Research shows that there are several benefits that can be extracted from the usage of literature in EFL. The question is which benefits teachers tend to make use of in their classrooms. The present study set out to map upper secondary school teachers’ reflections on the topic of literature in EFL, in general as well as in relation to language learning. The three research questions were to find out (1) teachers’ views regarding opportunities as well as challenges of literature in the EFL classroom, (2) how EFL teachers reason around their own uses of literature in EFL, and lastly, (3) how EFL teachers reflect on literature in relation to language learning. The data was collected from semi-structured interviews with three teachers. The study found that, overall, the teachers viewed literature as an important part of EFL partly because it can be utilized to acquire tools for literary analysis, to learn about the world, to create a basis for discussion about difficult topics and lastly, to develop language proficiencies.

This study investigates the portrayal of Sweden's five national minorities in textbooks adapted for the Swedish National Curriculum (Lgr11) in grades 7-9. In 2022, the curriculum and syllabi (Lgr22) for compulsory school, compulsory special needs education, Sámi school, and special schools were revised. This, coupled with the varied availability of updated textbooks across Sweden, indicates a risk that the teaching taking place in the subject of social studies in grades 7-9 may present Sweden's five national minorities in a manner inconsistent with Lgr22. To address the study's research questions, a critical multimodal discourse analysis was employed, revealing that textbooks adapted for Lgr11 present the national minorities in a manner incongruent with Lgr22 and highlighting challenges in how the national minorities are represented in the textbooks. There is a need for a more diverse and inclusive treatment of these groups to promote a fairer and more representative portrayal of society. Textbooks must acknowledge and incorporate various perspectives and experiences from national minorities to foster understanding and respect for diversity in society. Thus, it can also be argued that the need for updated textbooks on the subject of social studies is of paramount importance.

This essay aims to examine which consequences a less-detail controlled curriculum has on English teachers’ choice of English-language literature. With support from the literature review, this essay argues that an unofficial, tacit school canon of English-language literature mainly composed of ten literary works seems to have been established in Swedish upper-secondary schools, despite the Swedish National Curriculum not naming specific literary works educators in Sweden are required to use in their teaching. Thus, this essay answers the following questions: 1) Which English-language literature do English teachers in Sweden use in their teaching? 2) Does a less-detail controlled curriculum contribute to English teachers in Sweden being more inclusive in their choice of literature in teaching? The results support the hypothesis; that despite the ten literary works found in the unofficial, tacit school canon might be vulnerable to the same criticism aimed at the “Western literary canon” and a “prescribed” curriculum. Yet, no evidence was found which would illustrate that a less detail-controlled curriculum does not contribute to English teachers in Sweden being more inclusive in their choice of literature in teaching since the inclusive classroom is not only a matter of what is being taught but also of how it is being taught. Additionally, the study shows that there are countries in the Western world that name literary works as a teaching requirement for educators that “silently” marginalize and privilege some voices. Despite educators not being able to influence what is being taught, educators have developed strategies and methods (critical literacy/pedagogy, and intersectionality) on how these literary works are taught to learners with the aim to make room for a spectrum of voices when being required to teach from a “prescribed” curriculum.