Out-of-class language learning strategies

This article follows up some of the research into learning strategies and focuses on the role of functional practice. It discusses a study into the out-of-class learning strategies of a group of proficient German speakers of English, and attempts to identify and quantify the out-of-class learning activities employed by these learners during their study of English. The study finds that the most-cited activities are the passive ones of reading and listening, due to the accessibility of materials, and that the active skills of speaking and writing receive less attention. The study explores the individual motivations of the sample in their choice of activities through the use of questionnaires and interviews, and highlights a wide range of individual activity choices and motivations.