STarting AGe and Extramural English: Learning English in and outside of school in Norway and Flanders (STAGE)

• Sundqvist, Pia; Sandund, Erica; Källkvist, Marie & Gyllstad, Henrik (2022). Language practices in English classrooms: Guest editors’ introduction to the special issue. Languages. ISSN 2226-471X. 7(4). doi: 10.3390/languages7040291. Full text in Research Archive
• Sundqvist, Pia (2022). Extramural English in language education. In Mohebbi, Hassan & Coombe, Christine (Ed.), Research questions in language education and applied linguistics: A reference guide. Springer. ISSN 978-3-030-79142-1. p. 201–205. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-79143-8_37.
• Reinders, Hayo; Lai, Chun & Sundqvist, Pia (2022). Introduction: Language Learning and Teaching Beyond the Classroom. In Reinders, Hayo; Lai, Chun & Sundqvist, Pia (Ed.), The Routledge handbook of language learning and teaching beyond the classroom . Routledge. ISSN 9781003048169. p. 1–6. Full text in Research Archive
• Sundqvist, Pia (2022). Learning across the lifespan: Age, language learning, and technology. In Ziegler, Nicole & González-Lloret, Marta (Ed.), The Routledge handbook of second language acquisition and technology . Routledge. ISSN 9781351117586. p. 343–355. Full text in Research Archive

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• Reinders, Hayo; Lai, Chun & Sundqvist, Pia (2022). The Routledge handbook of language learning and teaching beyond the classroom . Routledge. ISBN 9781003048169. 441 p.

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• Sundqvist, Pia & Ulfat, Nasrin (2024). Another STAGE for learning: Starting age of formal instruction, extramural English, and L2 English proficiency levels. Show summary

  This presentation is part of STAGE [STarting AGe and Extramural English], a project whose aim is to provide insights into the input-acquisition relationship by unraveling the relative contribution of formal instruction and extramural English (EE, Sundqvist, 2009) to second/foreign language (L2) learners’ English proficiency. Specifically, the project investigates the impact of an early start of formal instruction in an input-rich context by comparing early starters in Norway (English introduced in grade 1; i.e., similar to Sweden, grades 1–3) and late starters in Flanders (English introduced in grade 7/8). Using a cross-sectional design, learners in both settings are compared in grade 1 (age 5–6, baseline data), grade 6 (age 11–12), and grade 10 (age 15–16) in terms of their EE, vocabulary knowledge, reading comprehension, and speaking. Thus, the starting age of instruction differs, but both contexts are similar regarding the omnipresence of out-of-school English. The study presented is grounded in theories about L2 acquisition: sociocultural theory (Lantolf & Thorne, 2006) and usage-based perspectives on learning (Cadierno & Eskildsen, 2015). Results from research show, e.g., that in regions where L2 TV programs are subtitled (L1), learners tend to have large amounts of EE from an early age (Hannibal Jensen, 2017), as English is the dominant language of popular culture; such regions have advantages in terms of L2 learning. Studies exploring EE and L2 learning have consistently shown benefits of EE, for both instructed learners (Lindgren & Muñoz, 2013; Peters et al., 2019) and learners without any formal instruction yet (De Wilde et al., 2020; Puimège & Peters, 2019). While there is EE-research examining its relation to L2 proficiency, to date, there have been no controlled, large-scale studies comparing the association between different types of EE (e.g., gaming, watching television) and various proficiency measures in different age groups across different instructional contexts. Regarding starting age for L2 instruction, unlike for immigrant learners in naturalistic L2 learning settings (DeKeyser, 2011), there does not seem to be an age effect. An early start does not necessarily result in higher L2 proficiency when the weekly lesson time is limited; in fact, late starters catch up quickly because of higher cognitive maturity (Jaekel et al., 2017; Pfenninger & Singleton, 2017). Quantity and quality of input are more important predictors of L2 proficiency (Muñoz, 2014). Moreover, so far, research into early instruction has mainly been conducted in regions where English exposure tends to be limited to school, with very little research into the long-term effects of an early start in regions providing large amounts of EE. In our presentation, focus is on quantitative findings about characteristics of EE in Norway and Flanders. Data consist of questionnaires, language diaries, and interviews. A non-probability sampling methods was used (Dörnyei & Taguchi, 2010); the sample was a carefully selected convenience sample (Norway: N=579; Flanders: N=c. 450, to be completed). Quantitative data are currently being analyzed. EE is expected to be similar in both settings at all three levels. The results will be discussed considering the symposium theme.

• Sundqvist, Pia; Gyllstad, Henrik; Peters, Elke; Rindal, Ulrikke; Skar, Gustaf B. & Ulfat, Nasrin (2024). First-graders know L2 English vocabulary – viewing, gaming, YouTube. Show summary

  This presentation uncovers the relation between very young second/foreign language learners’ English vocabulary knowledge and extramural English (EE, Sundqvist, 2009). Research has shown that music, gaming, and TV are important EE sources (Puimège & Peters, 2019) and indicated gender-related differences for EE and vocabulary (Hannibal Jensen, 2017). Data were collected from 60 1st-graders (aged 5–6) in Norway: learner and parental questionnaires, and a shortened (k=31) Picture Vocabulary Size Test (Anthony & Nation, 2017). Results-wise, participants knew on average 12.32 words (SD=5.13). Gamers scored higher than non-gamers; no gender-related EE or vocabulary differences were found. The presentation ends with a glimpse of SYLT-VOC, a test for young learners.

• Ulfat, Nasrin (2024). Language learning and escapism: How five Norwegian adolescents escape reality by reading and/or gaming extramurally in L2 English.
• Rindal, Ulrikke & Sundqvist, Pia (2024). Oh my gosh! Emotion and engagement with extramural English among 6-year-olds. Show summary

  Research has shown that self-initiated engagement with English outside school – extramural English (EE) – is related to the development of foreign/second language (L2) English proficiency (Sundqvist, 2009). Since learners do activities they enjoy while using their L2, EE reflects both emotional and cognitive engagement (Sundqvist & Uztosun, 2023). However, limited research has explored young learners using digital technologies in their L2. This paper presents a study exploring EE engagement among three 6-year-olds (1st-graders) through informal interviews with artefacts in combination with observations in the home (Coupland & Creese, 2015). The participants, one with a high score (Bro) and two with medium scores (Celine and Marcus) on a picture vocabulary test, were sampled from the STAGE project (University of Oslo, 2021). Audio recordings of home interviews and field notes were analysed inductively to explore how engagement with games, YouTube and music created affordances for L2 learning in the home. The results showed how Bro, Celine and Marcus were exposed to English-speaking media and actively engaged with English using digital platforms. Their engagement was characterised by social interaction and shared interests with family members, in homes with generally positive attitudes towards multilingualism and encouragement of English language use. Overall, the results suggest that a combination of positive attitudes and access to technical devices affords incidental L2 English learning in the home. Such type of EE engagement will most likely influence learners’ proficiency in different ways, suggesting it might be challenging for teachers to elicit latent competence in the youngest learners. Informal conversations with the participants’ teacher suggested that Bro’s above-average L2 English vocabulary knowledge developed from extensive gaming remained undiscovered in the first months of schooling, while Celine’s music interest and initiated dialogues about everyday topics as well as idiomatic expressions (e.g., ”Oh my gosh!”) might have been more accessible during English lessons.

• Sundqvist, Pia (2023). Skal sammenligne engelsknivået i Norge og Belgia. [Newspaper]. A-magasinet.
• Sundqvist, Pia (2023). Walk the line: Teaching L2 English and young learners’ gaming inside and outside the classroom.
• Rindal, Ulrikke Elisabeth (2023). The role of English for young Norwegians. Show summary

  The role of English for young Norwegians This contribution reports a study that explores ideologies of English among children and adolescents in Norway. The paper presents data from qualitative interviews with 12 participants aged 6, 11 and 15 who have English as an additional language (L2), investigating how their English language practices relate to identity work and experiences of ownership of English. English does not have any official status in Norway, but formal instruction begins year 1, and English is a mandatory school subject for 11 years with its own curriculum separate from other foreign languages. Children and adolescents are daily exposed to considerable amounts of English outside of school, particularly through popular and social media. Although traditionally categorised as a ‘foreign’ language in Norway, English is today “simply a fact of 21st-century life” for young Norwegians (Linn, 2016, p. 201). The interview study is part of the research project STAGE – STarting AGe and Extramural English, which investigates the relative influence of extramural English (self-initiated English use outside of school) on English language proficiency (Sundqvist, 2023). STAGE is a multiple-method study with participants from grades 1, 6 and 10 from Norway and Flanders, Belgium (N=900), including data from language logs, questionnaires and various proficiency tests. The interview participants (N=12) are selected from the larger STAGE sample based on the quantitative data sources, aiming to include participants with various linguistic and cultural backgrounds. The participants are interviewed in pairs in a room at their school. In addition, I visit the youngest participants in their home to conduct additional informal interviews with artefacts in combination with observations. Interviews across all levels are semi-structured, with age-appropriate operationalisations of concepts related to language ideologies. Based on informal conversations with a selection of the participants, the data is expected to show how English is related to media and the internet, and different from the English taught in school. Participants at all levels are expected to consider English a language that they acquire naturally. The older participants are expected to engage on interactive digital platforms outside of school that are closely related to their interests and identities, thus involving English in their identity work. Increased extramural English adds to an already multifaceted sociolinguistic climate in Norway, leading to complex ideologies related to English. The role of English for young Norwegians challenges traditional categorisations where the status of English is defined by national borders (e.g., Kachru, 1985), and has considerable implications for how English is taught in school and in higher education. Kachru, B. (1985). Standards, codification and sociolinguistic realism: The English language in the outer circle. In R. Quirk & H. G. Widdowson (Eds.), English in the world: Teaching and learning the language and literatures (pp. 11-30). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Linn, A. (2016). Investigating English in Europe: Contexts and Agendas. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. Sundqvist, P. (2023). Starting age and extramural English: Learning English in and outside of school in Norway and Flanders (STAGE). Retrieved from https://www.uv.uio.no/ils/english/research/projects/stage/

• Gyllstad, Henrik; Sundqvist, Pia; Peters, Elke; Rindal, Ulrikke Elisabeth; Skar, Gustaf B. & Ulfat, Nasrin (2023). Very young children know L2 English vocabulary – viewing, gaming, YouTube. Show summary

  This presentation uncovers the relation between young second/foreign language (L2) learners’ English vocabulary knowledge (meaning recognition) and their self-initiated use of English outside school, extramural English (EE, Sundqvist, 2009), and details results relating to individually tested vocabulary target items. To date, research has shown that music, digital games, and TV are important sources of EE (De Wilde et al., 2020; Puimège & Peters, 2019) and indicated gender-related differences in EE use and vocabulary knowledge (Hannibal Jensen, 2017; Sylvén & Sundqvist, 2012), but few studies have targeted very young learners. Data were collected from 60 learners aged 5–6 (grade 1) in Norway, consisting of a learner EE questionnaire (individual and oral administration), a parental questionnaire, and a shortened (k=31) Picture Vocabulary Size Test (Anthony & Nation, 2017) based on age-of-acquisition ratings of target items (Kuperman et al., 2012); an “I don’t know” (IDK) option was added. Measurement-wise, the score reliability was somewhat low but acceptable at .79, and the mean item-total correlation was .30. The participants varied widely as to their use of the IDK option (range 0-20; Mean: 3.62; about 30% never used it). Results-wise, despite young age and very little formal instruction in school, participants knew on average 12.32 words (SD=5.13), a finding relevant to teacher practice. Participants who reported playing video games scored higher than non-gamers but only significantly so for specific items. No gender-related EE or vocabulary differences were found. The presentation ends with a glimpse of SYLT-VOC, a test for young learners (the STAGE project).

• Sundqvist, Pia (2022). Extramural English, media influence, and identity: Focus on Swedish L2 English learners and changed self-perceptions. Show summary

  In my presentation, I will draw on research on extramural English and what it has taught us about the informal learning of English in out-of-school settings on the one hand, and the crucial role of media in the lifeworlds of young people on the other. Extramural English (EE) refers to ‘English outside the walls of the classroom’ in activities such as listening to music, watching streamed media content, reading books, and online gaming. EE activities are always initiated by the learners themselves, generally for the purpose of entertainment. However, both incidental and intentional (and online and offline) learning of L2 English is covered by the concept. Based on survey and interview data collected over a decade, I have had the opportunity to examine learners’ EE habits from middle school until the end of lower secondary school. In my presentation, I will present some preliminary findings and let learner voices speak to the audience. It will become clear how former learners of English have turned into daily users of English who, contrary to popular belief, demonstrate advanced English knowledge – according to themselves, not least thanks to their consumption of English media.

• Peters, Elke (2022). Out-of-school language learning from foreign language media.
• Rindal, Ulrikke Elisabeth (2022). English in transition - the status of English in and out of school in Norway.
• Rindal, Ulrikke Elisabeth (2022). Forsker på verdien av fritids-engelsken. [Internet]. Utdanningsnytt.no.
• Sundqvist, Pia (2022). The pyramid is upside down: Age, instruction, and L2 English learning.
• Rindal, Ulrikke Elisabeth (2022). Hvorfor snakker unge engelsk? [TV]. NRK Helgemorgen.
• Sundqvist, Pia (2022). STAGE-prosjektet: Engelsk på første trinn.
• Sundqvist, Pia (2022). Young Swedish L2 English learners and changed self-perceptions. Show summary

  In this talk, keeping the goal of #YouthMediaLife in mind, I will draw on research on extramural English and what it has taught us about the informal learning of English in out-of-school settings on the one hand, and the crucial role of media in the lifeworlds of young people on the other. Extramural English (EE) refers to ‘English outside the walls of the classroom’ in activities such as listening to music, watching streamed media content, and online gaming. EE activities are always initiated by the learners themselves, generally for the purpose of entertainment. However, both incidental and intentional (and online and offline) learning of L2 English is covered by the concept. Based on survey and interview data collected over a decade, I have had the opportunity to examine some learners’ EE and media engagement from middle school until the end of lower secondary school. In my presentation, I will let some of their voices speak to the audience. It will become clear how former learners of English have turned into daily users of English who, contrary to popular belief, demonstrate advanced English knowledge – not least thanks to their consumption of English media, according to themselves.

• Sundqvist, Pia & Peters, Elke (2022). Teaching L2 English in primary school or not? A comparative pilot study of young learners in input-rich settings with different starting ages of formal English instruction. Show summary

  Findings from research on the role of age in foreign/second language (L2) learning are inconclusive, and very few studies include possible learning from engagement in Extramural English activities (EE, Sundqvist, 2009). The two STAGE sister projects aim to fill this gap in research by conducting cross-sectional studies and comparing results for learners in Norway and Flanders (the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium) on measures of English proficiency and EE from three age groups: learners in grade 1 (age 6–7), grade 6 (age 11–12), and grade 10 (age 15–16). Norway and Flanders are comparable societies with similar education systems and access to English, but different starting points for English instruction in school: early in Norway (grade 1) and late in Flanders (grade 7/8). This presentation presents the results from a pilot study involving participants aged 11–13 in Sweden (a country similar to Norway, early start) and Flanders (N=144). Data were collected through an EE-questionnaire, a listening comprehension test, and the Picture Vocabulary Size Test (PVST, Anthony & Nation, 2017). Data were analyzed quantitatively. While participants’ engagement in EE was very similar among participants from both settings in terms of frequency and types of preferred EE activities (e.g., listening to music and gaming), the early starters scored higher than the later starters on both tests, which might indicate a positive effect from having received formal instruction (Swedish participants), as opposed to only having been exposed to EE (Flemish participants). Implications for English language teaching and educational policy will be discussed.

• Sundqvist, Pia (2022). 15 Years of Researching Extramural English: Lessons Learned for ELT. Show summary

  In this talk, keeping the theme of the conference in mind, I will focus on what fifteen years of research on extramural English has taught us about informal learning of English in out-of-school settings, and how such research findings can inform English language teaching (ELT). During this time period, there has been a clear global trend of implementing formal instruction of English as a foreign/second/additional language (L2) early in primary school (Nikolov & Mihaljević Djigunović, 2011), even though there is little empirical evidence that an early start is beneficial for learners in the long run (Muñoz & Singleton, 2011). Interestingly, during the same period, the opportunities for learning English informally have been richer than ever thanks to technological advancements, learners’ increased access to the internet, and the status of English as a global language (Graddol, 2006). Extramural English (EE) refers to ‘English outside the walls of the classroom’ in activities such as listening to music, reading books, watching streamed media content, and online gaming (Sundqvist, 2009). EE activities are initiated by the learners themselves, generally for the purpose of entertainment. However, both incidental and intentional (and online and offline) learning of L2 English is covered by the concept (Sundqvist & Sylvén, 2016). Because EE plays a crucial role in most learners’ daily lives, it is essential that teachers gain knowledge about learners’ EE, but how can that be done, and what are some pedagogical implications for ELT? My presentation aims to shed light on questions such as these.

• Sundqvist, Pia (2021). Online gaming and game-changing: From learning to teaching. Show summary

  In this talk, with the theme of this year’s roundtable in mind, I will outline empirical work on the relationship between online gaming and second/foreign language (L2) learning. From the many perspectives on this topic, I will focus on research that examines how different variables (such as age, gender, and L2 proficiency) are related to different types of learning via game-mediated interactions with young and adolescent learners engaged in a plethora of English-mediated activities outside of school, including listening to music, reading books, watching streamed media content, as well as gaming online. To be able to participate in online gameplay together with others can be an extremely strong motivator for learning English since English tends to be the default language used in massively multiplayer online games. In my plenary address, I explain positive relationships between online gaming (typically so-called commercial-off-the-shelf games) and various aspects of L2 proficiency, discussing factors like ‘time played’ and ‘types of games played’, with some discussion of languages other than English. I will conclude by asking whether gaming might be a game-changer for L2 teaching in the way it has already been for L2 learning.

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