Teaching Literature For Bildung. Action Research On Student Engagement In Literature Instruction

• In Event: AERA Research in Progress Roundtable Session Five
  In Invited Roundtable: Research-in-Progress RT040 (Sunday)

Abstract

This action research study in collaboration with L1 teachers at two upper secondary schools in Sweden focuses on matters of engagement and Bildung in literature instruction. The change in reading habits and declining interest in literature among adolescents in Sweden has influenced a new national subject syllabus for the subject Swedish that has come into effect in 2025. The syllabus emphasizes the aesthetic value of fiction and that teaching should stimulate students to read often and contribute to the Bildung of students. Guided by theories on engagement and Bildung and using action research, this study will contribute to the literary didactic field with strategies for student engagement in school reading and make theoretical contributions to studies on Bildung.

Author

• Magnus Svensson, Mälardalen University