Too Cool for the School: EFL Learners’ Perception of SNS as Good Slang-Learning Spaces and their Views on English-Language Slang Inclusion in Instructed Contexts

Abstract

This study investigated the out-of-school contact with slang in Social Networking Sites (SNS) and the need for teaching English-language slang in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instructional settings. In order to do so, a questionnaire was distributed to 30 participants from the University of Valencia (UV) and University Jaume I (UJI) English Studies degree. The instrument elicited quantitative and qualitative data regarding participants’ habits of use of SNS, their knowledge of slang and attitudes towards its instruction. The data were obtained through a series of demographic and openended questions, and a short test on ten slang terms. The data were thoroughly analysed to unveil the participants’ usage of social media, how it influenced their slang competence. Furthermore, their opinions on the grounds for including slang in formal EFL curricula. The findings disclosed that SNS are relevant sources of slang and that there is an urgent necessity for the inclusion of slang teaching in instructed settings.