Navigating the Many Englishes of the World in the Classroom : Teachers’ Attitudes Towards English Accents and How They Work with Accents in the Classroom

Abstract: According to the curriculum for upper secondary school, various English accents should be introduced. However, it does not state what accents and how these should be introduced. Both American and British English have had a historical stronghold in Sweden, with both having been preferred in previous curriculums. This study shows that both continue to have a stronghold in Swedish schools, but in a different way. Through a questionnaire, teachers in Sweden were asked to answer how they introduce and work with accents in their own teaching.The teachers that responded to the questionnaire introduce and work with accents to a high degree. It becomes evident that while American and British English are still very much prevalent, other accents are prevalent as well. While the majority of the respondents believed that all accents are equally important to teach, some still upheld the notion that English accents from countries where English is the native language are more important to incorporate in their teaching as these are more commonly heard. Additionally, a majority of the respondents also believed that a student’s grade should not be affected by the accent they use. However, this was dependent on whether or not the accent sounded too Swedish or not and not what English accent the students choose to use or approximate. Thus, the overall results show that the teachers who responded to the questionnaire believe in the importance of introducing accents and teaching accents as well as introducing a wide variety of accents.