Speaking-based activities in L2 textbooks in lower secondary school

Sammanfattning: This research paper analyzes how different L2 textbooks in lower secondary school relateto speaking proficiency, in reference to the curriculum. It also investigates how thetextbooks approach speaking proficiency activities differently. The aim of my study istherefore to investigate if and how contemporary textbooks for learning English in lowersecondary school stimulate the development of speaking proficiency. To answer thesequestions, I compare four textbooks, through a content analysis based on the knowledgerequirements for speaking proficiency in English, in year 9. The results show that therecently published books have more activities that help develop speaking proficiency,namely Focus and Sparks. These books also have more activities in groups, which is adifferent approach than the textbook Primetime, which only provides activities in pairs.All books have activities connected to the requirements. However, Focus and Sparks havesignificantly more activities where all requirements are combined. This suggests that thetextbooks recently published prioritize speaking proficiency activities using discussions.The findings of this study are that the textbooks researched relate to the requirementsdifferently. More recent books follow the requirements to a greater extent, helpingstudents develop their speaking proficiency more efficiently.