Teaching and Assessing Student's Accents : The Challenge of Working with the Multitude of Accents in the English-Speaking World

Abstract: Today, English is a world language and more English accents have appeared. Today it is more difficult to teach English in Sweden due to the fact that we do not know when, where or how we are going to use English in the future. This study therefore focuses on how English teachers in Swedish upper secondary school teach and assess students’ accents and the challenge of working with the multitude of accents of the English-speaking world. This study is based on a questionnaire that was sent electronically to English teachers. The results from this study show that English teachers in Swedish upper secondary schools work with different English accents in class. The results also show that over fifty percent of the teachers do not let students choose accents for them to work with; most of the teachers’ choose which accents should be introduced and worked with in class. Moreover, students’ grades are not affected by the accent they speak, which is in line with the English syllabus. In conclusion, it is clear that British and American English are still dominant in Swedish school today.