"Jag tänkte, wow vi är nästan hela världen här"
Åtta nyanlända elevers upplevelser av Språkintroduktionsprogrammet
Newcomer studentsLanguage Introduction ProgramInterculturalIntegrationLanguage learningNyanlända eleverSpråkintroduktionsprogrammetInterkulturalitetIntegrationSpråkinlärning
The aim of the study is to elucidate and analyze newcomer students´ experiences of the Language Introduction Program, in more detail, how the students describe their time at the program and how experiences could differ between girls and boys. Finally, the study examines how the program, according to the students, can be significant for their future. The analysis of the students´ dictums is based on the perspective of intercultural education. To answer the study´s aim and research questions, the investigation consists of eight semi-structured interviews with students who are studying at the Language Introduction Program at an upper secondary school in Uppsala.The results show that the main advantages with studying at the Language Introduction Program are, according to the students, that they learn the Swedish language and that they meet students with several cultural backgrounds. The main disadvantages that were noted were that the Language Introduction Program takes a long time to finish, and furthermore, the contact with the students at the other programs at the school is not enough. To some extent, the students´ experiences differ, however, the differences are not always due to gender. The students feel that the Language Introduction Program has helped them with the Swedish language and prepared them for future studies. In conclusion, the study shows that good knowledge in the Swedish language is considered to be the key to success in school and society, both for social life and for educational purposes.