A Phenomenological Study on College Students’ Experiences of Learning Based on Leisure Activities

This study begins with the assumption that effects of English learning using learners’ leisure activities will be maximized by transforming them into active English learners. This study aims to enable college students to experience English learning based on leisure activities and to identify the essential meaning of the experience using phenomenological research methods. The participants were 9 students majoring in Health and Welfare at J University in Chungnam. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and the collected data were analyzed by Colaizzi’s phenomenological method. As a result of the research, 18 significant statements and 7 themes including 5 positive and 2 negative aspects were categorized. Findings were as follows. Positive aspects were ‘background knowledge’, ‘clear sense of goal’, ‘autonomy’, ‘change in affective attitude’. and ‘exposure to colloquial expressions’. Negative ones were the two ‘difficulty in selecting materials’ and ‘limitations as English learning materials’. The result suggests that it is necessary to explore various ways to utilize media as a teaching strategy preferred by MZ learners as an English learning experience based on leisure activities.