‘English is a Subject that You Should Teach Yourself ’: Power and Learner Identity in the Language Introduction Programme in Sweden

This article explores students’ perspectives on English language learning in relation to the Language Introduction Programme in Sweden, which is an individual transitional programme for newly arrived immigrants and seeks to quickly transition adolescents into further education or the job market. Hig...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:CEPS journal 2024-09, Vol.14 (3), p.67-88
Main Author: Bergström, Jenny
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescents
Classrooms
Continuing education
Education
Educational Finance
English language
english language education
English proficiency
English teachers
Foreign language learning
Immigrants
Inservice training
Knowledge
Labor market
Language ideologies
language ideology
language introduction programme
Language Proficiency
learner identity
Multilingualism
power
Second Languages
Students
Swedish language
Teaching
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Summary:This article explores students’ perspectives on English language learning in relation to the Language Introduction Programme in Sweden, which is an individual transitional programme for newly arrived immigrants and seeks to quickly transition adolescents into further education or the job market. High proficiency in English is vital in Swedish society, and insufficient knowledge of English can lead to negative long-term consequences for both individuals and society regarding inequality. The methodology used is based on linguistic ethnography, and the data for this article consists of eight semi-structured interviews with students in the programme at one school. Foucauldian perspectives are used to analyse power and the construction of language ideologies relating to the multilingual English-language classroom and learner identity. The results show that the importance of proficiency in English for a success- ful educational transition from the Language Introduction Programme is rarely communicated to students. Furthermore, English is positioned as a subject of low importance within the organisation. The results also show that monolingual norms and language hierarchies limit the stu- dents’ ability to use their first language when learning English.
ISSN:1855-9719
2232-2647
DOI:10.26529/cepsj.1821