Out-of-class English Language Learning and the Communication Skills of University Students
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Abstract
This research is a quantitative and qualitative study.The research objectives were (1) to study the effects of out-of-class language learning on students’ communication skill, and (2) to identify the factors related to out-of-class language learning. The research instruments included questionnaires, personal learning logs, and a communication skill pre-test and post-test. The study was carried out at Mae Fah Luang University, an autonomous university where English is used as a medium of instruction. The participants in the study were ten students who voluntarily participated in out-of-class oral communication development. They were third and fourth-year non-English majors in the 2017 academic year. After 10 weeks of participation in the out-of-class language learning, based on the pre-test and post-test, it was found that students who were more autonomous than other students performed better in their post-test, and their post-test scores were statistically higher at a significance level of 0.05. The main factors affecting communication skill were vocabulary and grammar; and factors influencing out-of-class language learning included motivation and learning context.
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