The impact of Extramural English on Norwegian lower secondary school students´ English vocabulary and grammar: A quantitative study on how much English Norwegian teenagers learn outside the classroom

Abstract

This thesis aims to explore the relationship between Norwegian lower secondary school students' exposure to English outside of school and their proficiency in general English vocabulary and grammar. Sundqvist (2009) first introduced the term extramural English, which refers to learning English without any degree of deliberate intention to acquire it. This quantitative study investigates three key variables: the participants´ English grades, their scores on a test made to measure their general English proficiency, and their screen time on the social media platform TikTok. Norwegian teenagers of 2024 spend considerable amounts of time on TikTok, and the platform is therefore included as a separate variable. In addition to the key variables, several activities leading to exposure to English outside of school are considered as separate variables. The variables are correlated in different correlation analyses to determine whether there are any strong relationships between the students´ extramural English habits and their English proficiency. Surprisingly, the study finds no strong positive correlations between the key variables. This suggests that spending a significant amount of time on extramural English activities does not necessarily translate to higher scores on general English vocabulary and grammar or better English grades in school. These findings challenge the assumption that extramural English activities directly and positively impact students' English proficiency and academic performance.