Critical Literacy in Swedish EFL-Classrooms. Exploring Teachers’ Attitudes Towards the Effectiveness of Critical Literacy Approaches in Enhancing Reading Comprehension

Abstract

The study investigates teachers’ attitudes towards effectiveness of critical literacy approaches in fostering reading comprehension when using fiction in teaching EFL. It also investigates if and how critical literacy is implemented in other parts of education. Critical literacy encourages teachers and students to challenge and rethink the existing norms and structures of society in different aspects of everyday living, fostering an indispensable skill in the process. There were 46 participants taking part in the study, which was conducted using a questionnaire using Microsoft Forms. Although previous research on this topic is limited, some previous findings have provided indications as to critical literacy’s effectiveness in fostering reading comprehension. The questionnaire consisted of ten questions in total, some were open-ended, while some were closed-ended. The age and years of experience among the participants varied widely. Most participants reported that they did find critical literacy helpful in fostering reading comprehension among their students. Many also felt that critical literacy was beneficial in other parts of teaching. However, some participants did not find critical literacy helpful in fostering reading comprehension. Given this study’s limited timeline and the apparent lack of previous research, not the least in a Swedish high school context, more research is needed to better understand the impact critical literacy has on students’ reading comprehension.