Understanding Word Comprehension : A Qualitative Study of Swedish Upper Secondary School EFL Teachers’ Perspectives on Pupils’ Word Comprehension in the EFL Classroom

Sammanfattning

This study explores eight teachers’ perceptions and practices concerning enhancing pupils’ word comprehension. To fulfil the aim of the study, eight separate interviews were conducted with teachers actively teaching English in Swedish upper secondary schools. The study addresses three research questions about teaching practices and word comprehension in upper secondary schools. The research questions are: How do the participating teachers perceive pupils’ word comprehension and vocabulary proficiency? To what extent have the pedagogical approaches implemented by the participating teachers been successful in enhancing the pupils’ vocabulary comprehension? To what degree do teachers feel supported by their schools in teaching word comprehension? The results indicate that: first, the participating teachers identified a general lack of word comprehension skills among pupils; second, pupils often enter upper secondary school unprepared, with a noticeable gap between the vocabulary learned in ninth grade and what is expected in upper secondary school; third, the majority of the participating teachers encouraged pupils to identify difficult words and research their meanings independently; and fourth, the schools differed in how actively they supported word comprehension strategies. This study concludes that a crucial role of word comprehension in pupils’ success in upper secondary English education is a strong lexical base, and many pupils lack this aspect. A robust foundation is crucial for deeper text understanding and overall language proficiency. The strategy that stands out as an effective and engaging method among the study’s participants is the vocabulary self-collection strategy (VSS), which aligns well with curriculum goals while fostering learner autonomy. The findings also stress the need for stronger support systems, professional development for teachers, and better alignment between lower and upper secondary school education to bridge existing gaps in vocabulary preparedness.