Thesis proposal

Topic:
The topic I have chosen for my masters are second language learners, adaptation, English,
how does school/teachers adapt for pupils with another first language than Norwegian,
differentiated instruction.
After working with this subject, second language teaching both with age 13-16 and then now
with adults, the subject has grown on me, making me question a lot and making it a subject I
want to look more into. Norwegian classrooms get filled with pupils with diverse background
where some gets placed in classrooms where they don’t even know the first language. How
are these pupils taken care of? How do you teach a second language when the pupil does not
even master the first language being used in the classroom.
This masters paper will contribute more to my own learning than anything else. It is an
important topic with how diverse the Norwegian classes are becoming, but I am doing it for
my own learning and growing into the topic I am super interested in.

Research question:
How does Norwegian schools (or teachers) adapt their English subject/teaching/education
for pupils with Norwegian as their second language to fit teaching and differentiated
instruction requirements stated in the Norwegian curriculum?

 Might need to change this to be clearer

I struggle to formulate myself and my research questions no matter how big or small the
subject and paper is. I tend to think too broad, which leads to unanswered parts and a lot of
holes in my papers.
But some sub-questions to have in mind to not steer away from the topic can be
- How is the English curriculum in Norway structured to accommodate students with
Norwegian as their second language?
- How are students with Norwegian as their second language assessed in English
classes?
- How are educational materials and resources adapted to cater to students with
Norwegian as their second language

Theoretical underpinning:
Differentiated instruction are a requirement in Norwegian schools for each and every pupil
there is. There are both the core elements/values of the Norwegian (Utdaningsdirektoratet,
2022) and Tomlinson’s theoretical framework and model of differentiated structure
(Tomlinson, 2010). Both of these gives us an understanding of what is required of teachers to
differentiate each lecture.
Another resource to look at is the CEFR “Common European Framework of Reference for
Languages”. This framework gives us a guide to language instruction and language
proficiency levels (Council of Europe, 2001).

This research examines variations in language learners, covering topics such as language
aptitude, motivation, learner strategies, and styles, with a focus on recent research
developments and concluding with discussions on conceptual and methodological issues in
Individual Differences research) (Skehan, 1991)

 Observation and or interview

Interviewing teachers might be enough, but it is easy to say one is doing something and not
go through with it so maybe observation too to see it happen but not sure yet
I want to investigate a topic related to second language learning. In Norwegian schools,
diverse methods are used for students with a first language other than Norwegian. Some
pupils are placed in “original” classrooms, while others are grouped into separate classes. I
want to explore the dynamics of this approach and examine how schools and teachers tailor
English education to meet the needs of these particular pupils

Sources:
Council of Europe. (2001). COMMON EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK OF REFERENCE FOR

LANGUAGES: LEARNING, TEACHING, ASSESSMENT.

Skehan, P. (1991). Individual Differences in Second Language Learning. Studies in Second

Language Acquisition, 13(2), 275–298. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263100009979

Tomlinson, C. (2010). Leading and Managing a Differentiated Classroom.

Utdaningsdirektoratet, L. siden som. (2022). Tilpasset opplæring. https://www.udir.no/laring-

og-trivsel/tilpasset-opplaring/

Sumeyye Sener