High school students' attitudes to teachers' varieties of English

This study aims to shed light on high school students’ attitudes to teachers’ varieties of English. The focus is on British English and American English, the two dominating varieties in Swedish schools. A written questionnaire was used to establish the experiences, attitudes and preferences regarding the varieties, among 120 students at a high school in Norrbotten. The results reveal a number of attitudes and trends, some more prominent than others. The students appreciate the British variety to be the dominating variety used in school and the American one to be dominating in media. A strong majority of the students have a clear preference for the American variety, and also feel that they have been more influenced by the variety used in media than the variety used in school. A majority also prefer their teachers to use the American variety. The study indicates the need for clear guidelines regarding the use of different varieties within the school system, and supports the idea that the mixing of varieties that is common reality should perhaps be fully acknowledged and accepted.Validerat; 20120206 (anonymous