Why do all children in Swedish schools learn English as a foreign language? An analysis of an open question in the national evaluation programme of the Swedish compulsory comprehensive school

Abstract

The study to be presented here concerns the pupils' views of why all children in Swedish schools learn English as a foreign language. The pupils' points of view as expressed as motives for learning English have been categorised. The study is based on a 10% random sample, consisting of 318 pupils in grade 5 who participated in the evaluation of English in 1989. In the eight achievement tests given to the pupils, reading comprehension and vocabulary knowledge, listening comprehension and writing proficiency were tested. Supplemental information was collected from all participating pupils (around 3400) by a questionnaire. The pupil questionnaire comprised 31 questions and tasks. The question which this article is based on was of open type. Three categories of response to the open question concerning reasons or motives for learning English in school could be identified, two of which are characterised as qualitatively different from each other: Integrational and Instrumental Motives. The third group gave in a sense no motives as to why all children in Sweden learn English in schools: these pupils indicated that English is taught and learned in schools because a higher authority has so decided that it must be. The three pupil groups have been analysed in respect of their motivation, attitude, self-appraisal, use of English outside of school and their knowledge and skills in the English language. A selection from the results will be presented in the following.