Institutional Repository | Satya Wacana Christian University: The Use Of English Outside The Classroom by Students of SMP Kristen Lentera

THE USE OF ENGLISH OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM BY
STUDENTS OF SMP KRISTEN LENTERA
Elisabeth Novia Tayl
Abstract
Many Indonesian students learn English. However, they have a small chance to use it
outside the classroom as a daily communication language because English is a foreign
language in Indonesia. Therefore, this study is aimed to investigate what kind of
activities of using English the students do outside the classroom and how the activities
help them in learning English. A total of 130 SMP Kristen Lentera students in three
different levels of study participated in filling in the questionnaire and were grouped
into several categories. Then, five of eleven participants who strongly agree with all
statements in the questionnaire were involved in an interview. The study revealed that
the five participants used English outside the classroom to communicate, do a free
voluntary reading, sing or listening to English songs, watch English videos or movies,
surf to the internet and use mobile phone, and write pieces of writing. It was found
those activities help learners in improving their English, especially in speaking and
vocabulary. The results of the study suggest that teachers can utilize the students’
outside classroom activities of using English as part of the teaching materials to
enhance successful learning.
Key words: using English outside classroom