The use of English during English lessons : A qualitative study of two teachers’ views

Sammanfattning: This study investigates the use of English during English lessons in Years 5 and 6. In order to do that, three research questions were formulated. In order to collect material to answer these research questions, two methods of data collection were combined, namely observations and interviews. Two English teachers at a school in the Stockholm area were observed and interviewed. These observations and interviews helped to collect the material. The result showed that the Swedish language dominates during English lessons. The teachers reported to be determined to use a large amount of English during their lessons; however, it was clear from the observations that this was not the case in practice. The teachers justified their choice of language by stating that the latest research proves that the students should not devote most of their energy to understanding the language as they should instead focus on the tasks. In order to answer the third research question both the teachers were interviewed. They stated that they use different exercises to address the goals of the curriculum.