| dc.description.abstract | Language learning strategies (LLS) in the English language classroom has been a well-
researched topic in recent years. The potential benefits of teaching strategies, that is strategy
instruction (SI), to learners is a central part of this. In this, teachers have a key role in
designing SI that is valuable for the learners. This qualitative interview study therefore aims
to elicit Swedish EFL teachers’ perceptions on LLS, as well as eliciting their teaching
practices in relation to SI and their experiences of it in the English classroom in Sweden. Data
was collected by interviewing five English teachers at upper secondary school in Sweden. The
data was then thematically analyzed which yielded several themes that had surfaced in the
interviews. The findings indicate that the teachers’ perceptions of LLS coincide with several
scholars in that strategies can be effective tools for learning and that strategies can foster
learner autonomy. The study also elicited the teachers’ self-reported teaching practices
regarding SI, in which the amount of explicitness in the instruction and the types of strategies promoted are analyzed and discussed. However, some interesting issues were raised by some
teachers regarding their experiences of SI. These are issues regarding learners’ retention of
strategies after the SI and that the teachers experienced some difficulties in observing and
assessing strategies. Finally, limitations with the study, suggestions for future research, and
some pedagogical implications are discussed. | sv |
