Research
My research interests are within the broad field of second language acquisition. In particular, I focus on extramural English (especially gaming), L2 English vocabulary acquisition, oral proficiency and assessment, motivational English language teaching (e.g., by use of ICT), and multilingualism. In my dissertation I focused on the impact of extramural English on Swedish ninth graders' oral proficiency and vocabulary.
Ongoing projects
"Multilingual spaces? Language practices in English classrooms" (The Swedish Research Council, Dnr 2016-03469, SEK 7 416 000)
This project focuses on language practices in multilingual English classroom spaces in Swedish secondary schools. Using a large survey to map self-reported teacher practices, ethnographic methodology and conversation analysis to study language practices in English classrooms, and experimental intervention and quantitative methods to measure L2 vocabulary learning over time, the project aims to contribute to the development of evidence-based language practices in English teaching in multilingual schools. Project website.
"Making sense of holistic assessment: Teachers’ development of their own matrices for assessing oral proficiency in the national test of English"
Together with Erica Sandlund and Liliann Byman-Frisén. [Further description in English to appear soon]
”Equity in assessment”
The project combines research and in-service training for teachers and aims to strengthen equity in assessment with regards to young learners' proficiency in English and Swedish. The project examines what roles co-assessment and rater training may have on developing equity in assessment of various learner language abilities. Together with Erica Sandlund, my part focuses on assessment of oral proficiency in English in grade 6. The project is carried out in 2016 and also involves researchers Eric Borgström, Gustaf Skar, Lena Lötmarker, and Michael Tengberg. Project website
”Vocabulary and extramural English: focus on digital gameplay (grade 9)"
Inspired by the results from my PhD study I lead a large-scale three-year (2011–2014) quantitative study, "Vocabulary and extramural English: focus on digital gameplay (grade 9)", the final two years funded by the Center for Language and Literature in Education (CSL). The main objective is to deepen the knowledge about the relation between vocabulary (receptive and productive) and the use of extramural English, with a focus on digital gameplay (type of games played and frequency of gaming). The project is still on-going.
”Bridging the gap between in and out-of-school English” (The Swedish Research Council, Dnr 2013-785, SEK 7 425 000)
Together with Alastair Henry and Helena Korp, University West, I’m involved in the project “Bridging the gap between in and out-of-school English: Learning from good practice” (2014–2017). The purpose of the project is to identify and analyze examples of good practice in which learners’ out-of-school English experiences are utilized in classroom teaching. Our aim is to lay the foundations for a pedagogical practice in which learners’ out-of-school experiences are used as a resource for goal-focused learning and to disseminate this knowledge to teachers and researchers. Project website
Previous projects
2016: "Co-assessment through conversations”
Together with Erica Sandlund. The project aims, among other things, to identify areas where English teachers' assessment of oral proficiency seems to be particularly diverging. Funded by CSL.
2016: "Code-switching as resource or hindrance in the language classroom - a pilot study"
Together with Erica Sandlund. The study takes is point of departure in English language teaching in secondary school and focuses especially on how students and teachers relate to various language resources inside and outside the classroom. Funded by CSL.
2013-2016: "Testing Talk” (The Swedish Research Council, Dnr 2012-4129, SEK 5 413 000)
Together with Erica Sandlund, Karlstad University, and Lina Nyroos, Uppsala University, I’m involved in the project ”Testing Talk: Interactional organization and assessment practice in paired L2 oral proficiency tests” (2013–2016). We aim to provide a comprehensive description and analysis of how learner interaction in paired oral proficiency tests is introduced, conducted, and assessed. Focus is on the oral part of the national test of English in 9th grade. Within the project, we arrange interactive workshops with language teachers, using authentic test data for raising teacher awareness regarding the participation in and setup, administration and assessment of the national test in English. And we are going to write a book! Project website
2013: "The relation between digital gameplay and use of advanced vocabulary in free writing (grade 9)", together with doctoral candidate Peter Wikström, Karlstad university.
2011–2012: ”Informal learning of English among young learners (preschool class – grade 6)", funded by the Center for Language and Literature in Education.
2010: "Relations between extramural English and (a) achieved learning outcomes in school and (b) motivation among young learners in grades 4–6", together with professor Liss Kerstin Sylvén, University of Gothenburg. Funded by the Center for Language and Literature in Education and the Erik Wellander Foundation.
Teaching
Second language acquisition, Advanced Academic English, Quantitative methods in language research, English teaching methodology courses/subject-specific education ('didactics') for future teachers, supervision.
Supervision (doctoral candidates)
Sebastian Malinowski, Karlstad University (main supervisor)
Signe Hannibal Jensen, University of Southern Denmark (co-supervisor)
Liliann Byman-Frisén, Karlstad University (co-supervisor)
Anki Hamberg, Karlstad University (co-supervisor)
Paul Morris, Mälardalen University (co-supervisor)
Andreas Bengtsson, Stockholm University (co-supervisor)
Master students
Shilan Ahmadian, University of Oslo (co-supervisor)
Vilde Matilde Skram, University of Oslo (main supervisor)
Kyrre Tveiten, University of Oslo (main supervisor)
Ahmed Reda, University of Oslo (co-supervisor)
Bio
I taught English, Swedish, and Spanish at secondary and upper-secondary school before I began my doctoral studies in English linguistics. Since 2010 I am employed as a senior lecturer and researcher at Karlstad University. My teaching mainly involves English teaching methodology/English subject-specific education, linguistics, advanced academic writing, and quantitative methods. My research projects are in the field of second language acquisition and they are always linked in one way or the other to the learning of English as a foreign or second language (see above). I hold an MA in Language Education and a PhD in English, both from Karlstad University. In 2014, I was appointed Associate Professor of English. In the early 1990s, I was a graduate student in applied English linguistics at the University of Houston, Texas.
Selected publications
Sundqvist, P., & Sylvén, L. K. (2016). Extramural English in teaching and learning: From theory and research to practice. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Sandlund, E., & Sundqvist, P. (2016). Equity in L2 English oral assessment: Criterion-based facts or works of fiction? Nordic Journal of English Studies, 15(2), 113–131. PDF
Sylvén, L. K., & Sundqvist, P. (2016). Validation of a test measuring young learners' general L2 English vocabulary knowledge. Novitas-ROYAL, 10(1), 1–23. PDF
Sundqvist, P. (2016). Gaming and young language learners. In F. Farr & L. Murray (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of language learning and technology(pp. 446–458). Oxon and New York, NY: Routledge.
Sandlund, E., Sundqvist, P., & Nyroos, L. (2016). Research-based professional development workshops for EFL teachers: Focus on test interaction and assessment. Nordic Journal of Modern Language Methodology, 4(1), 24–48. PDF
Sylvén, L. K., & Sundqvist, P. (2016). Undervisning på och i engelska. In T. Hansson (Ed.), Pedagogik för högskolelärare (pp. 375–398). Möklinta: Gidlunds. PDF
Sandlund, E. Sundqvist, P,, & Nyroos, L. (2016). Testing L2 talk: A review of empirical studies on second language oral proficiency testing. Language and Linguistics Compass, 10(1), 14–29. doi:10.1111/lnc3.12174/epdf PDF
Sundqvist, P. (2015). About a boy: A gamer and L2 English speaker coming into being by use of self-access. Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal, 6(4), 352–364. PDF
Sylvén, L. K., & Sundqvist, P. (2015). Extramural English in relation to CLIL: Focus on young language learners in Sweden. In D. Marsh, M. L. Pérez Muñoz & J. Ráez Padilla (Eds.), CLIL in action: Voices from the classroom (pp. 47-63). Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Sundqvist, P., & Wikström, P. (2015). Out-of-school digital gameplay and in-school L2 English vocabulary outcomes. System, 51, 65–76. doi:10.1016/j.system.2015.04.001 PDF
Sundqvist, P. (2015). Review of Technology-Mediated TBLT: Researching Technology and Tasks. Language Learning & Technology, 19(2), 36–39. PDF
Olin-Scheller, C., & Sundqvist, P. (2015). Sweden: Fertile ground for digital fandoms. In "European Fans and European Fan Objects: Localization and Translation," edited by Anne Kustritz, special issue, Transformative Works and Culture, (19). doi:10.3983/twc.2015.0621 PDF
Sundqvist, P., & Olin-Scheller, C. (2015). Engelska på fritiden och engelska i skolan – en omöjlig ekvation? Educare, (1), 53–71. PDF
Sundqvist, P. (2014). More research on motivation in early foreign language learning. In J. Enever, E. Lindgren & S. Ivanov (Eds.), Conference proceedings from Early Language Learning: Theory and practice in 2014 (pp. 116–120). Umeå: Umeå Studies in Language and Literature 25. PDF
Sylvén, L. K., & Sundqvist, P. (2014). Needed: A vocabulary test for young learners of English. In J. Enever, E. Lindgren & S. Ivanov (Eds.), Conference proceedings from Early Language Learning: Theory and practice in 2014 (pp. 121–124). Umeå: Umeå Studies in Language and Literature 25. PDF
Sundqvist, P. (2014). Review of The Young Language Learning: Research-based Insights into Teaching and Learning (Hasselgreen, Drew, and Sørheim, 2012). KAPET, 10(1), 15–23. PDF
Henry, A., Sundqvist, P., & Korp, H. (2014). Elevers möten med engelska i och utanför skolan: Upprop till deltagande i forskningsprojektet Bridging the Gap. LMS Lingua, No. 4, 22–26. PDF
Sundqvist, P., Sandlund, E., & Nyroos, L. (2014). National speaking tests in English - does group size matter? LMS Lingua, No. 2, 29–31. PDF
Sundqvist, P., & Sylvén, L.K. (2014). How Swedish children learn English through gaming. The Conversation. Retrieved from The Conversation website: theconversation.com/how-swedish-children-learn-english-through-gaming-31073
Sundqvist, P., & Sylvén, L. K. (2014). Language-related computer use: Focus on young L2 English learners in Sweden. ReCALL.26(1), 3–20, doi: 10.1017/S0958344013000232. PDF Blog post
Sundqvist, P., Sandlund, E., Nyroos, L., & Wikström, P. (2013). Genomförande och bedömning av nationella muntliga prov i engelska: en pilotstudie. KAPET, 9(1), 24–45. PDF
Sundqvist, P. (2013). Categorization of digital games in English language learning studies: Introducing the SSI Model. In L. Bradley & S. Thouësny (Eds.), 20 years of Eurocall: Learning from the Past, Looking to the Future. EUROCALL Conference, Évora, Portugal, 11-14 September 2013, Proceedings(pp. 231–237). Dublin: Research-publishing.net. doi:10.14705/rpnet.2013.000166 PDF
Sandlund, E. & Sundqvist, P. (2013). Provuppgiftshantering som social praktik – En jämförelse mellan interaktionsanalys och bedömardata för muntligt prov i engelska. In C. Rosén, P. Simfors & A.-K. Sundberg (Eds.), Språk i undervisning. Rapport från ASLA:s vårsymposium, Linköping, 11-12 maj, 2012. Papers from the ASLA Symposium in Linköping, 11-12 May, 2012 (pp. 125–138). Linköping/Växjö: ASLA, Svenska föreningen för tillämpad språkvetenskap. PDF
Sundqvist, P., & Olin-Scheller, C. (2013). Classroom vs. extramural English: Teachers dealing with demotivation. Language & Linguistics Compass, 7(6), 329–338. doi:10.1111.lnc3.12031 PDF
Sandlund, E., & Sundqvist, P. (2013). Diverging task orientations in L2 oral proficiency tests – a conversation analytic approach to participant understandings of pre-set discussion tasks. Nordic Journal of Modern Language Methodology, 2(1), 1–21. PDF
Sundqvist, P. (2013). The SSI Model: Categorization of digital games in EFL studies. The European Journal of Applied Linguistics and TEFL, 2(1), 89–104.
Sandlund, E., & Sundqvist, P. (2013). Att tala under test och testa tal – prov i muntlig språkfärdighet är en komplex historia. LMS Lingua, No. 2, 21–25. PDF
Sundqvist, P. (2012). Informal learning of English among young learners: Report from a one-year project in preschool class, grade 3, and grade 6. In M. Allström & A.-M. Pinter (Eds.), English for Young Learners – Forum. Proceedings from the Conference in Uppsala, 19 June 2012 (pp. 122–132). Uppsala: Centre for Professional Development and Internationalisation in Schools. PDF
Sylvén, L. K., & Sundqvist, P. (2012). Similarities between playing World of Warcraft and CLIL. Apples - Journal of Applied Language Studies, 6(2), 113–130.PDF
Sandlund, E., & Sundqvist, P. (2012). "But what can we learn from history" - om konsten att diskutera "rätt" under det muntliga nationella provet i engelska. KAPET, 8(1), 45–66. PDF
Sundqvist, P., & Sylvén, L. K. (2012). Computer-assisted L2 English language-related activities among Swedish 10-year-olds. In L. Bradley & S. Thouësny (Eds.), CALL: Using, learning, knowing. EUROCALL Conference, Gothenburg, Sweden, 22-25 August 2012, Proceedings (pp.280–285). Dublin: Research-publishing.net. doi: 10.14705/rpnet.2012.000067 PDF
Sylvén, L. K., & Sundqvist, P. (2012). Gaming and extramural English L2 learning and L2 proficiency among young learners. ReCALL, 24(3), 302–321. doi: 10.1017/S095834401200016X PDF
Sundqvist, P., & Sylvén, L. K. (2012). World of VocCraft: Computer games and Swedish learners' L2 vocabulary. In H. Reinders (Ed.), Digital games in language learning and teaching (pp. 189–208). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. PDF
Sundqvist, P., & Sylvén, L. K. (2012). Ämnesdidaktiska utmaningar i det heterogena engelskklassrummet: En jämförelse mellan elever med stor respektive liten mängd extramural engelska. In N. Gericke & B. Schüllerqvist (Eds.), Ämnesdidaktisk komparation: Länder, ämnen, teorier, metoder, frågor och resultat (pp. 121–135). Karlstad: Karlstad University Press. PDF
Sandlund, E., & Sundqvist, P. (2012). "It was hard. Let's skip it!" - Funderingar kring bedömning av muntlig färdighet i språk. LMS Lingua, No. 1, 22–26. PDF
Sundqvist, P. (2011). A possible path to progress: Out-of-school English language learners in Sweden. In P. Benson & H. Reinders (Eds.), Beyond the language classroom (pp. 106–118). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. PDF
Sandlund, E., & Sundqvist, P. (2011). Managing task-related trouble in L2 oral proficiency tests: Contrasting interaction data and rater assessment. Novitas-ROYAL, 5(1), 91–120. PDF
Sundqvist, P., & Sylvén, L. K. (2011). Fritidsspråk i femman - framtidens studenter formas. In A. Ylikiiskilä & M. Westman (Eds.), Language for the future. Papers from the ASLA symposium in Falun, 12-13 Novermber, 2010 (pp. 186–198). Uppsala: Swedish Science Press. PDF
Sundqvist, P. (2011). Review: McKay (2011), Assessing young language learners. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. This review appeared originally in the LINGUIST List at linguistlist.org/issues/22/22-3419.html (Aug. 30, 2011).
Sundqvist, P. (2011). Recension av Peder Stenbergs doktorsavhandling Den allvarsamma leken - Om World of Warcraft och läckaget. KAPET, 7(1), 157–167. PDF
Sundqvist, P. (2010). Extramural engelska - En möjlig väg till studieframgång.KAPET, 6(1), 94–109. PDF
Sundqvist, P. (2010). Review: Denham and Lobeck (Eds.) (2010), Linguistics at school: Language awareness in primary and secondary education. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. This review appeared originally in the LINGUIST List at linguistlist.org/issues/21/21-3223.html (Aug. 9, 2010).
Sundqvist, P. (2010). Schlafsjo, jä, jä, jä: Om sambandet fritidsengelska–skolresultat. LMS Lingua, No. 1, 15–17. PDF
Sundqvist, P. (2009). Extramural English matters: Out-of-school English and its impact on Swedish ninth-graders' oral proficiency and vocabulary. Diss., Karlstad University, Karlstad. (Karlstad University Studies 2009:55). PDF DIVAPress release
Sundqvist, P. (2009). Taking a quantitative measure of oral proficiency in EFL. In M. Edwardes (Ed.), Taking the measure of applied linguistics: Proceedings of the BAAL annual conference 2008 (pp. 117–118). London: Scutsiugnil Press. PDF
Sundqvist, P. (2009). The impact of spare time acitivties on students' English language skills. In S. Granath, B. Bihl & E. Wennö (Eds.), Vägar till språk- och litteratur (pp. 63–76). Karlstad: CSL/Karlstad University Press. PDF
Sylvén, L. K., & Sundqvist, P. (2009). Tidig språkundervisning lönar sig. Svenska Dagbladet, Brännpunkt (Dec. 2), www.svd.se/opinion/brannpunkt/artikel_3879633.svd.
Sundqvist, P. (2008). "In school, you're here for talking" – Assessment of oral proficiency in the EFL classroom. In J. Granefelt, G. Håkansson, M. Källkvist & S. Schlyter (Eds.), Language learning, language teaching and technology: Papers from the ASLA symposium in Lund, 8-9 November, 2007 (pp. 251–269). Uppsala: Swedish Science Press. PDF
Sundqvist, P. (2008). Extramural input. 9th graders' exposure to English outside the classroom. In S. Granath, B. Bihl & E. Wennö (Eds.), Fönster mot språk och litteratur (pp. 95–108). Karlstad: CSL/Karlstad University Press. PDF