Peripheral Learning of English language: A Comparison Between ESL and EFL Contexts Provided for University Students

One of the techniques of language learning suggested by Lozanov (1978) is “peripheral learning”. He believes that students can learn a lot of things that they see around them. In the environment of the class, a lot of language materials are presented in the form of posters and students are not assigned to study them. The purpose is to provide students with peripheral learning. According to McGlothlin (1997) who observed his children's first language development, a child does not use language for its own sake. In reality, he never pays attention to language by any means. For a child, language is considered a means to an end, that is, his joy. Therefore, first language acquisition in early stages is mainly peripheral. In the present study, the contexts (English as a second language versus English as a foreign language) in which both Indian and Iranian university students study and the amount of peripheral learning that they are exposed to in their daily life outside the campus have been compared. In the end, the author has suggested some ways for enriching the environment for the university students who study English as a foreign language.