Document Type : Original Article

Authors

• Syerina Syahrin ¹
• Ali Algryani ^{1, 2}
• Julius Irudayasamy ¹

¹ Dhofar University, Sultanate of Oman ‎

² The Libyan Academy, Libya

Abstract

This paper reports the uses and practices of literacy in English among a group of students in the Dhofar Governorate, Sultanate of Oman. Data was gathered from two undergraduate students. The findings of the study suggest that the students experienced rich and varied use of English outside of school than in school. The study also uncovered that the students’ experience with English outside of school is largely afforded by new technologies and that popular culture played a considerable role in their lives. The investigation studied the in-school and out-of-school literacy practices of the two students to evaluate if there are complementing and contrasting features in the two environments. The findings of the study suggest that awareness of how students use and practice English in different communities may enable instructors to integrate elements of literacy outside of school into their school literacy practices to facilitate their learning. By incorporating elements of out-of-school literacy into school literacy, students may be able to engage in meaningful literacy uses and practices that help them face the growing challenges of using English in the 21^st century, which is an important aspect of Oman Vision 2040.

Keywords

• ESL
• Literacy
• Oman
• Multiliteracies
• Out-of-school