English is a Subject that You Should Teach Yourself - Power and Learner Identity in the Language Introduction Programme in Sweden

Oct 15, 2026

Explores students’ perspectives on English language learning within Sweden’s Language Introduction Programme (LIP), an individual transitional pathway for newly arrived adolescent immigrants moving into further education or the job market. Argues that high proficiency in English is crucial in Swedish society and that insufficient knowledge can intensify long-term inequality. Uses linguistic ethnography and eight semi-structured student interviews, analyzing power and language ideologies via Foucauldian perspectives, showing limited communication of English’s importance and constraints from monolingual norms and language hierarchies.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages22

Reading Time55 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

The Nordic multilingual English classroom

DOI: [https://doi.org/10.26529/cepsj.1821](https://doi.org/10.26529/cepsj.1821) ‘English is a Subject that You Should Teach Yourself’: Power and Learner Identity in the Language Introduction Programme in Sweden Jenny Bergström1 • This article explores students’ perspectives on English language learning in relation to the Language Introduction Programme in Sweden, which is an individual transitional programme for newly arrived immigrants and seeks to quickly transition adolescents into further education orthe job market. High proficiency in English is vital in Swedish society, and insufficient knowledge of English can lead to negative long-term consequences for both individuals and society regarding inequality. The methodology used is based on linguistic ethnography, and the data for this article consists of eight semi-structured interviews with students in the programme at one school. Foucauldian perspectives are used to analyse power and the construction of language ideologies relating to the multilingual English-language classroom and learner identity. The results show that the importance of proficiency in English for a successful educational transition from the Language Introduction Programme is rarely communicated to students. Furthermore, English is positioned as a subject of low importance within the organisation. The results also show that monolingual norms and language hierarchies limit the students’ ability to use their first language when learning English. Keywords: English language education, language ideology, learner identity, Language Introduction Programme, power 1 PhD student at Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden; [jenny.bergstrom@umu.se](jenny.bergstrom@umu.se). 68 ‘english is a subject that you should teach yourself’: power and learner »Angleščina je predmet, ki se ga moraš naučiti sam/-a«: moč in identiteta učenca v programu seznanjanja zjeziki na Švedskem Jenny Bergström • Članek raziskuje poglede učencev na učenje angleškega jezika v povezavi s programom seznanjanja z jeziki na Švedskem, ki je individualni prehodni program za na novo prispele priseljence; prizadeva si za hiter prehod mladostnikov v nadaljnje izobraževanje ali na trg dela. Visoko znanje angleščine je v švedski družbi ključnega pomena, nezadostnoznanje angleščine pa lahko povzroči negativne dolgoročne posledice za posameznike in družbo, kar se tiče neenakosti. Uporabljena metodologija temelji na jezikovni etnografiji, podatki za ta članek pa so črpani iz osmih polstrukturiranih intervjujev z učenci, ki so vključeni v program na eni šoli. Za analizo moči in konstrukcije jezikovnih ideologij, povezanih z večjezičnim poukom angleščine v razredu in identiteto učenca, souporabljeni foucaultovski vidiki. Izsledki kažejo, da se o pomenu znanja angleščine za uspešen prehod v izobraževanje iz programa seznanjanjaz jeziki učence le redko obvešča. Poleg tega pomanjkanje informacij opravici do izobraževalne podpore omejuje dostop študentov do enakihizobraževalnih možnosti, angleščino pa potisne v položaj predmeta z nižjo stopnjo pomembnosti znotraj organizacije. Izsledki kažejo tudi, daenojezične norme in jezikovne hierarhije omejujejo možnosti študentov za uporabo svojega prvega jezika pri učenju angleščine. Ključne besede: učenje in poučevanje angleščine, jezikovna ideologija, identiteta učenca, program seznanjanja z jeziki, moč Introduction Since the late 1940s, English has become increasingly important in domains such as trade, politics, and economics in Sweden (Gheitasi et al., 2022; Peterson et al., 2023) . Within education in Sweden, English is the only foreign language that is mandatory for all students throughout their education (Swedish National Agency of Education (SNAE), 2022a), and a passing grade in English is mandatory for further education (SNAE, 2021) . Thus, English isan important component of educational success, and insufficient knowledge of English can lead to negative long-term consequences for both individuals

FAQs

What is the Language Introduction Programme (LIP) in Sweden?

It is an individual transitional programme for newly arrived immigrants, designed to help adolescents quickly move into further education or the job market.

Why is English proficiency described as important in Swedish society?

High proficiency is described as vital for educational and societal outcomes, while insufficient knowledge is linked to negative long-term consequences and inequality.

How did the study analyze power and learner identity?

It used linguistic ethnography with eight semi-structured interviews and applied Foucauldian perspectives to examine power and language ideologies in the multilingual English-language classroom.

Oct 15, 2026

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