EXTRAMURAL ENGLISH AND ADULT EFL LEARNERS’ PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS: A CORRELATIONAL STUDY by

: This study examines the duration of adult EFL learners’ EE activities related to their PA. Further, it examines the correlation between the learners' duration in spoken and written EE and their PA. For this purpose, 32 Indonesian learners participated in the study. After analyzing the questionnaires and the phonological awareness test using the non-parametric (Spearman) correlation, the overall result showed a strong positive correlation between the amount of time the adult EFL learners spend for EE and their PA (r=.818). The specific results also showed strong positive correlations between spoken and written EE and their PA (r=.758 and r=.726). The extramural English activities they mainly engage in deal with technology. The implication of the present research deals with managing learners’ EE activities that are assumed to significantly contribute to their language learning, not only the PA but also other language skills. Thus, the findings call for future research examining the effect of extramural English on phonological awareness and other possible English components or skills.


INTRODUCTION
There is a shift in how learners learn English after the pandemic as they adapt to the new situation.Online learning, which usually limits the activities between teachers and their learners, allows them to find outside-school activities.Their experience, since they must adapt during a pandemic, may force them to do other activities.As they have to stay at home, they may do some Extramural English (EE) activities such as reading short stories, magazines, news, or novels longer than before.They may also surf the Internet, interact through social media, watch movies, videos, and TV, and listen to radio or songs more often while staying at home.With the spread of technology and its increased suitability for second language (L2) learning, EFL learners increasingly engage in digital communication through English outside of the classroom (Lee & Lu, 2021;Reinders & Benson, 2017).Sundqvist (2009) introduced EE as "English outside the walls," which refers to the English learners who encounter or participate outside the classroom walls (Sundqvist et al., 2009).Some studies have found evidence of the effectiveness of EE language learning, such as reading books, surfing the Internet, reading magazines, watching films or videos in English, playing digital games, listening to audio, having technology-enhanced socialization, having face-to-face socialization, and writing compositions (Zhang et al., 2021;Sundqvist & Sylvén, 2016).These activities are critical in this context because they have a positive relationship with learners' oral proficiency and vocabulary (De Wilde et al., 2020;Puimège & Peters, 2019;Frances et al., 2017;Lindgren & Muñoz, 2013;Olsson, 2012;Lefever, 2010;Sundqvist et al., 2009;Storch & Hill, 2008), writing abilities (De Wilde et al., 2020), translation skills, and help overcome language difficulties, understanding, and learning from English lectures (Hellekjaer, 2010).This finding supports Gee's (2008) argument that the entertainment and pleasure learners experience while playing games provide a good foundation for learning.Besides, Avello et al. (2019) suggest that learners will develop a global mindset due to their exposure to EE, which includes reading books and watching English-language films.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sundqvist et al. (2009) offer a broader range of EE activities than the definition of activities included in the home learning environment (HLE).Watching films, TV series, music videos, video blogs (vlogs), listening to music, reading blogs, books, magazines, newspapers, surfing English websites on the Internet, following people, news, organizations, and so on, on Twitter or Instagram (or some other online community), reading/writing/speaking/listening/interacting in real life or online, and playing video/digital games are examples of typical extramural activities.Given these various activities, the possibilities for EE appear limitless for those with Internet access.Opportunities are more limited for those who do not have access to the Internet, but they are still available.Sundqvist et al. (2009) add that EE includes input, output, and interaction in English, which are necessary for second language (L2) learning.There is less of it, but it is still there.

Sa'adah et al(2023)
Aside from Sundqvist's definition, EE has other established terms that are closely related.Benson & Reinders (2011) defines Out-of-Class Learning as "activities that have no direct relationship to schooling in which learners engage in the use of language for their own interest or pleasure."Laufer & Hulstijn (2001) refer to this as Incidental Language Learning.
Referring to similar activities, Laufer & Hulstijn (2001) define Incidental Language Learning as the acquisition of a language with no intention of learning it.Language learning can also occur while the learners are learning other things.Learners, for example, learn new English vocabulary while listening to an English song or watching an English movie.
Several studies have shown that EE has a significant influence on English proficiency.Sundqvist et al. (2009) conducted the first study introducing EE.The study discovered a link between Swedish teenagers' time spent on English-mediated activities outside of school and their English oral proficiency and vocabulary.In a study focusing on digital games as EE L2 learning in terms of vocabulary, Sylvén & Sundqvist (2012) discovered positive correlations between playing digital games and L2 proficiency.Learners spend more time on L2 contribution and scaffolded interaction when they use online games in L2 learning.
Regarding watching movies as an EE learning activity, some studies have revealed the benefit of watching TV shows and films on language acquisition.Other research indicates that films or television shows with discipline-specific content provide more opportunities for learners to acquire specific vocabulary (Csomay & Petrović, 2012;Peters & Webb, 2018).For example, TV shows or films set in a hospital or a court will allow learners to acquire vocabulary used in medical or legal contexts.Olsson (2012) discovered that reading, writing, and watching TV or film were English extramural activities important for increasing vocabulary size and writing skills.EE activities may be done through an interaction between learners (De Wilde et al., 2020;Lefever, 2010;Sundqvist & Sylvén, 2016;Sylvén & Sundqvist, 2012).It was proved that the interaction contributes positively to the learners' performance (Palermo & Mikulski, 2014).While studying at home, interaction is limited through social media such as WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, and others.In an Extramural digital setting, such as social media, virtual communities, and digital games, the ideal second language self significantly predicts second language willingness to communicate (Lee & Lu, 2021).Sylvén & Sundqvist's (2012) study also revealed gender differences in vocabulary, with boys outperforming girls and the frequency and types of digital games played.Huang (2016) studied uppeupper-secondaryrners' EE and attitudes toward learning English from EE activities and in-class settings.The findings show that learners are frequently exposed to EE.

Sa'adah et al(2023)
According to the findings of Giambo and McKinney (2004), changes in PA variables are significant predictors of changes in oral English proficiency.Some studies involving adult EFL learners show a robust positive correlation between PA and speaking comprehensibility and accuracy (Souza, 2015;Venkatagiri & Levis, 2007), which is consistent with the findings of Giambo & McKinney (2004).It means that the more sensitive one is to L2 phonology, the more native-like one's pronunciation is.The findings suggest that PA may play a role in EFL speakers' comprehensibility, particularly when pronouncing a foreign language.

Sa'adah et al(2023)
Highlighting the dominant role of parents in HLE of children, which no longer exists in the adult learning environment, this study is going to broaden the definition of HLE by including EE, that is, the English that learners come in contact with or are involved in outside the walls of the classroom (Sundqvist, 2009).Considering those aspects, this study proposes EE as a new variable to replace HLE.Based on the review of previous studies examined (De Wilde et al., 2020;Lefever, 2010;Lindgren & Muñoz, 2013;Frances et al., 2017;Olsson, 2012;Puimège & Peters, 2019;Storch & Hill, 2008;Sundqvist et al., 2009;Schmitt et al., 2011;Torppa et al., 2007;Levy et al., 2006;Burgess et al., 2002;Senechal & Le Fevre, 2002;Frijters et al., 2000), this study is going to investigate whether EE activities have any correlation with adult EFL learners' PA.
As one of the continuous variables involved in this research, EE's measurement is focused on measuring the amount of time adult EFL learners spend having contact with English outside the classroom (EE), both at school/college and in their leisure time.Further, the measurement also explores the kinds of extramural activity the learners do, whether spoken EE (SEE) or written EE (WEE).Therefore, this study aims to answer the following questions: 1. RQ1: Is there any correlation between EE and adult learners' PA? 2. RQ2: Is there any correlation between SEE and PA for adult learners?3. RQ3: Is there any correlation between WEE and PA for adult learners?

Sa'adah et al(2023)
It means that if the variables correlate, the results of these correlations can be used to predict the level of one variable from another (Latief, 2012).The correlational design also provides information about the strength of relationships among variables.

Participant
This study's participants were 32 adult EFL learners in second-year tertiary education in the English department.Those participants were chosen with the view that in second language acquisition (SLA), awareness is required at the early stages of L2 learning.Furthermore, given the researcher's ease of access to the research subjects, this study included English department learners enrolled in the third semester.The selection of the research subjects, who were second-year learners, was based on the assumption that learners in their first year of college may still have a diverse background of English knowledge, particularly in the variables under investigation.They have not received additional English instruction, which may affect physical or mental changes that affect performance, a process known as maturation (Gay et al., 2012).These varieties and situations were expected to give a comprehensive picture of learners' PA and the factors contributing to its development.

Instrument
Two instruments were utilized to collect the data: a PA test and an EE questionnaire.This study's PA test was designed for adult learners whose first language is not English.The test aimed to assess learners' PA skills at phoneme and onset-rime awareness.The exam consisted of forty items divided into eight sections.It was adapted from Starting Points: Supporting the Learning Progressions for Adult Literacy (Tertiary Education Commission, 2008) and created in response to the test blueprint created for this current study.The phoneme awareness level PA skill test included phoneme manipulation, which covered six skills: skill in isolating phonemes, identifying phonemes, categorizing phonemes, blending phonemes, segmenting phonemes, and deleting phonemes.At the onset-rime level, the ability to identify unrhymed words and change the onset of words was tested.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Two types of validity determined the PA test validity: construct validity and content validity.Two experts were involved in the construct validation process to ensure that the instruments' purposes corresponded to the tasks that needed to be completed (Latief, 2012).A tryout was held for thirty English learners.The tryout ensured that the learners understood the instructions and items.During the administration process of the tryout, it was observed that the learners could understand the instructions and test items.

Sa'adah et al(2023)
Furthermore, the learners' work in the tryout was graded to determine the need for validity and reliability analysis.The validity analysis was done by calculating the coefficient of correlation between test scores and criterion, called the validity coefficient (Ary et al., 2010).The calculation results showed that the correlation coefficient of forty test items was all greater than the correlation of the coefficient table (N=30, df=28, r table= .361),and the sig.(2-tailed) values were less than the alpha value of .05.These indicate that the forty items of the PA test were valid.
Following the validity analysis, the reliability analysis was carried out.Coefficient alpha, or Cronbach alpha, was used to conduct the analysis (Ary et al., 2010).The test analysis showed the Cronbach alpha value was .947(N=40).The value was very close to 1, indicating very high reliability.Based on the validity and reliability analysis findings, the PA test was ready for data collection.
Using the Likert scale, the questionnaire for EE adapted from Sundqvist et al. (2009) consisted of 15 items; eight items figured out the learners' Written EE activities, while seven others figured out the learners' Spoken EE.The close-ended questionnaire presents the answer, so the respondent only needs to choose one of the available options.The options showed the amount of the learners' EE activities and how long they usually spend their time doing EE activities in a week."Never" if they never do it at all, "rarely" if they do their EE activities less than 3 hours per week, "sometimes" if they do their EE activities around 3 -5 hours per week, "often" if they do their EE activities around 6 -10 hours per week, and "very often" if they do their EE activities more than 10 hours per week.

Data analysis technique
The quantitative data of students' EE (Extramural English).and PA were analyzed using inferential statistical analysis, especially correlational analysis.The correlation test involved two steps; the first step was the fulfillment test of assumptions (normality and linearity) required for running a correlation analysis, and the second step was the hypothesis testing.The results of normality and linearity tests showed that the PA data were not regular or linear.For these reasons, the second step deals with the hypotheses testing using the nonparametric Spearman correlation to investigate the correlation level and direction between EE and adult EFL learners' PA.The data analysis in this study was conducted with the help of IBM SPSS Statistics 23 for Windows.

Correlation between EE and adult learners' PA
Following the assumption tests, a correlation test was used to determine the relationship between the amount of time spent by the learners to do EE, (Extramural English).

Correlation between SEE and PA for adult learners
A correlation test was also used to determine the relation between the time the learners spent doing SEE and adult EFL learners' PA.The SEE and adult EFL learner's PA results revealed a value of .000less than 05, indicating a significant relationship between learners' SEE and PA (see Table 3).The correlation coefficient revealed a strong positive correlation between the variables (r = +.758,N = 32).

Discussion
This study aims to investigate the relationship between EE and adult EFL learners' PA.
Although EE activities done by adult EFL learners are not the same as children having their HLE, it was proved that exposure to English during learners' activities has a positive correlation to their PA.The results corroborate the hypothesis, in line with Schmitt et al. (2011), Torppa et al. (2007), Levy et al. (2006), Burgess et al. (2002), Senechal & LeFevre (2002), Frijters et al. (2000) who highlight the significant relations between the amount of time EFL learners spend to do EE activities and their PA.Similar results revealed that SEE and WEE activities strongly correlate positively with adult EFL learners' PA.This is essential for EFL learners to get more exposure to English outside the classroom for better PA achievement.
The result of the current study supported some other studies which proved that EE through entertaining media such as listening to songs, surfing the Internet, and using social media showed a positive correlation with learners' oral proficiency and vocabulary (De Wilde et al., 2020;Lefever, 2010;Lindgren & Muñoz, 2013;Frances et al., 2017;Olsson, 2012;Puimège & Peters, 2019;Storch & Hill, 2008;Sundqvist et al., 2009).The amount of time adult EFL learners spend on EE activities strongly correlates with their PA achievement.The more they spend their time on EE activities, the better PA they have and the better oral proficiency they achieve.Related to the implications, lecturers, in general, should encourage their students to use EE because of the importance of PA, which has a strong positive correlation with speaking comprehensibility and accuracy (Souza, 2015;Venkatagiri & Levis, 2007), which is consistent with the findings of (Giambo & McKinney, 2004).The more sensitive to secondlanguage phonology, the more native-like one's pronunciation is.The findings suggest that PA, particularly when pronouncing a foreign language, may influence EFL speakers' comprehensibility.

Conclusion
The study's result proved a robust positive correlation between the amount of time the adult EFL learners' EE activities and their PA ability.The more time students spend on EE, the better their PA is.It indicates that the EE activities contribute to developing students' PA.
Further, specific findings also revealed strong positive relations between students' SEE WEE and PA.Based on the findings of this study, it is suggested that educators make better, more deliberate use of the positive correlation of EE exposure to adult EFL learners' PA.The majority of their extramural English activities involve technology.They could bring EE activities into the classroom, for example, by starting the English lesson with attractive social media posts in English, analyzing and interpreting the lyrics of the learners' favorite songs, inviting learners to post their English writing or short videos on social media such as Instagram or Youtube, watching short movies together, and other activities.

Limitation
Nevertheless, this study has limitations and directions for future research.The first is that the participant samples are limited and do not vary (from one college), representing the country's entire population.We might have gotten different results if the study sample had been more diverse.Future research should recruit students from various schools and regions to improve the generalizability of the findings.Second, this research design is a correlation in which the result may predict the connection between SEE and adult EFL learners' PA and WEE and adult EFL learners' PA.It is suggested that future research conduct further studies to investigate the connection between EE and PA and the effect of EE on PA or other language aspects and skills.