Englishes in Upper Secondary EFL Teaching. A Study of Teachers’ Selection, in Relation to Kachru’s Circles

Abstract

The reality of the English language has shifted from being the language of the Empire to an international Lingua Franca. This pluricultural way of viewing English is reflected in the syllabus for the subject. Based on Kachru’s model The Three Circles of English, this survey study explores the representation of authors used in upper secondary English education in Sweden. Different factors that may affect teacher’s selection of literary texts are also explored, as well as teachers’ approaches towards including a variety of cultures and Englishes in the classroom. The data gathered from 72 respondents’ answers is used for the study, which is contextualised using relevant theoretical background and previous research. The study finds, for example, that the majority of literary texts used in English teaching in the upper secondary school, are written by British and American authors, and that approximately half of the responding teachers include varieties and cultures from countries outside the Inner Circle, when they teach English.