A useful medium when teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) to young learners is authentic children’s literature. Previous research in the area has provided insight into benefits and challenges in something that could be described as ‘fiction-based teaching’. There is however little to none that is set in a Swedish classroom context. The aim of the current study was to find how teachers in Sweden utilize children’s literature in teaching English as a foreign language in grades 1–3. The study was performed using semi structured interviews with five teachers in the central east coast of Sweden. The participants gave insight into how they use English fiction as a teaching tool, which follows the structure of the didactic questions what, how and why. The teachers’ experienced challenges in using such a medium as a teaching tool were also processed in the study. To understand and analyse the gathered data, Aidan Chambers and Lev Vygotsky’s theories about young learners were used. The main findings of the study show that processing literature via discussions between teachers and students is beneficial for language acquisition, such as vocabulary gain and comprehension. At the same time, the teachers mention challenges in using such a method, for example a lack of time and how to differentiate the teaching of EFL. The conclusion was that these findings were in line with the previous research that has been made in the area.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:hig-44368 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Finell, Asta |
| Publisher | Högskolan i Gävle, Avdelningen för humaniora |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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