Abstract The aim of this study is to examine the role that textbooks have within the subject of English in Swedish secondary school, years 7-9, and the psychological impact textbooks may or may not have on pupil language learning. Theories used in this study support the fact that pupils who are able to independently develop their language skills are more successful language learners, including the self-efficacy theory, theories about motivation, i.e. the Self-Determination Theory and the L2 Motivational Self System, and learning independence. Mixed methodology was applied to extract both quantitative and qualitative data. In this study, three Swedish EFL teachers from years 7-9 were interviewed to determine their attitudes towards textbook use during their everyday teaching and their views on how textbooks impact their pupils’ achievements of self-efficacy and independence. Additionally, 212 Swedish pupils in years 7-9 answered questions on their perception of their textbooks through a digital questionnaire. The interviewed teachers, as well as the pupils’ responses, showed reservations regarding textbook usage, especially regarding the ability for pupils to relate to textbook content, and the lack of support for pupils with learning disabilities (e.g.,dyslexia). Pupils also responded that they were not using their respective textbooks independently. Analysis of the results shows that textbooks, whether digital or printed, are not useful EFL learning tools on their own, as they do not fully support pupil self-learning. Most notably, the interviewed teachers and the pupils’ responses both signal a lack of relatedness in the contents of their textbooks. Future studies should focus on intrinsic motivation through pupil perceptions of relatedness in textbooks