Language-learning strategies in Sweden: newly arrived students’ perceptions

Abstract The aim of the study is to find out how some newly arrived students learn through investigating how the students themselves understand their learning and the teaching strategies used by the teacher. To reach this aim, we examine the various ways in which the student has learned Swedish, the different strategies that they use to understand a text, and what factors are important in their process of learning. The study is based on sociocultural theory, including key concepts such as zone of proximal development, scaffolding, and appropriation. The data collection was carried out through qualitative interviews that were video recorded. The results highlight the significance of the teacher for the students’ learning, as well as the importance of using several languages when teaching. The students collaborate through discussion and use digital tools to look up words and terms in their own languages. The students engage in several different ways of working, which means that talking, reading, and writing interact. They use digital tools such as apps, computers, and phones as aids, and learn various strategies for approaching texts and understanding them. A conclusion is that when the first and second languages are used together in different language domains, the students’ language skills are intertwined and develop in parallel.