Didactic dilemmas and possibilities: Teachers’ and students’ perceptions of speaking Spanish in foreign language education in Swedish lower secondary school

This study examines experiences, attitudes and expectations in relation to teaching and learning to speak Spanish in schools. Interviews were conducted with teachers and students at five lower secondary schools to investigate what aspects are emphasised when discussing speaking in the school subject Spanish as a modern language. In addition to questions about general and personal perceptions, a retrospective method was applied where teachers and students were asked about spoken activities observed by the researcher. The interview data were analysed using qualitative content analysis and sorted under the didactic questions: who? what? and how? From the analysis, four didactic dilemmas were identified, representing challenges when it comes to teaching speaking: ‘Speaking as authentic or adapted practice’, ‘Accommodating each individual student or the whole group’, ‘Planning and conducting spoken activities in whole class or small group settings’, and ‘Speaking Swedish or speaking Spanish’. These dilemmas are discussed within the context of previous research and the teachers’ and students’ voices.