| International students attending English language schools are routinely offered the choice of a full-day intensive program or a semi-intensive program featuring time off to use English in the local area. Utilizing Bensons' theory about learning outside the classroom, this narrative inquiry study researched the beliefs of English learners with regard to having additional free time outside the classroom. Purposive sampling was used to select 10 adult English language students in the southeastern United States. Participants' experiences were elicited through semi-structured interviews and constructed into narratives, validated by member checking. The narratives were analyzed using polyvocal analysis, followed by a cross-narrative analysis and triangulation with other interview data. The findings showed that having additional time did not automatically enhance language learning. Whether language learning occurred depended on the participants themselves and their choice of living arrangements. Participants who created opportunities for engagement with native speakers perceived their language learning to be particularly successful. Homestay accommodations with an English-speaking host family emerged as the option most conducive to language learning outside of the classroom. These findings may help learners, instructors, and support staff of English language schools to recognize and create opportunities for out-of-classroom language learning. Augmenting formal programs of instruction for English learners with effective, out-of-classroom language learning opportunities such as homestays with English-speaking host families could contribute to greater student success in English language learning. As a result these students will be better able to assimilate into American culture. |
