The aim of this study is to find out what education in literature is like from a student perspective; what kind of literature the students read and how well they understand literature, and the methods and didactics used during the literature lessons. The questions at issue are: 1) What kind of literature do the students read? 2) How well do the students understand literary texts? 3) What do the students think about their literature education? To be able to answer the questions, both quantitative and qualitative methods have been used in the study. The inquiry was accomplished on 29 students, 17 boys and 12 girls in the upper secondary school. The result showed, despite the limited amount of students, interesting facts. Firstly there were some differences between males and females and what kind of fiction girls and boys read. Both girls and boys read magazines and periodicals. The girls read more fiction about love than boys did. The boys rather liked to read books that are exciting and adventurous. The students also differ from one another in how much they liked to read. There were more girls than boys that liked to read a lot. The students, who didn’t like to read, stated that they had other interests or activities. They found it boring to read or had difficulties to find books that were interesting enough. Regardless sex, the students spent approximately 1 hour per week reading outside school, most of them at home before they go to sleep. The school library plays an important role to stimulate the students to read and to find interesting books. The reading test showed that the students reading ability were good. The results have been analyzed in the light of different theories of reading and research studies. It pays attention to the importance of having focus on the student. It is not a talent to be able to read and write. It is something you can practise and develop doing your whole life. The results of the study also raised questions of importance regarding the cultural capital and canon.

<p>The aim of this study is to find out what education in literature is like from a student perspective; what kind of literature the students read and how well they understand literature, and the methods and didactics used during the literature lessons. The questions at issue are:</p><p>1) What kind of literature do the students read?</p><p>2) How well do the students understand literary texts?</p><p>3) What do the students think about their literature education?</p><p>To be able to answer the questions, both quantitative and qualitative methods have been used in the study. The inquiry was accomplished on 29 students, 17 boys and 12 girls in the upper secondary school. The result showed, despite the limited amount of students, interesting facts. Firstly there were some differences between males and females and what kind of fiction girls and boys read. Both girls and boys read magazines and periodicals. The girls read more fiction about love than boys did. The boys rather liked to read books that are exciting and adventurous. The students also differ from one another in how much they liked to read. There were more girls than boys that liked to read a lot. The students, who didn’t like to read, stated that they had other interests or activities. They found it boring to read or had difficulties to find books that were interesting enough. Regardless sex, the students spent approximately 1 hour per week reading outside school, most of them at home before they go to sleep.</p><p>The school library plays an important role to stimulate the students to read and to find interesting books. The reading test showed that the students reading ability were good. The results have been analyzed in the light of different theories of reading and research studies. It pays attention to the importance of having focus on the student. It is not a talent to be able to read and write. It is something you can practise and develop doing your whole life. The results of the study also raised questions of importance regarding the cultural capital and canon.</p>

The starting point of this study is national as well as international surveys which show that the study motivation and general level of knowledge among Swedish students have decreased. The Swedish Curriculum for the Non-Compulsory School System (Lpf94) states that each student shall be given the possibility to strengthen their will and ability to learn. The teachers are expected to play an important role in the effort to increase student motivation. The opinions of the students are a valuable source when trying to understand what motivates them. The purpose of this study is to provide a more profound understanding of what students express about their motivation in the interaction with the teachers. Students that describe themselves as school tired is one important target group for increasing motivation among students. Therefore, a more specific purpose is to see what in the interaction with the teacher and the teacher’s education might affect the motivation for school work among high school students who are tired of school. Research and studies relating to motivation are presented and discussed in the theoretic chapters of this work, covering the impact of social background, students’ inner motivation and the roles of the interaction with the teacher as well as teachers’ expectations and the teaching itself. The study is conducted as an analysis of qualitative interviews with five high school students who have expressed that they are school tired. The main results show that this particular group of students appreciate teachers who are caring, encouraging and supportive. The students have a need to feel connected with the teacher, who ideally should be calm, positive and have a sense of humour in order to generate positive energy. As for the Pygmalion effect, it is significant that the students express that their first meeting with the teacher is important and that they wish the teacher to be encouraging and to show them that she or he believes in every student´s ability in order to motivate them. The study shows that a teacher should also be able to challenge the students, but not by setting the goals too high or by putting too much pressure on them. When introducing a new course the teacher should make sure the students have the ability to keep up with the pace. Teachers should also enable students to catch up if they get behind. In addition, the teacher should have empathy and be able to explain various topics in an interesting way, and finally make it clear that they are teachers because they want to and not out of necessity.