Teachers’ choices of teaching material. Authentic material and adaptations to the new curriculum in Sweden.

Abstract

In this study seven secondary/ upper secondary EFL teachers have been interviewed about their use of and views of different teaching material, authentic material, and their adaptations to the new curriculum (LGY11). Answers have been compared to those of similar studies conducted prior to LGY11. Most teachers in the study used textbooks but preferred other material. TV/film clips, articles, and literature were most frequently used, and the most common justifications were that the material fits the current theme, was relevant to the students, prepared students for the national test or provided variation. The teachers in the study, while using authentic material, rarely mentioned authenticity. It was also found that most teachers neither reported to have changed following LGY11, nor seemed to have changed compared to previous studies. Possible reasons and implications of these findings are discussed as well as directions for future research.