The Role of Swedish in Forming Social Relations Beneficial to Learning Outcomes in the English Classroom

Abstract: Abstract The Swedish National Curriculum for Upper Secondary School states that English should be taught essentially in English. The aim of this study was to discuss the use of Swedish in the upper secondary English classroom with regard to building teacher-student relations and learning outcomes. A hypothesis was articulated, claiming that judicious use of Swedish in the English classroom would help establish teacher-student relations, which would benefit learning outcomes. The study focused on students’ attitudes on the use of Swedish in the English classroom, on the importance of student-teacher relations with regard to learning outcomes, and on the effect English has on building relations and learning outcomes. The material for the study was obtained from a student questionnaire with mixed multiple choice and essay questions. Results showed that most students preferred the inclusion of Swedish in English education and considered it beneficial to their learning. Despite students’ opinion, the national curriculum’s guidelines, and the line of current modern language research, a rather large part of students’ teaching appeared to be conducted in English only. Results furthermore showed that students considered the relation to their teacher more important for their learning outcomes than the language used by the teacher in class. An English-only requirement was experienced as inhibiting by a small majority of students with regard to building relations. It was concluded that Swedish could be seen as an useful instrument when forming teacher-student relations in the English classroom, which raised the thought that the national curriculum should, instead of restricting the amount of Swedish, stress when and how the use of Swedish is fruitful. This study is important as it shows how Swedish could be a useful tool in the specific environment of the English classroom, which calls for a different approach to English language learning than is supported in the national curriculum.   Key words: English, L1/L2, learning outcomes, relational pedagogy, socialization, student, teacher