First Language Use in EFL Teaching in Sweden Teachers’ Use of and Beliefs about Language of Instruction

Abstract

In the Swedish syllabus for English at the upper secondary level, it is explicitly mentioned that “English should as far as possible be conducted in English” (Skolverket, p. 1, 2011). The quote shows to which extent the ‘monolingual principle’ has influenced language teaching, which is reflected in the prevailing communicative language teaching methods used in most of today’s Swedish EFL classrooms. The issue of language of instruction is an important aspect of EFL teaching to further investigate, since it may have an impact on students’ TL development. The aim of this study is to investigate four teachers’ use of and beliefs about Swedish in EFL teaching at an upper secondary school in Sweden, by conducting observations and qualitative interviews. The study revealed that all teachers consider the L1 to have some positive effects on TL learning, especially with regards to grammar and vocabulary. Teachers do consequently to some extent make use of the L1, mostly through contrastive teaching. However, they conclude that judicious L1 use does not equal abandoning the TL, but it is rather about making maximal use of the TL and use the L1 in those circumstances in which it can enhance students’ TL development.