Is there a poem in this class? : A study of the potential of poetry in the Swedish EFL classroom

Abstract: This paper focuses on two main areas. Firstly, it aims to investigate to what extent upper secondary EFL students’ response to poetry corresponds with one knowledge requirement set by Skolverket (National Agency for Education) for English 6. Secondly, it aims to give a brief account of student views on specific works of poetry, rather than poetry as a genre. To collect material for this study an investigation of the reception of three poems was conducted in two upper secondary classes, one in a vocational programme and one in an academic programme. The three poems chosen for the purpose were "Time passes by" by Anatol Knotek, "To the Virgins to make much of Time" by Robert Herrick and "Cat's in the Cradle" by Harry Chapin. The study shows that goal fulfilment does take place through the reading of and response to poetry, to a certain extent. The study also indicates that the students are more inclined to appreciate works of poetry than the notion of poetry as a genre. Finally, the paper suggests that more research be done on the subject, specifically to investigate what could be developed in order for poetry reading to further support learning outcomes.