Students’ engagement with foreign languages beyond the classroom across target language, proficiency, and experience abroad

Language students’ use of the target language (TL) of study in English-dominant settings beyond the classroom is both a means and an end for university-based language programmes: TL exposure outside of the classroom facilitates learning, and using the TL to engage with speakers and cultures is a valued outcome of language learning. While much is known about proficiency outcomes for language students in US universities, less is known about how often such students actually engage in various activities using their TLs. To better understand students’ out-of-class TL activity and investigate likely influences on engagement, we descriptively analysed large-scale (N = 2560) questionnaire and proficiency test data collected from language students at three public universities in the US. Findings indicate that typical students use the TL outside of the classroom infrequently; among activities surveyed the median response was most commonly ‘once a month or less’. Students with higher levels of proficiency, as measured by ACTFL exams, and with more extensive experience abroad reported more frequent engagement in a range of activities. Finally, several interesting patterns in activity engagement were observed across languages, with learners of Japanese, Korean, and Portuguese showing more frequent engagement with TL videos and social media.