Adolescents’ Literacy Development in English as a Foreign Language in Iceland

• Main Author: Lærke Engelbrecht 1982-
• Other Authors: Háskóli Íslands
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2015
• Subjects: Teaching in lower secondary school; Literacy; English language - Study and teaching - Foreign speakers; Information technology; Reading (Secondary); Meistaraprófsritgerðir; Læsi; Lestrarkennsla; Enskukennsla; Upplýsingatækni; Iceland
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1946/23289

The scope of the thesis centres on literacy development among adolescents in Iceland in English as a Foreign Language (EFL). The thesis is divided into two parts: a theoretical part and a section on qualitative research. The first part looks at the history and theories regarding reading and literacy development and learning motivation in adolescents. The second part focuses on a qualitative research study conducted in 2015 in Iceland. The results are based on data from interviews with two compulsory-school teachers, who teach EFL in grades 7-10 in Iceland. Literacy development is a crucial element for being able to participate actively and successfully in Icelandic society and to adapt to a rapidly changing and globalised world. The growing exposure and importance of English as a foreign language in Iceland and the rapid development of information and communication technology (ICT) requires both substantial knowledge of English and development of literacy. These changes all affect the work of EFL teachers in Iceland. They have to think about new approaches to teaching to respond to and fulfil the objectives in the National Curriculum Guide of 2014. Results from the study indicate that some EFL teachers in Iceland have begun to move from teacher-directed instruction towards more learner-centred teaching. However, textbooks seem to be the most important reading material that the teachers choose when planning reading lessons in EFL. This stands in the way of teachers applying collaborative and communicative reading activities. Also, it appears that there is a discrepancy between the teachers’ awareness in regarding conscious implementation of reading strategies and reflecting upon supporting literacy development. Accordingly, it seems that pupils’ literacy in English will vary depending on which teacher taught them. The results indicate limited access to ICT tools in some schools, which appears to hinder the implementation of digital texts in EFL. Also, the results indicate that a teacher's lack of ICT skills can ...