Out-of-Classroom English Practices of the Tertiary-Level English Majors

The study investigates English language use outside the classroom among English majors at the tertiary level in Bangladesh, focusing on its relationship with students’ English proficiency. To reveal participants’ attitudes toward out-of-classroom English practices (OCEP), which OCEP activities they engage in and how frequently, and the relationship between OCEP and demographics and perceived proficiency, a quantitative methodology was used. Following a convenient sampling method, first-year and final-year English department students from eight universities in Bangladesh were surveyed using a questionnaire. The findings demonstrate that students have a largely positive attitude toward OCEP, tinted by intellectual acceptance and affective barriers. Furthermore, students engage in diverse OCEP activities that align with their educational and social needs, with communication and professional skills development as the primary motivators. However, the students’ gender and duration of study do not affect their attitude toward OCEP. The study reveals significant differences among the cohorts: while freshers typically practice little English outside the classroom, this increases in subsequent years, as substantial changes are observed among final-year students in their English practice outside traditional settings. In addition, neither of these aspects has shown significant gender differences. In case of proficiency, though gender does not predict proficiency, attitude toward OCEP, and the duration of the study are strong predictors. Overall, the findings suggest that sustained out-of-classroom engagement plays a crucial role in language development and that students’ involvement and perceptions evolve as they progress through their academic journey.