To Read or Not to Read, That Is the Question : An Analysis of Governmental Publications, the Curriculum of Upper Secondary School, and a Closer Look at Teachers’ Work with Reading Promotion in the English Subject at Swedish Upper Secondary Schools

Sammanfattning: Recent reports have confirmed that Swedish adolescents read less every year. Because of these reports, Swedish governments have implemented regulations to provide directions and emphasize the importance of reading promotion. However, how much these regulations have affected the curriculum for upper secondary schools in general, and the English syllabus specifically, is unclear. Therefore, this study aimed firstly to analyze the responsibilities of English teachers at upper secondary school regarding reading promotion, and secondly to take a closer look at the practice of reading promotion in the English classroom. This was conducted in a combined-methods study. Firstly, a close reading and analysis of what signals governments and governmental agencies have been sending out regarding reading promotion were carried out, and of how visible these signals are in the curriculum/syllabus. Secondly, a survey was conducted asking EFL teachers in upper secondary school how they look upon their responsibilities in this regard and what they practice in class.  The results show that the curriculum of upper secondary school does not reflect the governments’ emphasis on reading promotion. Some guidelines are provided, but they are vague, and it is unclear if they are part of the English teacher’s responsibility. Despite the lack of emphasis on reading in the curriculum, the survey results show that the participating English teachers believe reading is important and work with reading promotion. However, the respondents stress that more resources for school libraries are needed to improve their work.