The Enigma of Reading Strategies: Its Insinuated Importance and Challenges

Sammanfattning

According to previous international research, reading strategy instruction in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) is considered important for students’ development of reading skills and comprehension. Yet there is a significant lack of research on this topic in the Swedish educational context, even though reading comprehension among students has declined. Thus, by thematically analysing semi-structured interviews, the study explores how five EFL teachers in Swedish upper-secondary schools self-report their instructional practice of reading strategies, and the instructional impact for students and challenges that follow. The findings were presented through pre-, during-, and post-reading strategies, and whether they were implemented through implicit and explicit instruction to foster reading skills based on Skill Acquisition Theory. The findings indicated that during-reading strategies were most commonly used, but that reading strategy instruction was generally not implemented explicitly. Teachers reported that explicit instruction had a positive impact on reading skills, including reading comprehension. However, the findings also indicated several challenges with explicit reading strategy instruction, including heterogeneous classrooms, time constraints, and varying interpretations of the syllabus. The findings offer valuable insights into how explicit reading strategy instruction can benefit reading skills when adapted to students’ needs and repeatedly practised in meaningful ways. Further research should combine student and teacher interviews along with observations to gain a deeper understanding of how reading strategies are implemented in practice, their impact on students’ strategy use, and how the syllabus for English could provide clearer, more explicit guidance on reading strategy instruction.