Storytelling and vocabulary development within the EFL-classroom in Sweden

Abstract: Due to our constantly evolving society and our opportunity to communicate across borders,English language learning is becoming increasingly important for the individual and his/herability to act and live in the world. The importance of learning English as a foreign language(EFL) is also emphasized in the Swedish curriculum, which further states that the teaching inthe lower grades of schooling should focus on communicative skills such as vocabularyacquisition. This is in line with previous research studies which describe that the knowledge ofvocabulary is main key to learn a language. Previous research studies have been done withinthis area of EFL teaching where storytelling has been used as a method for English vocabularyacquisition. The results of these research studies indicate that the storytelling method is verybeneficial to use within EFL teaching in the lower grades of schooling as it creates a teachingcontent familiar and interesting to the students. With the knowledge of the importance ofvocabulary acquisition and, the benefits the storytelling method can contribute with it isinteresting to further investigate how this method is implemented in a Swedish context. As ofthis, the main aim of this empirical study is to investigate how storytelling can be used as amethod for teaching English vocabulary to 1-3rd grade EFL students in Sweden and also, whatteachers think about this method.To collect data to this study six semi-structured interviews were conducted with 1-3rd gradeteachers in Sweden. The results show that the informants have an overall positive attitudetowards storytelling as a method to teach English vocabulary. Additionally, all teacher expressthat they use this method in their own EFL teaching but in various extent. The most interestingfindings were the different approaches the teachers use within the storytelling method and also,how the teachers support their students in order to enhance their comprehension of the teachingcontent. Future research within this area is needed and specifically within a Swedish context.More research on the storytelling method and its possibilities to EFL acquisition could strengthen the argument why this method should be used more frequently to teach vocabulary within EFL education in Sweden.