Work-integrated-learning (WIL) can be seen as an umbrella term for educational programs that integrate academic and workplace knowledge. In Sweden, migrants study Swedish for immigrants (SFI) to learn the language, which may (but must not) be integrated or combined with vocational training. The context for this study is SFI combined with vocational training. 

In a first interview study, six SFI programs integrated with vocational training was investigated, using the boundary crossing concepts, as outlined by Akkerman and Bakker as a theoretical framework. The results show that there are three boundaries, and the boundary crossing phenomena taking place in are: boundary crosser, boundary object, boundary interaction and boundary practice. An example of a boundary object, for example, is a photo, taken during the vocational lesson and used in the writing of a text in the Swedish subject. 

In a second study, this is to be investigate further by doing an ethnographic study, focusing on how the boundary crossing in one specific SFI program integrated with vocational training (for example, the health care program) manifests itself. The purpose of the second study is to find out how the boundary crossing of an SFI program integrated with vocational training is manifested.

My research questions for the second study are: 

1.                 What types of boundary crossing are apparent in the integration of the sfi-lessons, the vocational lessons, and the practice, in the studied program?2.                 How does boundary crossing take place? 3.                 In what ways might boundary crossing facilitate students’ learning in the investigated program?

The data-collection of the study is supposed to start in January, and to answer the research questions, the observations will be captured by video recordings and field notes as well as semi-structured interviews.