Multiilingualism and Language Learning in School

Abstract: This thesis examines how students, aged 13-15, with a mother tongue other than Swedish, experience learning English in school. This is important since there is an increasing number of bilinguals and multilinguals learning English in schools in Sweden and around the world. Several concepts are presented and discussed that have been argued to pose barriers to bilingual and multilingual language learning. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with ten students, aged between 13 and 15. The empirical material shows that bilingual and multilingual students usually refer to Swedish, even when their mother-tongue may be a better reference for learning English. This is because teachers commonly refer to Swedish grammar rules in attempting to clarify English grammar rules and the textbooks used to support the learning process are in Swedish. This may pose problems for the learning process, particularly for students who are not proficient in Swedish. The study also highlights the importance of diagnosing bilingual students' L1 and L2 on a regular basis to see when the optimum time is to be exposed to English language learning rather than the current approach of immersing them in English learning without considering the other language learning processes the student may be engaged in. The study also found that students commonly perceived their English to be proficient even though they had poor grades. One possible reason for this is that they manage well in their day-to-day engagement with computer games, films and social media while formal English learning, including aspects such as grammar and writing, require a different type of application. Finally, the thesis describes how important high metalinguistic awareness is for language learning and it is suggested that additional research focuses on how this conceptual understanding can be translated in practitioner tools useful for teachers. Schools need to create an environment that values and supports multilingual students’ language competence and an early national diagnostic test would help to support those conditions.