses to interview questions were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings indicated the following: participants negotiated the digital tools as an entry ticket for the newly arrived students to become engaged with the teaching, to support literacy development, and to aid communication. The findings also underscore the challenges that respondents struggled with in teaching using digital technology. Results suggest that although digital technology is a regular part of Swedish education, there is no clear research-based framework for computer-assisted language learning (CALL) in SSL education or teacher education that teachers can rely on, meaning that it is up to teachers themselves to uncover relevant uses of digital technology to support SSL teaching.

Author Biographies

  • Anna Hell, Malmö University

    Anna Hell is a fourth-year PhD candidate at Malmö University. Anna Hell’s work focuses on analyzing issues of migration in language and society from an ethnographic perspective. Her main interest is education, where she explores primary school students’ meaning-making in Swedish as a second language from the perspectives of CALL and translanguaging.

  • Shannon Sauro, University of Maryland

    Shannon Sauro is a specialist in technologically mediated language teaching and learning and second language literacy. Her areas of research include the intersection of online fan practices and language learning and teaching, and the role of virtual exchange/telecollaboration in language teacher education. She has trained pre-service and in-service English teachers in both Sweden and the United States.

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Published

2021-05-20

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Hell, A., & Sauro, S. (2021). Swedish as a Second Language Teachers’ Perceptions and Experiences with CALL for the Newly Arrived. CALICO Journal, 38(2), 202–221. https://doi.org/10.1558/cj.41169