The English language can be seen as a lingua franca of contemporary times. Its spread and use in the globalized world has affected most levels of society and it can be argued that, in current times, English is synonymous with communication. This need for communication has shaped the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) syllabus, which is evident in the Swedish national steering documents for the educational system. For the upper secondary school these documents show an emphasis on communication, on cultural understanding, and also on the use of literature within the EFL classroom. The need to possess communicative abilities and cultural understanding, in connection with the use of literature, has sparked an interest to investigate if and how literature itself can be used as a tool to develop and improve EFL students’ communicative skills and cultural understanding. This literature review thesis analyzes five international research articles from different geographical parts of the Globe. The findings are categorized, compared, synthesized, and finally discussed in order to answer the research questions asked, and also compared with the English subject syllabus for the Swedish upper secondary school. The findings indicate that the analyzed articles share a consensus, to a varied degree, regarding the positive aspects of literature use in the EFL setting. The arguments are that communicative skills and cultural understanding are intertwined - enabling each other to exist, develop, and improve. One cannot exist fully without the other, and literature is a good tool to use to develop and improve these abilities. Literature can help develop all skills needed to acquire and produce both written and spoken English, and it also enables cultural understanding and a broadening of the mind. Where the articles differ somewhat is in the ideas of why literature is a good tool, how to implement literature in the classrooms, and what some of the negative aspects might be. The thesis also brings the lack of Swedish studies within EFL to the readers’ attention, as well as the need to do more research focusing on the students’ perspectives towards literature use in the EFL setting.

Computer-assisted language learning (CALL) allows designers to control for rate of speech and the amount and kinds of control learners have over playback in listening comprehension exercises for second language (L2) learners. Research shows that slower rates of speech can improve listening comprehension (Chaudron, 1988; Zhao, 1997), as can pausing (Zhao, 1997). Jensen and Vinther's (2003) work suggests that, in listening comprehension training, slower speeds can help improve L2 learners' comprehension of grammatical structures.This study examined the influence of different rates of speech and learner controls in a CALL environment. The study used a pretest--training--posttest design. All subjects were pre-tested on listening comprehension on both slow (135 words per minute) and fast (180 words per minute) dialogues. They also performed a maze task as a pretest. Then the participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions for ten training sessions: A) trained on only fast dialogues, B) trained on only slow dialogues, C) given a choice of speed for the second playback during the lessons, and D) given an option to pause playback when listening the second time. Posttests followed training. Data were also collected through surveys and interviews, allowing the issues of CALL design and communication and learning strategy use to be investigated as well.The data support the previous research but also suggest that design features can affect L2 learners either positively or negatively. This study, which was done with Chilean, college-level students of English as a foreign language (EFL), has implications for CALL design and classroom teaching, as well as language testing. These are discussed, as are suggestions for future research.

This paper focuses on two main areas. Firstly, it aims to investigate to what extent upper secondary EFL students’ response to poetry corresponds with one knowledge requirement set by Skolverket (National Agency for Education) for English 6. Secondly, it aims to give a brief account of student views on specific works of poetry, rather than poetry as a genre. To collect material for this study an investigation of the reception of three poems was conducted in two upper secondary classes, one in a vocational programme and one in an academic programme. The three poems chosen for the purpose were "Time passes by" by Anatol Knotek, "To the Virgins to make much of Time" by Robert Herrick and "Cat's in the Cradle" by Harry Chapin. The study shows that goal fulfilment does take place through the reading of and response to poetry, to a certain extent. The study also indicates that the students are more inclined to appreciate works of poetry than the notion of poetry as a genre. Finally, the paper suggests that more research be done on the subject, specifically to investigate what could be developed in order for poetry reading to further support learning outcomes. / Uppsatsen inriktar sig på två huvudområden. Dess syfte är dels att undersöka i hur stor utsträckning den respons svenska gymnasieelever ger på dikter svarar mot kunskapskrav uppställda av Skolverket i kursplanen för Engelska 6. Dels syftar den till att kort redogöra för elevers syn på några enskilda dikter, snarare än på dikter som genre. En undersökning har genomförts där elever från två gymnasieklasser, en från ett yrkesinriktat program och en från ett studieinriktat program, fått ge sin respons på tre dikter. De valda dikterna är ”Time passes by” av Anatol Knotek, ”To the Virgins to make much of Time” av Robert Herrick och ”Cat’s in the Cradle” av Harry Chapin. Undersökningen visar att läsning och responsgivning på poesi i viss utsträckning leder till måluppfyllelse. Undersökningen tyder också på att eleverna tenderar att uppskatta enskilda dikter mer än dikter som genre, såsom de föreställer sig denna. Slutligen föreslås ytterligare forskning på ämnet med målet att undersöka hur arbete med dikter kan utvecklas för att leda till ytterligare måluppfyllelse. / engelska som främmande språk, dikter, poesi, måluppfyllelse, läsförståelse

The aims of this study were to investigate tertiary English language teachers’ needs, experiences, and expectations for PD in oral English discussion strategies, to develop a transformative model of professional development using a CoP framework, and to consider how teachers transformed their learning through completing this PD program. To achieve these aims, a case study was designed that used both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods to collect data from multiple sources. Data were collected from: (1) a questionnaire of 30 EFL teachers in the English department of a Chinese university; and (2) interviews with four teachers who volunteered to participate in the CoP; and (3) audio transcriptions of ten professional development meetings, blogs and follow-up electronic interviews six months later. These data were analysed using quantitative and qualitative techniques. The key findings from the analysis of the teacher PD questionnaires and preliminary interview responses showed that although the English teachers in the research site lacked PD experience, they had positive perceptions and expectations for PD activities. However, it was found that PD activities that the respondents had previous attended had been mainly trainer-centred and not relevant to their actual classroom teaching. The teachers reported a need for more opportunities to work with their peers in groups, and for professional development more closely aligned with their needs that considered their other professional commitments and workloads. Based on these findings, a PD program using a Communities of Practice framework was designed to assist teachers to develop new strategies for teaching English oral language skills. Analysis of the transcripts from the PD meetings, post-PD interviews, and electronic interviews revealed that the process of PD implementation was more complex than the initial framework had suggested. First, the outcomes after the implementation of the model varied more than anticipated. The teachers negotiated meanings to enable them to introduce new practices, persisted with their old practice, and adapted, rather than directly adopting, activities. Second, the teachers’ change in practice was smaller than anticipated. Third, the teacher change related to thinking as well as practice. The PD model using a CoP framework was then refined and extended based on these findings. The study also reported an individual case study of one participant’s (Yang’s) learning in the PD program. It was found that Yang went through a significant evolution in her learning. She came to the program as an “outsider” and a listener who was willing to learn new practice from the other teachers. She experienced various cycles during which she implemented what she learned in the meetings and achieved transformation, which included both adaptation and adoption of new strategies in her teaching. The findings revealed that the process of teacher transformative learning in a CoP was complex, cyclical and requires further facilitation and extended participation in face-to-face group activities. Implications were drawn from these findings about directions for future research including: further research in the Chinese context for deeper understanding of teacher transformative learning in PD, and further research on implementing the model in other contexts to explore teachers transformative PD and to investigate the possibility of extending this model to a larger context. This study is an example of how a professional development model using a Community of Practice framework could be implemented for EFL teacher transformative learning in one Chinese university. The study proposed a model, then refined and extended this model which might be applied to other research contexts.

The aims of this study were to investigate tertiary English language teachers’ needs, experiences, and expectations for PD in oral English discussion strategies, to develop a transformative model of professional development using a CoP framework, and to consider how teachers transformed their learning through completing this PD program. To achieve these aims, a case study was designed that used both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods to collect data from multiple sources. Data were collected from: (1) a questionnaire of 30 EFL teachers in the English department of a Chinese university; and (2) interviews with four teachers who volunteered to participate in the CoP; and (3) audio transcriptions of ten professional development meetings, blogs and follow-up electronic interviews six months later. These data were analysed using quantitative and qualitative techniques. The key findings from the analysis of the teacher PD questionnaires and preliminary interview responses showed that although the English teachers in the research site lacked PD experience, they had positive perceptions and expectations for PD activities. However, it was found that PD activities that the respondents had previous attended had been mainly trainer-centred and not relevant to their actual classroom teaching. The teachers reported a need for more opportunities to work with their peers in groups, and for professional development more closely aligned with their needs that considered their other professional commitments and workloads. Based on these findings, a PD program using a Communities of Practice framework was designed to assist teachers to develop new strategies for teaching English oral language skills. Analysis of the transcripts from the PD meetings, post-PD interviews, and electronic interviews revealed that the process of PD implementation was more complex than the initial framework had suggested. First, the outcomes after the implementation of the model varied more than anticipated. The teachers negotiated meanings to enable them to introduce new practices, persisted with their old practice, and adapted, rather than directly adopting, activities. Second, the teachers’ change in practice was smaller than anticipated. Third, the teacher change related to thinking as well as practice. The PD model using a CoP framework was then refined and extended based on these findings. The study also reported an individual case study of one participant’s (Yang’s) learning in the PD program. It was found that Yang went through a significant evolution in her learning. She came to the program as an “outsider” and a listener who was willing to learn new practice from the other teachers. She experienced various cycles during which she implemented what she learned in the meetings and achieved transformation, which included both adaptation and adoption of new strategies in her teaching. The findings revealed that the process of teacher transformative learning in a CoP was complex, cyclical and requires further facilitation and extended participation in face-to-face group activities. Implications were drawn from these findings about directions for future research including: further research in the Chinese context for deeper understanding of teacher transformative learning in PD, and further research on implementing the model in other contexts to explore teachers transformative PD and to investigate the possibility of extending this model to a larger context. This study is an example of how a professional development model using a Community of Practice framework could be implemented for EFL teacher transformative learning in one Chinese university. The study proposed a model, then refined and extended this model which might be applied to other research contexts.

The aims of this study were to investigate tertiary English language teachers’ needs, experiences, and expectations for PD in oral English discussion strategies, to develop a transformative model of professional development using a CoP framework, and to consider how teachers transformed their learning through completing this PD program. To achieve these aims, a case study was designed that used both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods to collect data from multiple sources. Data were collected from: (1) a questionnaire of 30 EFL teachers in the English department of a Chinese university; and (2) interviews with four teachers who volunteered to participate in the CoP; and (3) audio transcriptions of ten professional development meetings, blogs and follow-up electronic interviews six months later. These data were analysed using quantitative and qualitative techniques. The key findings from the analysis of the teacher PD questionnaires and preliminary interview responses showed that although the English teachers in the research site lacked PD experience, they had positive perceptions and expectations for PD activities. However, it was found that PD activities that the respondents had previous attended had been mainly trainer-centred and not relevant to their actual classroom teaching. The teachers reported a need for more opportunities to work with their peers in groups, and for professional development more closely aligned with their needs that considered their other professional commitments and workloads. Based on these findings, a PD program using a Communities of Practice framework was designed to assist teachers to develop new strategies for teaching English oral language skills. Analysis of the transcripts from the PD meetings, post-PD interviews, and electronic interviews revealed that the process of PD implementation was more complex than the initial framework had suggested. First, the outcomes after the implementation of the model varied more than anticipated. The teachers negotiated meanings to enable them to introduce new practices, persisted with their old practice, and adapted, rather than directly adopting, activities. Second, the teachers’ change in practice was smaller than anticipated. Third, the teacher change related to thinking as well as practice. The PD model using a CoP framework was then refined and extended based on these findings. The study also reported an individual case study of one participant’s (Yang’s) learning in the PD program. It was found that Yang went through a significant evolution in her learning. She came to the program as an “outsider” and a listener who was willing to learn new practice from the other teachers. She experienced various cycles during which she implemented what she learned in the meetings and achieved transformation, which included both adaptation and adoption of new strategies in her teaching. The findings revealed that the process of teacher transformative learning in a CoP was complex, cyclical and requires further facilitation and extended participation in face-to-face group activities. Implications were drawn from these findings about directions for future research including: further research in the Chinese context for deeper understanding of teacher transformative learning in PD, and further research on implementing the model in other contexts to explore teachers transformative PD and to investigate the possibility of extending this model to a larger context. This study is an example of how a professional development model using a Community of Practice framework could be implemented for EFL teacher transformative learning in one Chinese university. The study proposed a model, then refined and extended this model which might be applied to other research contexts.

A current topic in Swedish schools is the use of computer games and gaming. One reason is because computers are becoming more and more integrated into the schools, and the technology plays a large role in the everyday lives of the pupils. Since teachers should integrate pupils’ interests in the formal teaching, it is of interest to know what attitudes teachers have towards gaming. Therefore the aim of this empirical study is to gain an insight into the attitudes Swedish primary teachers have towards online and offline computer games in the EFL classroom. An additional aim is to investigate to what extent teachers use games. Five interviews were conducted with teachers in different Swedish schools in a small to medium-sized municipality. After the interviews were transcribed, the results were analyzed and discussed in relation to relevant research and the sociocultural theory. The results show that teachers are positive towards games and gaming, mostly because gaming often contains interaction with others and learning from peers is a main component in sociocultural theory. However, only one out of the five participants had at some point used games. The conclusion is that teachers are unsure about how to use games in their teaching and that training and courses in this area would be valuable. More research is needed within this area, and it would be of value to investigate what suggested courses would contain and also to investigate exactly how games can be used in teaching.

In communicative and task-based classrooms learners spend much of their time in interactions with one another, and it is through the practices of small-group and pair work that many learners experience language education. The present study aims to shed light on what learners do when engaged in these small-group interactions in Japanese university EFL classrooms. In particular, the study aims to shed light on the relationship between identities, interaction practices and potentials for learning. One of the motivations for doing this project is that, while much research has investigated teacher-student interactions, less attention has been paid to peer interactions in the classroom, and our understandings of learners' interactions with one another are arguably less developed than our understandings of their interactions with the teacher. The findings of this study should be of interest to practicing teachers who wish to gain insights into how learners in small groups organize their classroom practices, as well as researchers investigating classroom interaction. Analysing two groups of 15 participants over one university semester, the approach that I adopted was informed by the methodological framework of Multimodal Interaction Analysis, which combines moment-by-moment analysis of interactions with an ethnographic approach to data collection. The interaction analysis also made use of concepts and tools from Conversation Analysis. This allowed me to come to understandings not only about the structure of classrooms interactions, including turn-taking and repair practices, but also about the learners as social beings. The study found that participants often followed predictable turn-taking practices in small-group interactions, which gave the interactions a fairly 'monologic' character. However, it also found that, over the course of the semester, certain participants began to perform off-task personal conversations in English, which more resembled the sort of conversational talk found outside of the classroom. These conversations provided students with opportunities to negotiate meaning in more dialogic interactions in which they performed a wider range of actions, which also included some use of the L1. I argue that this personal talk can play an important role in the language classroom, and suggest that teachers may need to rethink attitudes to off-task talk and also to learners' use of the L1 in the classroom. This was a localized study of just two groups of learners, and further research would thus be needed to confirm how far we can generalize these findings. Furthermore, more research is needed to investigate whether or not the learning opportunities provided in off-task classroom conversations actually do lead to long-term learning.

The key aims of this case study are to understand the notion of teacher leadership and identify factors that impact the professional development of teacher leaders in a foreign language institute. As little empirical research exists on how EFL teacher leaders acquire leadership skills and learn about leadership roles, this study explores factors contributing to the professional learning and growth of EFL teacher leaders in the Saudi EFL context. The study is an interpretive one, using semi-structured interviews as the primary data collection instrument complemented by an open-ended questionnaire. The detailed accounts of 12 EFL teacher leaders indicate that ‘teacher leadership’ is a novel construct at the ELI where teacher leadership roles are positioned in the middle of the organisational hierarchy. EFL teachers in these middle-level leadership roles have titles such as head of professional development unit (PDU), head of academic coordination unit (ACU) and head of curriculum unit (CU). In spite of being a new concept at the ELI, leadership roles and responsibilities to a great extent share similarities with teacher leadership in western school contexts. However, teacher leaders encounter various challenges which are mainly due to the bureaucratic structures at the ELI. The data reveal lack of autonomy, inadequate professional support from the top management, and ineffectiveness of the existing professional development courses at the ELI. This study provides insights into factors which support EFL teacher leader professional development. There are five main elements: a) previous experiential learning, both formal and informal; b) leadership knowledge, skills and abilities which are brought to their current roles and further improved through collaborative practices; c) intrinsic motivation and personal urge to do more learning and leading; d) learning from being in leadership roles; and e) reflective practices at individual and group levels. Despite the concurrent difficulties and uncooperative workplace environment, the EFL teacher leaders managed to acquire role-related leadership skills while learning on the job. This thesis concludes by offering suggestions tailored to the professional development needs of teacher leaders in the EFL context, namely that top leadership should adopt flexible leadership approaches and that trainers should conduct more context-specific professional development courses on a regular basis. These supportive strategies should ensure sustainable professional development and raise the degree of professionalism among EFL teacher leaders at the ELI.

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur två förlagsutgivna läromedel för ämnet engelska i Sverige bidrar till att stimulera elevers muntliga kommunikativa förmåga, samt hur de två läromedlen förhåller sig till varandra utifrån denna aspekt. En enkätundersökning ligger till grund för vår litteraturstudie, där fokus har varit att bilda oss en uppfattning om vilka förlagsutgivna läromedel i ämnet engelska som förekommer för årskurserna 1-3. Dessa läromedel visade sig vara Magic! 3 och Learn English. I vår granskning av dessa två läromedel har vi valt att utgå från de tre aspekterna social interaktion, engelska som ett dominerande språk samt förekomst avsånger och ramsor, eftersom forskning visat att dessa aspekter är viktiga förutsättningar för utvecklandet av unga elevers muntliga kommunikativa förmåga. Resultatet visar att båda läromedlen innehåller parövningar som enda uttalatinteraktiva aktiviteter. Ett annat resultat är att det svenska språket förekommer i instruktioner och översättningar i Magic! 3 men inte i Learn English, och ett tredjeatt båda läromedlen saknar tillhörande rörelser i samband med sånger och ramsor. Inte desto mindre är en av de slutsatser som vi dragit utifrån detta är att även deläromedelsdelar som inte uppenbart är interaktiva aktiviteter ändå kan användas i ett muntligt kommunikationsfrämjande syfte, genom att de sätts i ett interaktivt sammanhang. En annan slutsats vi har dragit är att Magic! 3 inte är uppbyggt i enlighet med forskningen, gällande användandet av svenska översättningar. Vi kan även dra slutsatsen att läromedlen bör vidareutvecklas gällande olika metoder för språklig input, exempelvis tillhörande rörelser till de inkluderade sångerna och ramsorna.