| This study explored how Thai learners of English as a foreign language, engaged in English activities outside of classrooms to learn and practice the English language. Three research questions of this study include: (a) How do the participants perceive access and availability of out of class English activities in local environments?, (b) How do the participants engage in out-of-class English activities in local environments?, and (c) What perspective do the participants have on out-of-class English activities? What factors affect their participation in such activities?;The study employed a qualitative multiple case study approach, grounded in the ethnographic tradition. The four focal participants were all third-year female undergraduates majoring in English Education at a Thai university. Data sources include participant observation, field notes, interviews, self-reflection journals, and self-report activity diaries.;The findings about out-of-class English activities illustrate that learners are routinely involved in a range of activities, for example watching movies, listening to and singing songs, doing Internet activities, and reading books and newspapers. The study found, however, that the participants did not perceive all English activities available outside of the classroom as English learning sources. Rather, they perceived only those sources possessing the following four qualities: transparency, usability, expense, and affectivity. In terms of activity types, participants usually engaged in multimodal, non-face-to-face (yet interactive), receptive, and incidental learning activities. Furthermore, level of participation in out-of-class English activities depended on both internal factors such as identity and motivation as well as external factors such as social networks and social norms.;This study suggested that out-of-class English activities can be beneficial for language learning and merit special consideration by English educators. For example, out-of-class English activities may be incorporated into formal instruction to help learners pay attention to and participate in meaningful communicative activity. |
