Out‐of‐Class Exposure Through Audiovisual Materials, Enjoyment, and Language Proficiency: A Mixed‐Methods Longitudinal Study of Junior Secondary FL Learners

The current study set out to contribute to the burgeoning research area of out‐of‐class L2/FL learning by examining, specifically, English learners’ extramural engagement with watching movies/videos and/or listening to songs (i.e., exposure to audiovisuals). We examined 435 Grade‐7 EFL participants’ amounts of exposure, enjoyment of English learning through these platforms, and their listening and reading proficiency across 1.5 academic years. Four instruments were used in the current study: Multiple exposure surveys, enjoyment questionnaires, proficiency tests, and semi‐structured interviews. Using linear mixed‐effects modeling with random intercepts for participant and time, enjoyment and its interaction with exposure, but not exposure itself , were found to be positive predictors of overall language achievement. Follow‐up interviews with 15 participants shed light on the importance of coupling enjoyment of FL learning through audiovisuals with abundant audiovisual exposure. The study highlights that out‐of‐class audiovisual exposure alone may not be sufficient for effective language proficiency development.