Students’ Experiences of Intense and Personally Meaningful Interactions in English-Mediated Online Communities

Abstract: Students spend more time using English out-of-school compared to in school. Situated in previous research on Extramural English, this study will be drawing on interviews with a specially selected sample of upper secondary school students who engage in intense and personally meaningful interactions in English-mediated communities online. This qualitative research study seeks to answer how and where these students communicate. Furthermore, the students’ experiences of use of English in school and in online communities will be explored. Results are based on a thematic content analysis. Based on the result, students experience high confidence in their L2 English proficiency in online communities. However, some of the participants experience anxiety and worries when using English in school. Teachers need to be aware of their students’ Extramural English to understand challenges related to students’ in- and out-of-school L2 English experiences.