English Learners Outside the Classroom: The Effects of Participating in Extracurricular Activities

participating in extracurricular activities

	Benefits of participating in extracurricular activities
Student 1	Feel part of a community
	Talking to teachers and team members increased English skills.
Student 2	Listening to English a few extra hours after school
	Oral communication with non-Spanish speakers it is a great opportunity to practice the English language
	English-only students tend to be more patient and better listeners.
Student 3	ELs can practice English outside the classroom
	Els can become fluent in English by practicing the language outside the classroom
	Having conversations in English with teachers and students have improved her language acquisition

Student 1 mentioned that his participation in afterschool activities made him feel part of a community. He explained that when he was in Elementary school, he attended the afterschool program where there were many English Learners, and teachers helped them with their homework. Attending this program made him feel part of something and not alone when it came to the struggles of language learning. He also mentioned that his language skill increased after he joined the baseball team because eventually, he adventured to speak English to his classmates and coach.
Student 2 believed that practicing her oral skills after class helped her become more fluent in her second language. Also, she mentioned that she has benefited from having contact with non-Spanish speakers because if she tries to practice with bilingual friends or classmates, they tend to make fun of her accent and instead of correcting her mistakes she feels judged. She shared that since joining the swimming team she started talking to newcomer student from India. That forced her to practice and improve her English skills because they did not have a language in common except for English.
Finally, Student 3 has not experienced extracurricular activities but mentioned that just by speaking at school to the teachers and students has helped her to improve her English skills. She believed that participating in activities outside the classroom can benefit her and other students learning English because it is extra practice in a different context.
On the last set of questions, students were asked to share what recommendations they would share with the school to promote extracurricular participation in English Learners. Table 5 summarizes the recommendations students shared at the time of the interview.