Engelska på fritiden och engelska i skolan – en omöjlig ekvation?

Abstract

The present article explores challenges facing English language classrooms in Sweden and elsewhere due to new informal out-of-school language learning settings created by the current media landscape. The article also discusses the empowerment of teachers and teachers’ perceived ability to bridge the gap between the English used in school and the English used outside of school (extramural English) in various activities (blogging, playing digital games, watching TV/films etc.). Generally young people engage in extramural English activities on a voluntary basis and because of a specific interest; that is, they do not commonly do it for the purpose of language learning. As a consequence, they may become discouraged and demotivated during English classes in school. After an extensive literature review about motivation/demotivation in second language learning in general, and the current media landscape in relation to English language learning in particular, this article discusses problems with learner demotivation, the empowerment of teachers, and the development of teaching practices in order to meet the new challenges. The discussion draws on the authors’ experiences of in-service training programs (related to language teaching methodology) and on the results of a small-scale survey carried out among English teachers participating in Boost for teachers (Lärarlyftet).