A Case Study of the Creation of a Supervising Boundary Practice in a Work-Integrated Language Learning Program

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Bibliographic Details
Title: A Case Study of the Creation of a Supervising Boundary Practice in a Work-Integrated Language Learning Program
Language: English
Authors: Linda Febring (ORCID 0000-0001-6996-7277)
Source: Migration and Language Education. 2024 5(1).
Availability: Castledown Publishers. Ground Level, 470 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, 3004, Australia. Tel: +61-3-7003-8355; e-mail: contact@castledown.com; Web site: https://www.castledown.com/journals/mle/index
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 20
Publication Date: 2024
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Work Based Learning, Migration, Second Language Learning, Swedish, Courses, Job Skills, Sanitation, Apprenticeships, Supervisory Methods, Supervisor Supervisee Relationship, Supervisors, Students, Student Attitudes, Learning Activities, Administrator Attitudes
Geographic Terms: Sweden
ISSN: 2652-5984
Abstract: When migrating to a new country, there is often a need to learn a new language and find a job. In Sweden, and to meet this need, a type of work-integrated language learning program, called combination courses, with the idea that students learn the language and a vocation simultaneously, has been initiated. In this article, such a combination course, centering around the Swedish language and cleaning skills, and providing apprenticeship workplace placements for the students, is studied. Using boundary crossing as a lens to analyze ethnographic observational data, consisting of 65 hours of observations, this case study analyses the boundary practices created by one workplace supervisor. The results show that the supervisor establishes a boundary crossing practice that comprises around two hours of theoretical studies for the student each day he spends on the practice, and, over time, how this boundary practice becomes increasingly like schoolwork. This boundary practice provides the student with abundant language learning affordances. It emphasizes both oral and written communication, giving the student the opportunity to develop both during the placement. The experiences gained from this work-integrated language learning program provide valuable insights into the supervising practice involved when students are expected to learn both language and vocational skills simultaneously.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: EJ1462675
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:When migrating to a new country, there is often a need to learn a new language and find a job. In Sweden, and to meet this need, a type of work-integrated language learning program, called combination courses, with the idea that students learn the language and a vocation simultaneously, has been initiated. In this article, such a combination course, centering around the Swedish language and cleaning skills, and providing apprenticeship workplace placements for the students, is studied. Using boundary crossing as a lens to analyze ethnographic observational data, consisting of 65 hours of observations, this case study analyses the boundary practices created by one workplace supervisor. The results show that the supervisor establishes a boundary crossing practice that comprises around two hours of theoretical studies for the student each day he spends on the practice, and, over time, how this boundary practice becomes increasingly like schoolwork. This boundary practice provides the student with abundant language learning affordances. It emphasizes both oral and written communication, giving the student the opportunity to develop both during the placement. The experiences gained from this work-integrated language learning program provide valuable insights into the supervising practice involved when students are expected to learn both language and vocational skills simultaneously.
ISSN:2652-5984