Sweden is seen as a successful adopter of English as an additional language (EAL) and the country is a frontrunner in the globalization of the English language. Much of the success could be attributed to the large presence of English in Swedish society. Additionally, EAL learners are acquiring the English language out-of-school to a larger extent, often referred to as Extramural English (EE). Therefore, it is important to investigate how EE affects learners, teachers and discuss how it can change education. This has been done by evaluating the current state of research through a systematic literature review. It was found that learners engage in a variety of EE activities, with playing online games and watching movies being the activities with the most English exposure. Learners engage in these activities mostly out of their own interests or because of other socially driven motives. EE affects their opinion of English and could have negative effects on their attitude towards school English. Teachers are aware of the gap between EE and school English and try to integrate activities similar to EE activities in class. However, it is a challenge to find authentic material that fits a large number of learners’ interests. In conclusion, there is a need for more research that could point to a clear cause-and-effect relationship between EE and high proficiency in English. This thesis also calls on teachers, principals, and school leaders to prepare to change education if EE becomes a more widespread phenomenon.

Second language acquisition is a field that has fascinated linguists for numerous years and is a topic that is very much connected to how English teachers in Sweden try to teach the English language to the students in their classrooms. In 2009 Sundqvist examined what possible effects extramural English could have on learners' oral proficiency and their vocabulary. In her study she found out that extramural English “is an independent variable and a possible path to progress in English” (Sundqvist, 2009, p. i).  In 2014, three Swedish secondary- and upper secondary school teachers started a project for the Erasmus+. These three teachers tried to create better teaching conditions and to come up with new methods for teaching English. During their investigation they noticed that students who had only been in Sweden for four years or less, seemed to get less exposed to English in their spare time than native Swedish students, which created a disadvantage for them. Since the time when these two studies were carried out, the number of immigrants has increased drastically, which creates the need for further investigation within this area of second language acquisition. In this study, I therefore investigate how much and in what way students come in contact with the English language outside of school. I also examine if there are any differences between native Swedish students versus non-native Swedish students and if so, how this might affect the students and their grades in English. The study was conducted through the use of questionnaires and through observations of different teaching situations, including the participating teachers' methods and the participating students' reactions. The results show that there are differences between native- and non-native students when it comes to extramural English activities. The results also show that these differences seem to affect the students' grades in English, in favour of the native Swedish students. The native students tend to spend more time on extramural English activities, especially in connection to the Internet and computer games, than the non-native students. These results indicate that something needs to be done in order to compensate for the non-native students' disadvantage.

Today we live in a global world, where English has become easily accessible through the internet. Pupils encounter English in an out-of-school context and playing digital games is a common activity. This literature study aims to examine if there are effects on pupils ’ vocabulary and oral proficiency due to playing digital games. Through compiling prior research, findings suggest that motivation, interaction and repetition over time are positive factors for enhancing vocabulary and oral proficiency. Research also illuminates that there are gender differences among young L2 learners. Frequent gamers are mostly boys and there is also a difference in game preferences. Normally girls tend to outshine boys within most subjects, however, in English the difference is less distinct and boys are somewhat stronger in English proficiency. Research about young L2 learners is scarce and there is definitely a need for further research about the effect of digital gaming on vocabulary and oral proficiency as well as regarding gender differences.

This study investigates if year 9 pupils’ vocabulary size correlates with how much they engage in out-of-school English activities, and whether any specific out-of-school English activities correlate more with vocabulary size. 32 second language learners in year 9 participate in this study and the students are from two classes in the same school in a medium-sized town in Sweden. Two standardized vocabulary tests are done, namely a picture vocabulary size test (PVST) and a vocabulary size test (VST). The students also answer a questionnaire with questions about how often they engage in the following spare time activities: watching TV, playing video games, listening to music, watching YouTube, speaking or writing and reading. Parametric statistics are used to compare a high vocabulary group and a low vocabulary group in relation to their engagement in out-of-school activities. Even if this is a very small study, and no conclusions can be drawn on a larger population, the results indicate that the students’ vocabulary size correlates with how much they engage in out-of-school English activities and that the most important activities are reading and speaking or writing in English. / Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka om ordförrådsstorlek hos elever i årskurs 9 har ett samband med hur mycket eleverna ägnar sig åt fritidsengelska. Den undersöker också om några av dessa aktiviteter har ett särskilt samband med storleken på ordförrådet. 32 elever med engelska som andraspråk i årskurs 9 deltar i studien och eleverna går i två olika klasser på samma skola i en medelstor stad i Sverige. Två standardiserade ordförrådstester genomförs; ett picture vocabulary size test (PVST) och ett vocabulary size test (VST). Eleverna får också svara på en enkät med frågor kring hur ofta de ägnar sin fritid åt följande aktiviteter på engelska: titta på TV, spela datorspel, lyssna på musik, titta på YouTube, prata eller skriva och läsa. Parametrisk statistik används för att jämföra elever grupperade efter höga och låga resultat på ordförrådstesterna i relation till hur mycket fritidsengelska de ägnar sig åt. Även om studien är mycket liten och inga slutsatser kan dras för en större population, indikerar resultaten att det finns ett samband mellan storleken på ordförrådet och hur mycket fritidsengelska elever ägnar sig åt. De aktiviteter som påverkar mest är att läsa, prata eller skriva på engelska.