”BARNEN SER LITE MED HÄNDERNA OCKSÅ” Förskollärares gestaltande i högläsning för att stärka flerspråkiga barns språkutveckling.

Abstract

Aim: The purpose of this master’s thesis is to explore preschool teachers’ perspectives on how enactment in connection with read-aloud sessions may influence multilingual children’s second language development, and how these perspectives affect the ways in which preschool teachers use enactment during read-aloud activities. Theory: The study is based on two theoretical perspectives: multimodality and embodied cognition. Both theories suggest that meaning-making and understanding require more than spoken and written language alone. The study discusses how different modalities can interact to create meaning and how we understand and interpret the world through all our senses. Method: Five preschool teachers participated in the study, all of whom work with groups of children with a high proportion of multilingual children. The empirical material was collected through unstructured observations and semi-structured interviews and was analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: The preschool teachers in the study demonstrated a broad understanding of enactment, in which body language, voice, materials, and space are used as expressive resources. They use enactment in connection with read-aloud sessions to enhance children’s vocabulary, language comprehension, and ability to retell stories. Enactment is also used to increase children’s engagement, interest, and ability to remain attentive throughout the entire read-aloud session.