Understanding English Teacher Needs in Sweden

An annual review of English as a foreign language (EFL) proficiency ranks Sweden "very high" (www.ef.se/epi/). However, teaching practices in Sweden have been described as being dominated by the textbook (Skolinspektionen, 2011), which may leave a teacher's planning and classroom techniques underdeveloped. In addition, investigations are needed to determine the extent to which communicative teaching methods are being used (Lundahl, 2014). Further, the impact of English teacher beliefs (e.g., Richards, 1996; Borg, 2011), teacher cognition (e.g., Borg, 2006), and language teacher engagement (Borg, 2010) are important concepts that need be investigated in the Swedish context, along with a teacher's capacity to reflect on their practice (e.g., Richards & Lockhart, 1996).

Drawing on responses to surveys and interview questions from Swedish teachers of English at all levels of schooling, this presentation centers on areas of language education that Swedish EFL teachers feel are in need of investigation, if not change, in their respective contexts. The presentation will offer insider views on how the teaching of English has or should be adapted to accommodate the changing demographics within the student body. Taking an interventionist action research (AR) perspective, teachers were asked to "problematize" (Burns, 2010) aspects of their teaching in order to identify areas they feel should be improved. Such aspects include learner groupings, skills-based teaching, and the teacher's role. These perspectives provide insights into the issues facing EFL educators in a "very high" proficiency context and methods for addressing those obstacles.