The Swedish curriculum is and has been evolving for as long as it has existed. Since 1994 the communicative proficiency has been one of the most central aspects of the English subject in Swedish elementary school. However, an ever-evolving issue is the increasing Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) and Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety (FLCA) among pupils. This causes difficulties in the development of communicative proficiency. This literary review aims to find aspects of the educational situation which can be altered to decrease pupils FLA and FLCA. This paper has a basis of five articles and one thesis which have been reviewed and analyzed. The results show several aspects which can have an impact on pupils FLA and FLCA. One of which being that students are less anxious when they feel that mistakes are a natural part of the learning process. Another aspect that can decrease pupils' FLA or FLCA is when they can experience their proficiency evolving. For this development to occur the amount of time spent learning the subject is central. The conclusion of this paper brings forward several both social and organizational factors that can be altered in favor of the pupils feeling less FLA and FLCA. / Kursplanen i engelska har under de senaste 40 åren fokuserat mer ochmer på den kommunikativa förmågan. Samtidigt har elevers ängslankring att kommunicera på engelska ökat. Att elever upplever en ökadForeign Language Anxiety (FLA) och Foreign Language ClassroomAnxiety (FLCA) skapar ökade utmaningar för att i klassrummet kunnautveckla elevernas kommunikativa förmåga. Under dennalitteraturöversikt undersöks och problematiseras hur elevers FLApåverkas av tidig språkstart, men även hur man kan planeraundervisningen för att minska FLA in klassrummet. För att besvaradessa frågor har artiklar och avhandlingar sökts fram i flertaletdatabaser. Resultatet som framkommer är att elevers FLA och FLCAminskar då de inser att misstag är centrala för språkinlärningensamt att deras förmågor utvecklas med tiden. Det framkommer även attelever har en större språklig utveckling av att börja med engelska tidigt,dock är det inte fastställt att detta har med åldern på eleverna att göradå det även kan bero på fler undervisningstimmar. Sammanfattningsvisbeskrivs både sociala och organisatoriska aspekter avundervisningssituationen som är centrala att överväga för att påverkaelevers FLA och FLCA.

In classrooms all over the world, there are students who fear the attention of both teachers and peers alike. Anxiety is a cause for such fears and in foreign language classrooms it can be prevalent. Foreign language anxiety (FLA) is a concept developed by Horwitz et al (1986) to describe the unique anxiety that arises in a foreign language learning situation. Anxious students are less prone to use their target language and feel less motivated in their language studies, both of which have a negative effect on their learning. The aim of this study was to measure and compare anxiety levels among Swedish lower and upper secondary school students, identify major sources of anxiety and gain understanding of individuals’ perception of foreign language anxiety. 49 subjects from two classes participated in the study. Their anxiety was measured with the foreign language classroom anxiety scale (FLCAS) developed by Horwitz et al (1986). Interviews were used to gain insight into the subjects’ perception of foreign language anxiety. The results showed that a majority of the subjects were anxious and that students in the lower secondary school class were more anxious than the upper secondary school class. The identified major sources of anxiety were teacher-induced anxiety, fear of negative evaluation and general anxiety. / I klassrum över hela världen finns det elever som är rädda för både lärarens och sina klasskamraters uppmärksamhet. Nervositet är en orsak till en sådan rädsla och kan vara vanligt i främmandespråkklassrum. Språkängslan inför främmande språk är ett begrepp utvecklat av Horwitz m. fl. (1986) för att beskriva den unika nervositet som uppstår vid lärande av främmande språk. Nervösa elever är mindre benägna att använda språket de lär sig och känner sig mindre motiverade att lära sig och båda sakerna har en negativ effekt på deras inlärning. Syftet med studien var att mäta och jämföra nervositetsnivåer bland svenska högstadie- och gymnasieelever, identifiera de största källorna till nervositet och få förståelse för elevers uppfattning av nervositet. 49 elever från två klasser deltog i studien. Deras nervositet mättes med skalan för språknervositet i samband med undervisning i främmande språk, utvecklad av Horwitz m fl (1986). Intervjuer användes för att få insikt i deltagarnas uppfattning om språknervositet inför främmande språk. Resultatet visade att en majoritet av deltagarna led av språknervositet och att högstadieeleverna i högre grad var nervösa än gymnasieeleverna. De största källorna till nervositet som identifierades var lärarorsakad nervositet, rädsla för negativt omdöme och generell nervositet.

As the English language holds the status of a Lingua Franca, being able to master it has become necessary in our globalised society. In Sweden, the English subject has been assigned a place along with Swedish and Mathematics as a core subject. However, of these three subjects, only English does not have specified knowledge requirements at the end of third grade. This has led to the start of English instruction varying around the nation. This thesis investigates the factors involved in the decision-making processes regarding the start of English instruction and what attitudes lower primary school teachers have regarding the age at which the English instruction should start. An empirical study was carried out by interviewing a few stakeholders in the context of schools and sending out questionnaires to lower primary school teachers. The results indicate that a large majority of the participants were in favour for early English instruction, as according to many of them, an early start results almost exclusively in advantages for the young children. However, the results also imply that the English subject, in some cases, might be less prioritised, due to the lack of specified knowledge requirements. Based on these results, further research on how different schools interpret these non-specified knowledge requirements is suggested. / <p>Engelska</p>

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T19:45:54Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Thais Marchezoni da Silva.pdf: 3119851 bytes, checksum: 07b6547aaff57d6da20ea0ee7cc9e7c1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-06-19 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This work aims at questioning the graduation of professionals in Curso de Letras, São Paulo - Brazil, who teach English as a foreign language (EFL) to children from 6 to 10 years old. To begin with, we considered legal texts and studies from well-known researchers which sustain our judgment about the existence of peculiarities towards the processes of teaching that age group, therefore the importance of that course provides didactic-pedagogical disciplines about child development. In order to understand and analyze the experience of teachers of English, who teach children, we applied a questionnaire which included questions about: their graduation, teaching materials, the classes, the child as a learner, among others. Based on information we obtained, we present considerations which will hopefully make agencies in charge of the country's education and teachers of English aware of some implications at teaching that language to children due to shortcomings in these professionals' graduation. / O presente trabalho visa à análise da formação do profissional de Letras atuante como professor(a) de inglês para crianças entre 6 e 10 anos de idade. Num primeiro momento da pesquisa, examinamos textos legais, estudos de teóricos e pesquisadores que sustentaram nosso julgamento de que há peculiaridades em relação ao processo de ensino-aprendizagem da faixa etária em questão, por isso a importância de o Curso de Letras oferecer disciplinas didático-pedagógicas específicas sobre o desenvolvimento infantil. A fim de conhecer e analisar a experiência docente de professores de inglês, que lecionam para crianças, aplicamos um questionário que consta de perguntas relacionadas: à formação, ao material didático, às aulas, à criança como aprendiz, dentre outras. Com base nas informações obtidas apresentamos algumas considerações que, esperamos, contribuam para conscientizar os órgãos responsáveis e professores de inglês a respeito de possíveis implicações no ensino do idioma para crianças devido às carências na formação deste profissional.

Attrition among students in online courses worldwide is well-documented at the undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate levels. However, little is yet known about the reason for attrition among in-service teachers in online training. Online education aims to provide access to education for the masses, but with higher attrition rates, it may be viewed as less effective than traditional education. This study explored factors that influenced attrition and persistence among teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in an online teacher training environment. Tinto's Community of Inquiry framework and Short, Williams, and Christie's Social Presence Model provided the conceptual framework for this qualitative case study to address the research question. Six participants in Latin America from 4 online courses, selected through criterion and convenience sampling, participated in the study. Data sources included online questionnaires, personal narratives, and a focus group interview. Each data set was analyzed using open coding to identify emerging themes, selective coding for purposes of analysis, and finally axial coding to confirm overarching themes. Findings indicate that social, teacher, and cognitive presence are key to engagement in online learning and persistence, while lack of such presences can demotivate and lead to attrition. Thus, it is important to design online training that fosters all 3 types of presence. Results also included recommendations for designing more engaging online teacher training curricula. This study contributes to positive social change by providing online course designers with a deeper understanding of factors which influence attrition and persistence.

The purpose of this study was to determine perceptions of students, teachers and parents concerning English-medium instruction and their perceptions of English as a foreign language. The research design of the study comprised a nation-wide questionnaire survey and individual interviews. The sample for the survey consisted of 982 students, 383 teachers and 988 parents in 42 Anatolian high schools across 32 provinces in Turkey selected using statified and criterion sampling. The participants of the interviews were six students, four teachers and four parents. Two distinct instruments were used for data collection / a survey questionnaire containing five-point Likert scales and open-ended questions / and a semi-structured interview schedule. To analyze quantitative data, descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA and bivariate correlations were conducted. The qualitative data of the interviews and open-ended questions were analyzed via content analysis. Results indicated that students, teachers and parents do not favor English-medium instruction at secondary education. Regardless of their position on English-medium instruction, participants underscored problems of implementation of English-medium instruction at Anatolian high schools. A positive correleation was found between perceptions of English and perceptions of English-medium instruction for each group. Results also showed that all groups perceive English positively as a foreign language, and support the teaching and learning of English. According to students&amp / #8217 / and teachers&amp / #8217 / perceptions, English-medium instruction influences the instructional process in math and science in Anatolian high schools, and poses problems particularly in the learning of the subject matter.

This study investigates two vocabulary exercises where the participant students receive an assigned set of words to put into sentences, one being a more traditional written exercise, the other being an exercise where students make a vlog using the assigned words. Two upper secondary school classes in Sweden participated in the experiment, including responding to a Likert attitude questionnaire. The hypothesis used in this paper is derived of Pegrum’s third category, of higher integration between school and everyday life, and that this would lead to better results for the students who completed the vlogging exercise. The two participating classes were each divided into two group halves, and each group half received one written exercise and one vlogging exercise – consequently each class half acted as a control group for the other half. The responses gathered were divided into three categories, ‘Correct’, ‘Undetermined’, and ‘Failed’. The results disprove that the vlogging exercise offers a significant improvement over the traditional written exercise, and thusly confirms the No Significant Difference phenomenon.

This study investigates which English variety teachers in Sweden learned, which they use now and whether this has changed over time. The study included the two major varieties of English, namely British English and American English.  The hypothesis for this paper is that British English will have played an important part in the teachers’ schooling but American English will have had a strong influence in their day-to-day lives and will likely have hanged how they use English. Data was collected in the form of questionnaires filled in by 294 teachers who teach English at primary, secondary and upper secondary schools in Sweden.  The results support the thesis of the paper that teachers mainly learned British English at school while American English becomes more common for teachers under the age of 40. However, the majority of participants were found to use a variety which has features of both British and American English - it is referred to as Mid-Atlantic English in this paper.

This study investigates the growing integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in educational settings, specifically focusing on detecting AI-generated content in students’ English essays. As AI technologies like ChatGPT and Gemini become more prevalent, understanding their impact on education is crucial. This research aims to identify the linguistic features that lead English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers to suspect AI involvement in student work. By conducting semi-structured interviews with eight EFL teachers from lower upper secondary and high schools, the study examines their experiences and perspectives. Using the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK) framework, the study analyzes the crossing of technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge, highlighting the opportunities and challenges AI presents in contemporary education. The findings show the dual role of AI as both a beneficial tool for improving learning and a challenge to maintaining academic integrity. Despite the limitations, such as the evolving nature of AI, the research highlights the need for teachers to balance the benefits of AI with preserving authentic student work. Future research directions include exploring more effective AI detection methods and understanding the long-term impact of AI on students’ critical thinking skills.

This thesis deals with the issue of teaching continuing beginners in adult EFL classes. It focuses on the description of factors that may influence the learning stagnation among these learners, and it attempts to ascertain the extent to which these factors take effect. Consequently, the thesis aims to characterize Czech continuing beginners as an independent group of learners and to provide scientific evidence which could clarify the assumptions, underlying the continuing-beginner concept. Lastly, but importantly, the thesis also intends to instigate further research in the field. The subject was investigated from the perspective of available pedagogical, andragogcial and psychological literature. Accordingly, four major factors, which may be at the root of continuing-beginner phenomenon, were identified: a mismatch between learning and teaching styles, insufficient study motivation, hindrances to learning and learning disabilities. These four areas were further focused on in a questionnaire survey, using rating scales to determine the importance of the individual areas. The study worked with three hypotheses. Firstly, continuing beginners were expected to report difficulties in at least two of the established areas. Secondly, it was presupposed that the rate of learning disabilities would be somewhat...