Annika Andersson, Associate Professor, Linnaeus University

The ULF-project Moroten (‘the carrot’) aimed to increase the motivation for language learning with a focus on Swedish for preschoolers with immigrant backgrounds at three preschools. All personnel attended lectures and seminars on language acquisition, second language acquisition, and motivation. Researchers and personnel developed a “language motivation intervention” that included changes in the approach to children’s language use and meetings with caregivers where their roles for increasing children’s language proficiencies and motivation for language acquisition were discussed. 

Results from the project include a) observations and anecdotes, b) teachers’ perception of children and caregivers’ motivation for language learning at the onset of the project, after a year, and after the second and final year of the project, and c) language proficiency measures at school start. The presentation will include a discussion of how the project's design and results can be of importance outside of a preschool setting.