Robert Walldén

I am a Professor in Swedish as a Second Language at the Department of Swedish, Linnaeus University. I am also an Associate Professor in Swedish with a didactic focus at Malmö University. My research primarily focuses on the school subject Swedish as a second language (including Swedish for immigrants), linguistic dimensions in subject teaching, and literacy teaching in primary school (grades 1–6).

Academic Degrees

• PhD in Swedish and Didactics, 2019, Malmö University
• Master's Degree in Educational Work, 2014, University of Borås
• Teaching Degree, 2009, University of Borås (Swedish, Mathematics, and English in grades F-6)

Furthermore, I am a certified teacher in Swedish as a Second Language with several years of experience in adult education, including at Komvux, folk high schools (Swedish for Immigrants), and universities (Korta vägen). My teacher training is broad in that I have a degree aimed at the early years of primary school and at the same time subject teacher qualifications to teach English and Swedish as a Second Language. This breadth is also evident in my research.

Teaching

At Linnaeus University, I primarily teach Swedish as a Second Language, currently with a particular focus on research methodology and independent projects. This aligns perfectly with my previous pedagogical work, as I have several years of experience teaching and developing courses in Swedish as a Second Language (SSL) for teachers at Malmö University. At the same institution, I have also been responsible for Swedish as a Second Language, which entails pedagogical and administrative leadership for the subject with a focus on teacher education. In addition, I have extensive experience as a supervisor, examiner, and course leader for independent projects, which I am building upon in my current position. In 2025, I was appointed as a Distinguished University Teacher at Malmö University. 

Within doctoral education, I have been active as a supervisor for several projects related to writing instruction in basic adult education, multilingual approaches in subject teaching, supervision practices for students studying English as a Second Language, and graphical models as a supportive resource in early reading and writing instruction. Furthermore, I have taken a significant responsibility for building up an expanded doctoral education subject at Malmö University by taking the lead in developing and leading four different subject-specific courses. The expanded subject has, among other things, meant a greater focus on Swedish as a Second Language, multilingualism, and English.

Research

My research in Swedish as a Second Language largely concerns second language didactics with a focus on language and knowledge-developing teaching in linguistically heterogeneous classrooms. The research has both a broad and in-depth perspective, with independently conducted and published research on, among other things, linguistic dimensions in subject teaching, vocational Swedish in Swedish for Immigrants, as well as literary work and reading and writing instruction in linguistically heterogeneous classrooms. The research spans primary school, middle school, adult education, and higher education.

Below is a selection of externally funded research projects under my leadership:

• Language Development Beyond the Classroom: A Collaborative Study of Adult Migrants in the Workplace (Knowledge Foundation, 2025–2030)
• School background, language learning strategies, and language development in adult second language learners of Swedish (Crafoord, 2024–2026)
• Conditions for reading and writing development? Collaboration between schools and libraries in socially vulnerable areas. (National R&D Network for Operations with Major Challenges, 2024–2025). Led together with Anna Lindholm, Karlstad University.
• Subject-specific text practices in middle school Swedish as a Second Language teaching (Crafoord, 2022-2024)
• Swedish for Immigrants students' language practice and vocational Swedish in a didactic light (practice-close collaboration with a municipality funded by FINSAM, 2022–2023)

Research on vocational Swedish and language practice

My current research interest has largely been about vocational Swedish and language practice (work placements) within Swedish for Immigrants education. The research has shown that language practice and teaching vocational Swedish can be valuable elements in Swedish for Immigrants education, but it is important to carefully consider the students' individual conditions and needs, as well as to choose internship placements that offer good opportunities for interaction and language use. An in-depth study has also shown that vocabulary-developing tasks linked to language practice can stimulate multifaceted conversations about the form and content of words, as well as their use and combination possibilities in different contexts.

The results contribute to the international research front since studies concerning workplace practice and vocational language have so far focused exclusively on professional programs in higher education where the participants, unlike many Swedish for Immigrants students, have academic education and already master the target language relatively well. In ongoing and planned research, a particular interest is directed towards initiatives aimed at adult students with no or very short prior education. This feels important because the group is marginalized both in society and in international research on multilingualism and second language development.

Reading and writing practices in primary and adult education Swedish subjects

I have also studied reading and writing practices in primary and adult education Swedish subjects. I have, among other things, investigated literacy practices during literary work with adult second language learners in basic adult education and shown how teachers integrate language-focused activities and conversations with a meaningful processing of what has been read. I have also studied read-aloud practices in grades 3 and 4 and highlighted how teachers can use different linguistic strategies to facilitate students' understanding of literary texts. The studies have contributed to the research front both nationally and internationally, as studies that integrate language and knowledge-developing perspectives with literary didactics are very rare. The results have high relevance for teachers' didactic considerations when they teach according to curricula in Swedish as a Second Language.

Classroom studies of language and knowledge-developing approaches

A large part of the research has been about highlighting teachers' approaches to supporting students' reading and writing of subject-specific texts. The dissertation (2019) and follow-up articles have illuminated genre-pedagogical approachess in a school with a high proportion of multilingual students. Through linguistic and educational sociological analysis of classroom conversations, the results point to the goal conflict that can arise when the focus on the structures and linguistic features of texts crowds out the subject content that the teaching was initially aimed at. The research contributes both nationally and internationally by higlighting how genre-based approaches can benefit from paying greater attention to the subject-specific content and communicative purposes of texts

In several international articles, I have used systemic-functional linguistics and Legitimation Code Theory to illuminate conversations about subject-related words and expressions in linguistically heterogeneous classrooms. The studies have, among other things, shown how the use of simplified images generated by a popular tool can hinder students' understanding of subject-specific concepts. The findings also show that the teacher's interactional support is crucial for students to be able to develop and concretize the meaning of these concepts. Related research has pointed to the importance of choosing age- and subject-appropriate texts as a starting point for supportive teaching.

Critical perspectives on the discursive practices of teaching

Part of my social studies teaching has been based on a critical discourse analysis perspective. I have investigated how the discursive practices of teaching can reproduce dominant perspectives in teaching where many students have a migration background. In an article about geography teaching, I showed how a one-sided perspective on Sweden as privileged was contrasted with difficult living conditions in other countries. In another article about social studies teaching, I analyzed how textbooks and classroom conversations reproduced a division between East and West. While there is a growing number of studies that focus on how multilingual students' different languages are utilized in subject teaching, these studies contribute a more content-focused perspective on teaching and how it relates to students' multicultural experiences.

Commissions

I have experience reviewing scientific works, both nationally and internationally. I am a subject-area editor at Acta Didactica Norden, which entails responsibility for manuscripts related to language and literature didactics, as well as multilingualism. Furthermore, I am a member of the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy's Editorial Review Board. In addition, I have reviewed articles for a large number of international and national journals, including Linguistics and Education, Language Teacher Research, Journal of Language, Identity & Education, Language & Education, Social Semiotics, Science Education, Language Awareness, and Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching.

I have also participated in the review board for the Swedish Institute for Educational Research's call for research grants 2022–2024, with a particular focus on areas related to subject language, reading and writing didactics, and multilingualism. Additionally, I have been an expert reviewer for several senior lecturer positions at various universities.

In connection to PhD education, I have had several assignments as a discussant at final seminars for doctoral students, as well as assignments as a faculty opponent and grading committee member. The subject areas for these assignments include Swedish as a Second Language, Multilingualism, Swedish with a Didactic Focus, and Educational Work in the early years of school.

Furthermore, I have had several assignments from the Swedish National Agency for Education, including the development of curricula in Swedish as a Second Language and the review of national tests from a second language perspective. Moreover, my research is based on extensive practice-close collaboration with municipalities in southern Sweden.