Exploring Teachers’ and Students’ Perceptions of Explicit and Implicit Vocabulary Instruction Through Literary Texts in the Upper Secondary EFL Classroom

Sammanfattning

This study examines how upper secondary EFL teachers and students in Sweden perceive explicit and implicit vocabulary instruction when working with literary texts. The aim was to understand how these approaches are experienced in practice and what beliefs shape vocabulary teaching and learning. The research was guided by the question: (1) How do upper secondary EFL teachers and students perceive and evaluate explicit and implicit vocabulary instruction and learning when working with literary texts in upper secondary EFL classrooms? A qualitative approach was used, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with three teachers and three students from different upper secondary schools. The interviews were analyzed thematically to identify recurring patterns related to vocabulary instruction, reading practices, and attitudes toward literary texts. The results show that both teachers and students generally prefer implicit vocabulary instruction, valuing contextual learning and autonomy. However, explicit instruction remains important for lower-proficiency learners who need more support to access the text. Pre-reading activities emerged as a key scaffold, and shorter literary texts were preferred because they were more manageable and motivating. AI was also found to play a growing role in vocabulary learning, offering both support and challenges. These findings suggest that a balanced approach to vocabulary instruction is needed in the Swedish EFL classroom. The study is limited by its small sample size, and future research could explore AI’s long-term impact on vocabulary learning, differences across proficiency levels, and how multimodal texts support vocabulary development.