STUDESNTS' BELIEFS AND PRACTICES ON INFORMAL DIGITAL ENGLISH LEARNING OUTSIDE CLASSROOM

Due to the ease of digital devices and internet access these days, digital learning
has become a new learning environment for EFL students to study English outside
their formal classrooms. This study thus aimed to find out students’ beliefs and
practices on informal digital English learning outside classrooms. It involved 190
students of English Education Study Program at Universitas Bengkulu. The study
was descriptive research with survey design involving quantitative and qualitative
data. The quantitative data were collected via close-ended items, while the
qualitative data were collected via open-ended items. The results of this study
suggested that most of the students had higher levels of beliefs on informal digital
English learning. Further analysis revealed the practicality, availability, flexibility,
autonomy, enjoyment of digital English learning were the reasons for their beliefs.
Regarding the practices, most of the students had engaged in informal digital
English learning activities. However, in terms of the diversity of digital learning
activities, they tended to only engage in receptive digital learning activities.
Productive digital activities, particularly involving communication technology,
were rarely performed. Accordingly, comparisons with prior studies and
pedagogical implications were presented.
Keywords: informal digital English learning, digital learning beliefs, digital
learning practices, students’ beliefs and practices, outside classrooms