Språkutvecklande undervisning för flerspråkiga barn i förskolan

: En kvalitativ studie om förskollärares erfarenheter och strategier

Abstract

This study aims to contribute knowledge about language-developing teaching in
preschool for multilingual children. In the study is examined how preschool
teachers describe their work in supporting children's language development, what
strategies are used, and what opportunities and challenges arise in the work. The
study is based on a sociocultural perspective, where language is understood as a
central tool for learning, participation, and meaning-making.
The study was conducted with a qualitative research approach in which semistructured
interviews were carried out with six preschool teachers working in
multilingual preschool environments. The empirical material was analyzed
through thematic analysis.
The results show that preschool teachers use several language-supporting
strategies in teaching, such as picture support, TAKK, concrete materials,
language bags, read-alouds, repetition, and working in smaller groups. The
interaction between the educator and the child emerges as crucial for language
development, where presence, linguistic support, and dialogue create
opportunities for children's participation and meaning-making. Furthermore, the results show that material and visual artifacts function as important tools to
concretize language and support understanding and communication. At the same
time, several challenges in the work are highlighted, including lack of time, large
groups of children, limited resources, language barriers, and a need for increased
professional development regarding multilingualism. The study thus shows that
language-developing teaching is a complex practice where pedagogical strategies,
interaction, and organizational conditions interact.

Date of Award	2026-Jun
Original language	Swedish
Supervisor	Caroline Karlsson (Supervisor), Anette Emilson (Assessor), Elisabeth Porath Sjöö (Examiner) & Hilma Holm (Examiner)