Conference Agenda

In many European countries, reading proficiency is declining amongst children and adolescents (Mullis et al., 2023; OECD, 2023). Furthermore, almost 20 percent of young children seem to not like reading at all. There is also a wide gap between schools and students in many countries. Children from less fortunate socioeconomic backgrounds and children with migration background are disadvantaged within the educational system. Heterogenous classrooms, with great variation of students’ levels of reading proficiency and stated interest in literature, a growing number of students that lack sufficient reading skills and interest, and classrooms where most students lack both the sufficient skills and interest in reading, raises the demand on teachers to make an even greater effort than before to engage all students in school reading. This calls for further research on how engaging literature teaching can be organized. The present study interviews 15 teachers with a focus on the questions of which kind of didactic strategies or methods teachers use to engage students in school reading as well as the teachers’ views on and experiences of student engagement in school reading. The study’s aim is to contribute knowledge about engaging literature instruction for students that are unexperienced and/or unwilling readers and who seem reluctant to participate in school reading.

Sweden serves as an interesting case in the study, with the purpose of highlighting trends in school reading, contributing to the fields of literature didactics as well as L1 research and practice all over Europe. Reading among Swedish adolescents seems to have declined in the past ten years, although the decline have flattened at a low level in recent years. Only 14 percent of Swedish 17–18-year-olds read daily, compared to 23 percent in 2012. There also seems to be a decline in students reporting that they enjoy reading, but at the same time the same students seem to think that they do not read enough (Andersson, 2023; Mullis et al., 2023; OECD, 2023). Sweden has also seen a decline in reading, both fiction and non-fiction, in the compulsory work in school. The proportion of students who read one full page or more during their school day has decreased significantly and students who never read fiction at all in grades 7-9 has increased from 44 percent in 2007 to 81 percent in 2017 (Vinterek et al., 2022). Moreover, an alarming trend is the increased difference in test results between Swedish speaking students and second language students and a widening school segregation that mirrors the societal segregation and socioeconomical gaps in Sweden (Mullis et al., 2023).

To address the current challenges, the Swedish government has launched several efforts to support and effect school reading, such as funding and legislation to guarantee students' right to staffed school libraries (Utbildningsdepartementet, 2023), and a committee, which will propose a Swedish Literature canon to be taught in schools (Kulturdepartementet, 2023). The upcoming new syllabus for Swedish in the upper secondary school also has a stronger emphasis on reading fiction and of the esthetic experience of reading (Skolverket, 2023).

This project draws on the theory of situated leaning and communities of practice developed by Lave and Wenger (Lave & Wenger, 1991; Wenger, 1998). School reading is regarded as a community of practice in its own right that does not mimic recreational reding. Furthermore, school reading is situated in educational settings thar are unique to some extent. Every school, group of subject teachers at a school and every class can be regarded as a community of practice. In line with this a qualitative focus group interview study with upper secondary teachers is carried out.

Nazarbayev Intellectual schools in Kazakhstan are a unique educational institution that gives learners an opportunity to study subjects in three languages.

In October 2006, the President of Kazakhstan introduced the project called “Trinity of Languages”, which was seen as the major index of the competitiveness of the country. Kazakh is a state language, Russian is a language for international communication, and English is considered as a language for successful integration into global economics (Bridges, 2014).

In Nazarbayev Intellectual schools, grade 11 and 12 students study several subjects in English. These subjects include Chemistry, Biology, Physics, and Computer Science. The subjects are conducted by local teachers who know English at a good level and by foreign teachers who provide support to local teachers.

The given research has been conducted among grade 11 students who study Computer Science specifically in the English language. Their mother tongue is either Kazakh or Russian. English for them is considered a third language. For instance, despite their main language is Kazakh, students study some subjects in Russian. Thus, Russian is their second language. English is a third language for all school students, and they are obliged to study 4 subjects in it.

Even though the tendency of studying subjects in a third language has existed for several years, there has not been much research in this field. Even De Angelis (2007) mentioned that there are studies that focus on the acquisition of the first and second languages, but the languages acquisition beyond these two are often missing.

In addition, Cenoz (2011) states that acquisition of a third language is comparatively a new field of research.

That is the reason why we have decided to investigate how grade 11 students study Computer Science in the English language, what challenges they face and how teachers try to overcome the identified challenges.

Studying literature on this research topic has been quite challenging for us because we haven’t been able to find articles or other resources that focus on studying the subject in a third language. Most of the literature mainly focuses on teaching or acquiring the third language, but not on learning the subject in it. This made us feel confident about the novelty and significance of our research.

In the school, where research has been conducted, Computer Science is taught only by a local teacher and there is no assisting native speaker teacher.

In the school, there are 2 groups of grade 11 students who are taught Computer Science in English.

All in all, 16 students (94% of all the students that study Computer Science in a third language) took part in the given research. All the participants participated in the research on a voluntarily basis and they were not chosen beforehand.

The participants’ abilities in the subject were different. There were excellent students, good students and those who struggled with understanding the subject in a third language.

The main aim of this qualitative research is to investigate the challenges of studying Computer Science in a third language and the ways students cope with them.

Research questions: 1. What are the barriers to understanding Computer Science in the English language? 2. What actions do grade 11 students take to struggle with difficulties? 3. What actions should teachers take to eliminate the identified obstacles?

The importance of the research: the lack of research on the process of studying Computer Science in a third language even though this tendency has taken place for several years, the opportunity of research results to give ideas to teachers about the difficulties of teaching the subjects in a third language and some possible solutions.