The Treatment of English in Language Education Policy: Lessons from Sweden and Switzerland

Identifying the features and characteristics of successful countries is of great interest to researchers in various fields. In this study, the focus was on English language teaching policy in two high-ranking countries, Switzerland and Sweden in preschool, school, and higher education levels. These countries were chosen due to their similar socioeconomic conditions, which allowed for a more meaningful comparison. The study followed PRISMA guidelines for systematic review and reviewed ۱۳ studies published between ۲۰۱۰ and ۲۰۲۱. The analysis revealed that both countries had adopted a top-down language policy and utilized a holistic curriculum for language education. However, there were some differences in the purposes of English language teaching between the two countries. In Sweden, the English language serves multiple purposes, including cultural, emotional, academic, and economic, while in Switzerland, it has primarily been used as a second language and lingua franca. Despite these similarities and differences, there were also some discrepancies between policy and practice in both contexts. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into English language teaching policy in Switzerland and Sweden and highlights the importance of considering policy and practice when examining language education. The implications of these findings can inform future research and policy decisions aimed at improving English language teaching in other countries.

کلیدواژه ها:

ELT ، ELT policy ، Systematic Review ، Sweden ، Switzerland