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Papers by Tobias Norgren-Bergström

Second Language Acquisition (SLA) is the study of how language learners develop a second language... more Second Language Acquisition (SLA) is the study of how language learners develop a second language system when a first language system has already been established (Gass et al., 2020). Put differently, SLA studies how humans acquire a second language (L2) when they have already acquired a first language (L1). How an L1 and L2 are acquired remains, however, highly debated, and several theories, such as the theory of Universal Grammar, the Skill Acquisition Theory, and the Processability Theory, have been put forward (see Mitchell et al., 2013). This then begs the question how ESL teachers should instruct their students when there is no agreement within SLA research on how languages are acquired. The theory of Universal Grammar argues, for instance, that the ability to acquire and use language is innate, meaning that humans are born with a language faculty that consists of grammatical structures that allow humans to develop and use language (Chomsky, 1986). The theory was initially proposed by Noam Chomsky who stated that children must possess some form of genetic predisposition for language since they are, with limited input, able to generate an infinite number of new meanings with a set of finite means that are appropriate to circumstance but not governed by it, which is called the Poverty of Stimulus Hypothesis (Chomsky, 1959). This could, for example, be interpreted as if input of the target language alone is sufficient for language acquisition. It is unclear, however, to what extent language learners can access their Universal Grammar when acquiring an L2 (Gass et al., 2020) and if such a faculty even exists. Postulating that the Poverty of Stimulus Hypothesis is true, then L2 learners would by default be able to generate new meanings with limited means. In my experience as an ESL teacher currently working in the field, this tends, however, seldom to be the case, and therefore, one of the central claims of this paper is that L2 learners do not have access to their Universal Grammar (UG) when acquiring an L2, meaning that ESL teaching cannot mainly rely on the notion that input will result in automatic language acquisition. ESL teachers must therefore make use of approaches and methods that draw explicit attention to students' interlanguage. One such approach could be error analysis in the form of corrective feedback, 2 and this paper will focus on how ESL teachers in Swedish upper-secondary school might benefit from error analysis as a way to make students aware of their interlanguage by developing their meta-linguistic awareness. Following the introduction, the paper is organised into three sections. In the first section, the theoretical underpinnings and concepts will be presented, explained, and discussed. The syllabus for English 5 in the curriculum for Swedish upper-secondary school will also be framed with an error analysis perspective as well as a focus on form perspective. In the second section, one learner text will be framed and discussed with the theoretical framework with the aim to show the importance of meta-linguistic awareness in SLA and ESL teaching. In the third and final section, the paper will end with some concluding remarks and suggestions for further research.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a FonFs approach combined with Kahoot! on ... more The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a FonFs approach combined with Kahoot! on students' knowledge of students' usage of English homophones.

In this study, I propose a cross-curricular teaching project between the English subject and soci... more In this study, I propose a cross-curricular teaching project between the English subject and social science with the aim to promote students' democratic literacy with the use of Brave New World.

In this short paper, I propose a new way of approaching storytelling in the 21st century where I ... more In this short paper, I propose a new way of approaching storytelling in the 21st century where I present a new concept: video-game multiliteracy (VGML).

This paper analyses the human encounters with the alien other in Vandermeer's Annihilation and Bu... more This paper analyses the human encounters with the alien other in Vandermeer's Annihilation and Burke's Semiosis with the help of post-colonial literary theory where it is argued that the human protagonists position themselves as superior in relation to the alien other which has to adapt itself to the human culture which is perceived as more cultivated and thus superior. The analysis focuses in general on human-alien encounters and the interstellar communication problem in particular. It is also hinted at the fact that this kind of human-alien encounter will prevent successful intercultural communication and cooperation.

In this paper, I analyse how human nature is explored in Atwood's Oryx and Crake and Wells' All S... more In this paper, I analyse how human nature is explored in Atwood's Oryx and Crake and Wells' All System Red.

In this paper, I explore the human encounters with the alien other in Le Guin's The Left Hand of ... more In this paper, I explore the human encounters with the alien other in Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness and Lem's Solaris with the help of an intercultural perspective. It is argued that humans tend to express negative attitudes towards the alien other which will prevent successful intercultural communication between humans and aliens if such encounters were to take place. It is therefore concluded that humans need to develop more positive attitudes towards the alien other.

In this paper, I explore how humans and androids perceive each other in Shelley's Frankenstein an... more In this paper, I explore how humans and androids perceive each other in Shelley's Frankenstein and Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? where it is argued that humans tend not seldom to perceive and position themselves as superior in relation to androids.

Detta PM söker reda ut vad som egentligen åsyftas med science fiction ur ett genreperspektiv.

The paper claims that Conrad's Heart of Darkness and Achebe's Things Falls Apart are appropriate ... more The paper claims that Conrad's Heart of Darkness and Achebe's Things Falls Apart are appropriate to use in the ELT classroom to promote students' cultural competence and proposes a teaching project showing how ELT teachers can make use of the novels to promote students' cultural competence.

In this paper, I argue that Tolkien's The Hobbit remains children's literature in the 21st centur... more In this paper, I argue that Tolkien's The Hobbit remains children's literature in the 21st century even though it is being read and appreciated by children and adults alike.

The aim of this paper was to investigate what implications video game enhanced learning has on la... more The aim of this paper was to investigate what implications video game enhanced learning has on language learning in terms of EFL student's willingness to communicate (WTC) and communicative competence (CC). The material used in this brief study was The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and it was showed that video game based learning in general, and this game in particular, has positive effects on language learning in terms of vocabulary acquisition which can promote students' WTC and CC.

This paper investigates how the video-game Red Dead Redemption II could be employed in ELT to pro... more This paper investigates how the video-game Red Dead Redemption II could be employed in ELT to promote intercultural competence. The results show that this particular game can be used in classroom discussions where students discuss 1) the protagonist's development of intercultural sensitivity according to Bennet's (2004) model of intercultural competence and 2) the process of othering as a consequence of in-and out-group formations due to different cultural norms, values, and attitudes.

In this show paper, I discuss advantages and disadvantages with formative and summative assessment.

This paper explores and analyses power structures in Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" from an in... more This paper explores and analyses power structures in Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" from an intersectional perspective, and the analysis focuses on Daenerys Targaryen and Cersei Lannister.

This paper explores and discusses how Martin's "A Song of Ice and fire" and HBO's adaptation "Gam... more This paper explores and discusses how Martin's "A Song of Ice and fire" and HBO's adaptation "Game of Thrones" can be interpreted as racial from a post-colonial perspective.

Detta paper redogör för språkvetenskapliga paradigm och metoder.

Denna text redogör för vad som menas med läs- och skrivsvårigheter och diskuterar hur man kan til... more Denna text redogör för vad som menas med läs- och skrivsvårigheter och diskuterar hur man kan tillgängliggöra undervisningen för elever som inte sällan befinner sig i läs- och skrivsvårigheter.

Denna text presenterar ett förslag till läsutveckling i svensk gymnasieskola baserad på en nation... more Denna text presenterar ett förslag till läsutveckling i svensk gymnasieskola baserad på en nationell utvärdering.

Detta paper undersöker likheter mellan Karin Boyes (1941) "Kallocain" och George Orwells (1949) "... more Detta paper undersöker likheter mellan Karin Boyes (1941) "Kallocain" och George Orwells (1949) "1984" för att sålunda söka skönja komponenter i den dystopiska romanens genrerepertoar.

Detta PM söker reda ut vad som egentligen åsyftas med science fiction ur ett genreperspektiv.

In this show paper, I discuss advantages and disadvantages with formative and summative assessment.

Detta paper redogör för språkvetenskapliga paradigm och metoder.

The aim of this master thesis was to investigate how ESL teachers at Swedish upper secondary scho... more The aim of this master thesis was to investigate how ESL teachers at Swedish upper secondary school perceive translanguaging and whether they engage in translingual practices, and if so, for what purposes. Four qualitative interviews were conducted, and the findings show that the interviewed Swedish ESL teachers translanguage by implementing both Swedish (L1) and English (L2). English is, however, the point of departure and target language, where Swedish is only implemented if it supports English teaching and learning. The findings also suggest that these ESL teachers make a distinction between subject matter and classroom procedures where English is used in the former and Swedish or English is employed in the latter. When it comes to how these ESL teachers perceive translanguaging, they demonstrate positive attitudes when Swedish is used in learning situations to promote English learning, but they are less positive when Swedish is used instead of English in examinations. This indicates that ESL students learn when it is appropriate to use different resources in their linguistic repertoire. The initial hypothesis that monoglossic ideologies cause ESL teachers to implement an ‘English-Only-Policy’ seems to be falsified. These ESL teachers argue that their students tend not to speak English outside of the ESL classroom, which results in these teachers wanting to present their students with ample opportunities to practise speaking English, hence the ‘English-Only-Approach’. Questions still remain, however, concerning how specific translingual methods could be use to promote English learning and what effects such methods would have.