Students' Out-of-Class Activities for Practicing English as a Foreign Language: A Log Study

In recent years scholars have indicated that students learning a foreign language benefit from work with the structures of the language along with use of the language itself for communicative purposes if they are to achieve a high level of proficiency. This paper examines the out-of-class choices in this regard of a group of 22 first-year university students in a degree in Modern Languages and Translation in Spain. The data were taken from their learning logs, a course requirement for their English class. The objective of this study was to determine whether the students focused on the components of the language or on meaning as conveyed through actual language use, and in particular, what types of activities they sought out to improve their level in the target language in their free time and if any changes occurred over the course of the semester-long study. It was found that the students reported more activities related to language use, specifically listening, but that they also examined vocabulary, grammar or pronunciation while doing them. In addition, it was found that they shifted their focus to speaking and writing activities related to course assignments. The results shed light on the learning habits of young adults at a time when learning opportunities abound so teachers can link in-class work to students' outside interests and learning habits