Tarja Alatalo

Through this study, we aim to contribute to the discussion on the importance of systematically and deliberately implemented early vocabulary instruction in connection with subject teaching. The purpose was to develop knowledge regarding vocabulary instruction in mathematics during the Swedish preschool year, thereby advancing research on education for six-year-olds. The study examines whether—and if so, how—content-rich vocabulary instruction is implemented, based on a content analysis of video-recorded conversation-based mathematics lessons in 14 preschool-year settings. The findings indicate that the teaching of mathematical concepts, taken together, reflected content-rich literacy instruction. Teachers employed varied approaches—listening, leading, monitoring, responding, and guiding students’ thinking—and used child-friendly definitions and methods to introduce concepts, which are associated with content-rich vocabulary instruction and gains in vocabulary and comprehension. In light of the growing need to improve reading development among Swedish students—and a recent reform introducing formal schooling for six-year-olds—questions arise regarding the use of intentional and systematic instruction. Implications for planning and implementing systematic literacy instruction, as well as for teacher education and professional development, are discussed.

"Målet med temanumret är att presentera en bred kunskapsbas för läspraktiker i förskolan och villkoren för yngre barns läsning i samhället. I temanumret har vi därför varit särskilt intresserade av bidrag om läsning med / för / av barn – med relevans för förskolan i en nordisk kontext, där ett helhetsperspektiv på barnet och sambanden mellan lek och lärande står i fokus." Nedenfor kan du lese hele lederen som er skrevet av gjesteredaøktørene, Tarja Alatalo, Maria Fredriksson, Liv Gjems, Trude Hoel og Anne-Maj Johansson.

This research aims to increase knowledge about how preschool teachers in three Nordic countries view their preschool’s physical and psychological literacy environment regarding read-alouds. A total of 222 Nordic preschool teachers (52 Finnish, 91 Norwegian, and 79 Swedish) responded to a survey about early literacy practices. Likert-scale questions that contained statements about teachers’ views of the physical literacy environment and methods of reading aloud were used. Scales indicating a physical and psychological literacy environment were created based on statements that reflected the respective literacy environment. The results revealed that the teachers, on average, rated their preschool’s physical literacy environment positively. Their attitudes towards the psychological literacy environment were, on average, high regarding reading aloud as an opportunity for meaning-making and even higher for language-stimulating interaction. The attitudes towards reading aloud to organise everyday activities scored very low on average, which was a somewhat unexpected finding. There were some statistically significant differences in the measures between countries and groups, such as educational level. Emphasising high-quality literacy environments as early as for one- to three-year-old children is discussed as being essential in preschool teacher training and in-service training.

The purpose of this study is to develop understanding of the relation between instructional practices and students' reading amount. As part of a larger mixed‐methods study of reading practices across the curriculum in Swedish compulsory school, a selection of 14 classes from Grades 6 and 9 were observed over a total of 59 lessons. The data generated were coded and analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The results reveal a great variation in teachers' instructional practices which is shown to have both direct and more indirect consequences for students' reading amount. By combining the results from quantitative and qualitative analyses in the light of Self‐Determination Theory, the study shows that most reading is done in classrooms where teachers manage to fulfill students' need for competence, relatedness, and autonomy while maintaining classroom structure and ensuring lesson time for reading. The findings are discussed considering previous research on instructional practices in relation to students' reading motivation and reading amount, adding to our understanding of what makes students read in everyday classrooms. Limitations of the study, directions for further research, and implications for practice are also discussed.

Syftet med denna studie är att bidra med kunskap om läsförståelseundervisning i svenskämnet i mellanstadiet. Material från en observationsstudie i två klasser i årskurs 6 analyseras för att förstå och beskriva hur lärare undervisar i läsförståelse utifrån skönlitterära böcker som eleverna valt själva, så kallade tystläsningsböcker, respektive ett läromedel i svenskämnet. Genom innehållsanalys synliggörs vad som kan vara undervisning för att förstå ett specifikt textinnehåll respektive förståelsestrategier. Trots olika utgångspunkter vad gäller texter och läsaktiviteter ställer båda lärarna frågor och genererar diskussioner på hög nivå. De utmanar även eleverna att tänka om textens innehåll, form och budskap, men undervisar i låg grad om strategier för att förstå och komma ihåg textinnehåll. Ingen av lärarna påpekar explicit för eleverna att det sätt som de tar sig an läsaktiviteterna hjälper dem att förstå textinnehåll och att liknande strategier kan användas vid all läsning. En slutsats är att lärare behöver bli medvetna om att det inte räcker med att låta elever träna på att synliggöra textinnehåll eller att knyta textinnehåll till sig själva, utan det behövs också direkt undervisning om det. Potential att undervisa explicit om när och hur olika strategier kan användas för att stötta elever att bli självständiga läsare diskuteras. English abstract Teaching Reading Comprehension in Grade 6 Using Fiction and a Textbook in Swedish This article aims to contribute to knowledge about the teaching of reading comprehension in the subject Swedish in middle school. Material from an observational study in two grade six classes is analysed to learn about and describe how teachers teach reading comprehension using fiction books chosen by students (so-called silent reading books) and a Swedish textbook, respectively. A content analysis makes visible teaching that supports students in understanding the content of a text, as well as teaching that provides students with reading strategies. Despite differences in their use of texts and reading activities, the teachers in both classrooms ask questions and initiate high-level discussions. They also challenge students to think about the content, form, and message of texts. However, strategies for understanding and remembering text content are taught to a low degree. None of the teachers explicitly point out to students that the way they approach reading activities can help them understand text content and that similar strategies can be used for all reading. One conclusion is that teachers need to become aware that it is not enough to let students practice making text content visible or to connect text content to themselves; explicit teaching about comprehension strategies is also needed. The article also discusses when and how different strategies can be used to support students to become independent readers.

There is consensus that, for student achievement, teachers matter. However, providing reliable research evidence for the effects of observable teacher characteristics, such as qualification measures, has been difficult. The current study uses panel data based on register information from teachers and students to estimate effects of teacher characteristics on student achievement in mathematics and Swedish in Grade 6. Applying fixed-effects regression to a large sample of schools, we observed significant positive effects of several teacher characteristics. Having a teaching license was found to be one of the most important qualification measures, but teachers’ level of experience was also important for student achievement. The effects of teacher qualifications were generally stronger for mathematics than for Swedish.

Preschool teachers’ read-aloud and writing practices were investigated using a questionnaire about how activities were planned and organized, and what their purpose was. The results indicate that early literacy practices were not planned systematically. Most of the preschool teachers (77%) reported having storybook read-alouds at least three times per week. A large minority (45.5%) reported never or seldom using writing activities, and rarely in play. The main aims of read-alouds were to promote learning and development, create a sense of community, and regulate group activities. The main aims of writing practices were to learn about letters, understand the function of print, and arouse interest in writing. We discuss the implications of these findings in relation to a need for a didactic approach, where play is the core of early literacy practices.

As leisure-time reading among adolescents declines in the western world, stakeholders try to increase students’ motivation for school-related reading. We examine the relationship of students’ autonomous and controlled reading motivation with their amount and experiences of school-related reading in four school subjects, controlling for students’ attitudes toward the school subjects and general attitudes toward reading. Questionnaire data were collected from 3308 students in Grades 6 and 9 at 144 schools in Sweden. Multiple linear regression indicates that students’ attitudes toward the subject are more important predictors of reading amount than their reading motivation. Motivation type was primarily related to students’ affective experiences of the reading, and only weakly related to their amount of school-related reading. Results suggest that the relationship between motivation and school-related reading differ from voluntary leisure-time reading. The study thus complements previous research which primarily has focused on the role of students’ motivation for their amount of leisure-time reading.

In the Swedish educational system, there has been a recent push for digital technology in different school subjects. This paper investigates what regulates Swedish physical education teachers’ perceptions of digital technology in outdoor education. The results is reflected in a number of rules that govern Swedish physical education teachers’ perceptions and use of digital technology in outdoor education. Findings suggest that teachers’ views on the relevance of digital technology in outdoor education depends partly on curriculum formulations, but of significant importance are also other factors such as: the addressed knowledge area, grade level, choice of digital device, needs of students, and teachers’ ideological beliefs. These rules are discussed in relation to the construction of outdoor education as knowledge area within physical education and in relation to the ways in which Swedish physical education teachers relate to curriculum changes.

Reading amount is decisive for individual students' academic success as well as for the general strength of democratic societies. Still, the amount of both leisure‐time and school‐related reading is decreasing. To reverse this trend, more knowledge of what drives students' school reading is needed. Drawing on Self‐Determination Theory (SDT), the study is based on structured interviews with 259 students in Grades 6 and 9 from 14 different schools. Descriptive statistical analyses were made to map students' perceptions of themselves as readers and their school‐related reading practices and to find out what regulates students' motivation for in‐class reading. Although students express a strong will to become good readers, our data indicate that students are mainly driven by controlled motivation for their school‐related reading; autonomous motivation was only expressed by a minority of students in Grade 6. What would make students read more are mainly text and instruction related factors such as more interesting texts and more time allocated to reading. Our results point to a great potential for more in‐class reading across the curriculum, reading sessions that need to be regularly scheduled using carefully selected texts. In line with SDT, our findings highlight the importance of fulfilling students' need for competence, relatedness, and autonomy in order for them to develop more self‐determined behaviour, such as leisure‐time reading – which in turn will boost their reading self‐concept.Highlights: What is already known about this topic Students who practice reading more tend to become more competent readers and therefore develop a more positive relationship with reading and themselves as readers (reading self‐concept). Autonomous motivation strongly predicts reading achievement, whereas controlled motivation negatively predicts reading outcomes. The amount of both leisure‐time and school‐related reading is decreasing in many parts of the western world, highlighting the need for schools to find new ways of engaging students in reading practices. What this paper adds Students want to be good readers and know that they need to read more to become good readers. In contrast to leisure‐time reading, students' school‐related reading practices are driven far more by controlled than autonomous motivation, especially by the time they reach secondary school. Students would read more if they were provided with more interesting texts, the possibility to choose, and if more class time were allocated to reading. Implications for theory, policy or practice Autonomy‐supporting reading sessions need to be regularly and amply scheduled across the curriculum to ensure reading practices that can develop reader competence. Schools need to ensure that students have access to a variety of texts to choose from according to both personal interest and level of difficulty. Educators need to design reading practices that fulfil students' need for competence, relatedness, and autonomy in order for them to develop more self‐determined behaviour and a more positive perception of themselves as readers.