Asian adolescents’ out-of-school encounters with English and Korean literacy

The acquisition of second language (L2) academic literacy has attracted increasing interest among L2 literacy researchers as the number of English Language Learners (ELLs) studying in schools in Anglophone countries like Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States continues to grow. However, this emphasis on academic literacy has led L2 researchers to overlook the importance of exploring other types of literacy, especially out-of-school literacy. In particular, few studies have examined the impact of out-of-school literacy activities on overall literacy acquisition, as well as on the development of academic literacy skills. This article describes a study that examined the nature of three Asian adolescent ELLs’ out-of-school literacy practices and their implications for school-based literacy growth. These Asian adolescent ELLs engaged in various types of reading and forms of writing in both their native language (L1), Korean, and their L2, English, within both print and computer-based contexts. The findings suggest some often overlooked connections, direct or indirect, between in and out-of-school literacy. The article discusses the implications of these findings for pedagogy and future research.