Does grammar frighten the pupils? : The general perception of grammar studies in modern languages in Sweden.

ABSTRACT This essay aims to explain the Swedish pupils’ attitude towards grammar and to give a more specific picture of its teaching in modern languages. The underlying factor for this subject is the author’s own experiences with the pupils’ reactions to the word ”grammar”, which is a term often connected to something negative among Swedish students. This thesis presents the pupils’ thoughts regarding grammar and its pedagogy. Since the author participitates in the teachers education programme, the absence of the word ”grammar” in the syllabus for modern languages will also be discussed and questioned. The basis for this thesis is a survey made in an upper secondary school in the south of Sweden in autumn 2014. Several groups studying a foreign language at different levels participated: three groups studying French and two groups studying Spanish. The results reveal that the majority of the pupils find grammar very difficult and boring, although these students also think that the grammar is an important foundation of the language since its study is regarded as an essential part of their language studies. However, the survey also shows that a small group of students find grammar studies interesting. The results and conclusions given in this essay may be of some interest for other teachers and education researchers.