Vertaistuki suomenoppijoiden lukupiirissä aikuisten maahanmuuttajien kotoutumiskoulutuksessa
Peer support in literary reading circles in integration training for adult immigrants

Summary/Abstract: $is article examines peer interaction and peer support in literary reading circles within Finnish integration training for adult immigrants learning Finnish as a second language. $e reading circles focused on simpli%ed literary texts, and the study is grounded in sociocultural theory, which views language learning as a socially mediated process. Peer support is understood as sca"olding provided by fellow learners, and the study explores what kind of support manifests in reading circle discussions. $e data consists of ethnographic %eldwork, including video and audio recordings and interviews from two reading circles. Participants were at early stages of language learning (A1–B1 levels), and the reading circle discussions were based on comprehension questions about the texts. $e analysis focuses on how peer support is o"ered, requested, or absent, and how it interacts with other forms of support, such as teacher guidance and textual resources. Peer support appeared in various forms: corrective feedback, clari%cation requests, demonstrations, translations, and facilitation of meaning negotiation among others. $ese interactions were o'en spontaneous and situational, with learners taking on expert roles regardless of their language pro%ciency level. For instance, learners with lower pro%ciency sometimes supported more advanced peers by sharing translations. Conversely, higher pro%ciency level learners did not always succeed in facilitating deeper literary discussions if their peers lacked su(cient linguistic resources. $e study highlights that peer support is not uniformly present or e"ective. In some cases, learners did not receive support due to divergent interpretations or lack of clari%cation. $e presence of teacher-led discussions helped compensate for these gaps. $e %ndings suggest that peer support can be both direct and indirect, emerging through shared discussions that mediate previously unnoticed linguistic or interpretive a"ordances. Ultimately, the article argues for a balanced pedagogical approach that combines peer interaction with teacher guidance. It emphasizes the need to explicitly teach learners how to o"er and request support and to recognize the situational nature of expertise in peer learning contexts. $e study contributes to understanding how literary texts and collaborative discussion can foster language development and learner agency in integration education.

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