”Grammatik är att leka med det svenska språket” : En studie om högstadieelevers inställning till grammatik och grammatikundervisning inom svenskämnet

Sammanfattning: Abstract This study investigates Swedish upper-level pupils’ attitudes to grammar and grammar education. The study aims to explain what the pupils believe constitutes grammar and their views of its usability as well as attitudes towards grammar education. The research method is qualitative interviews with seven pupils from a school in Sweden. The theoretical framework combines grammar and sociolinguistics. The results indicate that the pupils associate grammar with terminology which has no connection to their own language usage. Therefore, they have a hard time seeing the use of grammar. Furthermore, the pupils describe different types of grammar usage depending on context. They use one kind of grammar in formal contexts and another is used informally and their attitude towards them differs. The pupils regard the informal grammar as useable and permissive and the formal usage as more correct and standardising. Regarding grammar education, the results show that the pupils mainly have encountered isolated grammar education although they indicate signs of integrated education where the grammar is incorporated in writing tasks. In accordance with other research results, the pupils’ attitudes towards integrated grammar education is more positive than when grammar is taught as an isolated element. The study also indicates that the pupils are more likely to find grammar useful when integrated with writing tasks as it allows them to see their knowledge instantly.