WHAT ARE THE STUDENTS DOING ‘OUT’ THERE?AN INVESTIGATION OF OUT-OF-CLASS LANGUAGE LEARNING ACTIVITIES

Studies on teaching and learning processes are mostly related to issues going on within the classroom environment. However, activities done outside the classroom are also crucial for language development of the students. Out-of-class activities can be an explanation for the quicker skill development of some learners, and they can contribute to achieve learner autonomy. Therefore, research on out-of-class learning strategies is important to provide the students with better strategy training. This study investigated the out-of-class language learning of the students enrolled in the English Preparatory Classes during the first term of the 2012-2013 academic year in a state university in Istanbul. The study was a mixed method design in which both qualitative and quantitative data were collected through a questionnaire developed by the researchers. The results indicated that the activity that the students involved in most out of the classroom was ‘Listening to music’ (M = 3,94), which was followed by ‘Watching films’ (M = 3,71). The open-ended questions in the questionnaire revealed 3 themes which were ‘the importance of out-of-class language learning for the students’, ‘reasons why they cannot involve in out-of-class language learning’, and ‘the person who directs their out-of-class language learning’. The results also showed that there was no significant difference between boys and girls, and students who graduated from private schools and state schools, and students from different disciplines in terms of out of class language learning, while a significant difference was detected between the students from schools with and without an intensive English program, and students with different level of English.