To teach, or not to teach English, that is the question : When do Swedish primary school teachers believe that English should be introduced and how does this introduction affect equal schooling for all?

Sammanfattning: Resent research has demonstrated that age does not play as big a part in second language (L2) acquisition as was previously thought. However, L2 acquisition is markedly affected by: (i) the amount of L2 in a pupil’s daily life, (ii) how well teachers are trained in teaching a new language to young learners and (iii) how many hours are given to the subject each week. In Swedish schools there is great variation around when and how English is taught. In order to ensure future equality in L2 teaching we need to find out why this variation exists. One important step towards doing this is to obtain primary school teachers’ views on teaching English. Using a questionnaire, I gathered views from Swedish primary school teachers regarding their own English teaching skills and when they believe English should be taught. The findings show that views on when to start teaching English differ markedly among teachers, varying from year 1 to year 3, as does any relevant guidance from schools/municipalities. It is also apparent that many teachers, 65% of the respondents in this study to be exact, have not had English as an obligatory part of their teacher training. The findings offer a valuable insight into potential underlying reasons for the variability that exists in L2 teaching.