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For most multilingual students, knowledge and language development takes place without major difficulties. However, if this development deviates from what is expected, the difficulties need to be investigated, and support measures implemented. Complex causes interact when multilingual students need special educational support. The research fields of multilingual education and of special needs education must be taken into consideration. Unfortunately, because of the gap between these two fields, many multilingual students in need of special educational support fall between the cracks. For these students, heritage language teachers (hereafter HLTs) constitute an important link between Swedish school culture and home culture and they bear responsibility in defining the special educational support measures for these students. Therefore, through the narratives of HLTs, this study aims to gain a deeper understanding of their perception of multilingual students in need of special educational support. The present study is based on qualitative methods for collecting and analysing data. After a purposeful selection, 13 individual in-depth interviews were conducted. Thereafter, the transcriptions of the interviews were analysed thematically. The results indicate that the HLTs characterise multilingual students whose behaviour or language development deviates from the norm regarding the need of special educational support. The HLTs define linguistic deviations, the underlying causes, and the support measures needed similarly. However, behavioural deviation and the underlying causes are perceived differently, depending on the individual HLTs’ personal experiences, backgrounds and levels of education. To meet the multilingual students’ SEN in a more scientifically based approach and a more holistic way, the study discusses the need for structural changes facilitating interdisciplinary collaboration between HTL and SEN teachers, a more uniform educational path for HLTs as well as better information to special needs teachers about the roles and tasks of HLTs. In conclusion, the gap between the research fields of multilingual students’ learning and special needs education should be tightened.

26% of the students in Swedish compulsory school have an immigrant background. To support the simultaneous development of their language proficiency as well as their academic skills and knowledge, several measures may be implemented by schools. This study focuses on one of those measures, namely multilingual study guidance, and illustrates the perspectives of multilingual study guidance tutors regarding their pedagogical collaboration with mainstream teachers for multilingual support. A purposeful sampling with a maximum variation was chosen to obtain the highest possible representativeness. Thereafter, twelve individual, thematical interviews were conducted. To discuss the categories arising from the abductive analysis, in 2003, Bronstein's model on the influences of interdisciplinary collaboration, focusing on the professional role, was used. The study forms part of a wider research project which aims to get a more in-depth view of multilingual support in Swedish compulsory schools. In this paper, however, only results concerning multilingual study guidance tutors and their views on their pedagogical collaboration with mainstream teachers as well as their professional role and work responsibilities are presented. The results show that multilingual study guidance tutors struggle with professional identity issues. The pedagogical collaboration therefore depends heavily on educational and individual aspects. The findings suggest that in order to increase and improve pedagogical collaboration a more uniform educational path is required, which includes general subject education as well as official steering documents, and a final diploma.

The present study analyses mother tongue teachers’ perspectives on pedagogical collaboration for multilingual support with two specific groups of professionals: mainstream teachers and special educational needs teachers (SEN). Furthermore, it discusses what factors influence the described pedagogical collaboration. A purposeful sampling with a maximum variation was chosen to obtain the highest possible representativeness. Thereafter, 13 individual, thematical, open-structured interviews were conducted. To analyse the themes arising from the abductive analysis of the interviews, Bronstein’s (2003) theoretical model for interdisciplinary collaboration was used. The results show that mother tongue teachers mostly collaborate with mainstream teachers and SEN teachers to solve structural and administrative issues and to share competence and knowledge. Further, the analysis of the influencing factors on the pedagogical collaboration shows that although mother tongue teachers have a firm and consistent perception of their professional role, structural characteristics hinder naturally occurring collaboration. Limited informal contact and the lack of mainstream teachers’ and SEN teachers’ experiences of successful pedagogical collaboration for multilingual support affect their willingness to collaborate with mother tongue teachers. Therefore, the findings suggest that valuable multilingual resources would be made better use of when structural and administrative matters are formalized.

Title: ”Welcome to 3a!”– An ethnographic case study on language-focused teaching in a linguistically and culturally heterogenic classroom

The overall aim of this ethnographic case study is to study language-focused teaching in a multicultural Swedish school and a third grade composed of pupils with different linguistic and cultural backgrounds. The study focuses on the support of multilingual pupils offered by teachers and educators, on what didactic choices teachers make and what didactical methods are used during reading and writing lessons and on what language-focused teaching strategies the teachers and educators use.

The results show that the school staff meet parents and pupils with openness, curious humility and advocate the use of dialogue for effective cooperation between school and home. Different vocational categories and educators with different linguistic and cultural backgrounds collaborate. They work solution-focused and language-oriented. The study shows didactical choices and methods used by teachers and educators and their reflections on the choices and methods. Working with words and texts is an important part of the lessons. Instructions, expressions of learning goals and delivery of working strategies are frequent. A variety of different methods is used, where many questions are asked and individual words or student responses are often repeated. The teachers work with clear frameworks and structure. The proximity and a good relationship with the pupils are valued. Professional cooperation is seen as a success factor and is a common feature of school life. The heterogeneity of the pupil group determines the choice of working methods. Building a Swedish vocabulary while developing knowledge is one of the most important objectives of teaching. The use of the Swedish language dominates the teaching

A language-focused teaching strategy the teachers and educators use is the presentation of good examples. Strategies regarding writing, as well as behavioural instructions, were given.  Confirmation and praise were expressed and subject-related questions and clues were given. The class teacher clearly orchestrates the classroom, where subject content and concepts are put in context and parallels are drawn. The class teacher refers to previous lessons and other subjects as well as adjusts her language to the students' linguistic levels. Different forms of visual support are used regularly.

Overall, this dissertation highlights:

(a) Working at a culturally and linguistically heterogeneous school means a daily balancing act between socialisation and inclusion. Future democratic citizens must be trained, the Swedish school and the subject of language have to be developed, while taking into account the linguistic habits and cultural expectations of the home. Swedish school culture is to be conveyed without emptying the families of previous experiences.

(b) Pupils in need of a higher linguistic or knowledge-based challenge need to stand back for the collective structural and linguistic needs for support. Pupils with the greatest need for linguistic compensatory bridges between home and school receive support through multilingual staff directly at school if they belong to one of the language groups represented at the school.

(c) In spite of experienced, committed and cooperative staff, L1 education remains a difficult task to complete. L1 education seems to meet many practical organisational and status-related challenges. By employing multilingual staff, alternative solutions were found. L1 education is experienced by several pupils student as being something voluntary and unnecessary.