Predicting Teachers’ Choice of Teaching and Learning Materials: A Survey Study with Swedish Teachers

Abstract

Few Swedish studies have investigated how teachers choose teaching and learning materials. In the context of choosing teaching and learning materials Sweden provides a particularly interesting case because the country undergone a transformation from high state regulation to a self-regulated market. Consequently, the overall aim of this article is to investigate how teachers choose teaching and learning materials. The following research questions were the focus: How do teachers choose teaching and learning materials? What predicts teachers’ choice of teaching and learning materials? In the current study, 319 teachers filled out a questionnaire regarding their choice of teaching and learning materials. The descriptive statistics indicate that the content matters most to teachers when choosing teaching and learning materials. Readability is in the middle and commercials are at the bottom. The non-recursive structure of the model demonstrated that professional experience decreases teachers’ preferences for content. Talking to colleagues about teaching and learning materials increases teachers’ preferences for adhering to collegial recommendations. Special educators are more concerned with content and readability than ordinary teachers. However, special educators are also less prone to be guided by past experiences when selecting teaching and learning materials.