Analoga och digitala verktyg i svenskämnets skrivundervisning

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate how twelve middle school teachers use educational tools and what influences their choice of educational tools in Swedish language writing instruction. To answer this purpose, three research questions were formulated: What does writing instruction look like for middle school students according to the teachers in the study? What influences teachers' choice and use of educational tools in writing instruction? What opportunities and challenges do teachers experience in Swedish language writing instruction when using different educational tools? Twelve teachers from variously sized municipalities and with different experiences participated in the study through purposive sampling and convenience sampling. The chosen method is qualitative semi-structured teacher interviews. To analyse the results, this study employs analytical tools from the sociocultural perspective, using concepts such as mediation, appropriation, the zone of proximal development, and scaffolding. The results show that both analogue and digital tools are used in the teachers' writing instruction. The choice of tools should be based on pedagogical considerations, with an emphasis on social interaction and collaboration during the learning process. The teachers' own opinions and experiences primarily influence their choice of educational tools. Analogue tools are particularly used to develop fine motor skills, spelling, handwriting, and learning, while digital tools are favoured for facilitating text editing and increasing student motivation. It is revealed that there is a varying degree of digital competence among the informants; some have received further training while others feel they need more support. Increased competence among teachers is crucial for developing students' writing as well as for effectively integrating digital tools into teaching.