Digital kamratrespons i svenska som andraspråk

: Design för ökat kollaborativt lärande inom mångkulturell vuxenutbildning

Abstract

The Corona pandemic has affected education in many ways, and those studying Swedish as a second language are no exception. Interaction, communication, and collaborative learning are all important factors of successful second language acquisition, all of which have been reduced because of forced remote learning. One method for collaborative learning that can be enhanced using digital tools is peer response. This study has examined how the adult students at a folk high school have been affected by the forced remote learning, focusing on their studies in Swedish as a second language at high-school level. The study also investigates whether a digital peer-response system could benefit the collaborative learning process for the involved students. The study involved students and teachers at Mångkulturella Folkhögskolan in Gothenburg, Sweden, who were asked to participate through an online survey and individual interviews. The empirical result shows a vast diversity among the participants, a somewhat decreased motivation to study due to forced remote learning, and a positive attitude towards peer response as a possibility to learn from each other. Together with previous research in the fields of language acquisition, computer assisted language learning and computer supported collaborative learning, several guidelines have been developed for the development of a digital peer review system that are considered to be favourable for the studied context. These guidelines have been illustrated in a design concept that shows a suggestion as to what the digital peer response system could look like.