Teachers’ Interpretations ofthe Reading Strategies in the ESL Syllabus : A Mixed Method Study on the Possible Advantages andDisadvantages of the Phrasing of Reading Strategies in theRevised ESL Syllabus for Swedish Upper Secondary School

Sammanfattning: The aim of this study is to investigate how teachers interpret the reading strategies in the revised English as aSecond Language (ESL) syllabus from 2021, and what advantages and disadvantages they see with the syllabuswhen they teach reading strategies. Previous studies suggest that it is beneficial to teach reading strategies in school.The revised ESL syllabus for upper secondary in Sweden mentions reading strategies but gives no definition orinstruction, making it the teachers’ responsibility to choose an interpretation. However, there is not much researchon the interpretation of reading strategies in ESL in a Swedish context nor in upper secondary school.The study was made through interviews, which where analysed thematically, and a survey, where univariate analysiswas used. The results showed that most teachers were confident using and explaining the strategies, but ofteninterpreted them in different ways. The results also showed that while most teachers think the phrasing in thesyllabus is clear, there are some ambiguities. Most teachers also said they had the resources they needed, but somedidactic resources were mentioned as lacking by some.Conclusions from these results are: that the revised ESL syllabus provides room for interpretation and gives teachersautonomy which they see as positive; that the differences in strategy interpretation can affect the students’ right toequal education; that there are strategies of which teachers are unsure; and that the lack of some resources is anobstacle in the implementation of the syllabus and the teaching of reading strategies. Implications of this thesis arethat policy makers can use it in their development of future educational policy documents, and that teachers can useit to educate themselves on their role in interpreting the syllabus in their work.