Assessment in English for Young Learners in Sweden

English is taught in Swedish schools from the primary level, often from year 1. However, grades are normally not awarded until year 6, and the official information as to what English instruction in the early years should focus on in terms of content and learning objectives is quite limited, as are...

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Main Authors: Thorsten Schröter, Agnieszka Jablonska Eklöf
Format: Article
Language:Danish
Published: Malmö University Press 2020-10-01
Series:Educare
Subjects:
Online Access:https://publicera.kb.se/educare/article/view/45350
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author Thorsten Schröter
Agnieszka Jablonska Eklöf
author_facet Thorsten Schröter
Agnieszka Jablonska Eklöf
author_sort Thorsten Schröter
collection DOAJ
description English is taught in Swedish schools from the primary level, often from year 1. However, grades are normally not awarded until year 6, and the official information as to what English instruction in the early years should focus on in terms of content and learning objectives is quite limited, as are the guidelines regarding assessment. Against this background, we have interviewed a number of Swedish primary school teachers about the curriculum and other official documents regulating English education in Sweden, as well as their teaching and assessment practices, including the challenges they perceive and the strategies they employ to overcome them. Contact between the school and the students’ homes has been an additional, though related, focus.  The participants confirmed that they experienced English instruction in primary school as not very well regulated, leaving them with some uncertainty as to how they should organize it and, in particular, how the students’ performance should be assessed. The fact that English is ubiquitous in most young Swedes’ lives was addressed as well. While the teachers did adopt different strategies to deal with the challenges they faced, they also expressed a need for enhanced guidance or cooperation. 
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spelling doaj-art-31711d57766b4c2897d659de18bbdc852025-08-20T02:53:17ZdanMalmö University PressEducare2004-51902020-10-01310.24834/educare.2020.3.1Assessment in English for Young Learners in SwedenThorsten Schröter0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4636-1122Agnieszka Jablonska Eklöfhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-7192-8373Mälardalen University English is taught in Swedish schools from the primary level, often from year 1. However, grades are normally not awarded until year 6, and the official information as to what English instruction in the early years should focus on in terms of content and learning objectives is quite limited, as are the guidelines regarding assessment. Against this background, we have interviewed a number of Swedish primary school teachers about the curriculum and other official documents regulating English education in Sweden, as well as their teaching and assessment practices, including the challenges they perceive and the strategies they employ to overcome them. Contact between the school and the students’ homes has been an additional, though related, focus.  The participants confirmed that they experienced English instruction in primary school as not very well regulated, leaving them with some uncertainty as to how they should organize it and, in particular, how the students’ performance should be assessed. The fact that English is ubiquitous in most young Swedes’ lives was addressed as well. While the teachers did adopt different strategies to deal with the challenges they faced, they also expressed a need for enhanced guidance or cooperation.  https://publicera.kb.se/educare/article/view/45350English for Young LearnersSwedenassessmentcurriculuminterviews
spellingShingle Thorsten Schröter
Agnieszka Jablonska Eklöf
Assessment in English for Young Learners in Sweden
Educare
English for Young Learners
Sweden
assessment
curriculum
interviews
title Assessment in English for Young Learners in Sweden
title_full Assessment in English for Young Learners in Sweden
title_fullStr Assessment in English for Young Learners in Sweden
title_full_unstemmed Assessment in English for Young Learners in Sweden
title_short Assessment in English for Young Learners in Sweden
title_sort assessment in english for young learners in sweden
topic English for Young Learners
Sweden
assessment
curriculum
interviews
url https://publicera.kb.se/educare/article/view/45350
work_keys_str_mv AT thorstenschroter assessmentinenglishforyounglearnersinsweden
AT agnieszkajablonskaeklof assessmentinenglishforyounglearnersinsweden