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

Finding Interpretation

After conducting the study, it is eminent that there are strong relationships between extracurricular activities and social well-being and English acquisition in English learners. The two students who have participated in extracurricular activities expressed that they see benefits from their participation in extracurricular activities. Student one mentioned feeling part of the community and no longer feeling alone once he became part of the baseball team and the after- school program when he was at the elementary school level. He continued being part of school activities such as band and found that his English skills improved by communicating in English with students, teachers, and coaches inside and outside the classroom. Student 2 also stated that the friendships she formed when participating in extracurricular activities helped her be more adventurous to speak her second language. She explained that bilingual students can sometimes be the worst critiques but by participating in the swimming team she learned to swim, and she connected with students of different types of language backgrounds. Although student 3 has not decided to participate in extracurricular activities, she stated that socializing with other students and speaking with teachers has helped her learn more English. Overall, the students who participated in extracurricular activities stated that they saw an improvement in their English skills, and that they were able to socialize with other students making this a positive experience. Finally, all three participants agreed that taking part in extracurricular activities can help in socialization with other students, friendship-building, and the acquisition of English as a second language.

Findings in Context

The students' perspectives on the advantages of participation in extracurricular activities are consistent with previous research studies. For instance, research by (Collings, 2020) states that high school extracurricular activities can motivate children to become more active with their

friends, school, and community. Most teenagers engage in activities to enjoy and interact with other young people. The research also coincided with preview research that states that anxiety is a learning barrier (Naser et al., 2019), and learning a second language can be stressful for students making them feel afraid to participate in activities outside of the classroom. This has been the case of all three students who stated that the main reason for not participating in extracurricular activities is feeling afraid of speaking a language they do not speak fluently. The responses given by the students rewarding the school promoting inclusion and participation in extracurricular activities were very positive, which indicates that If schools encourage ELLs to participate in extracurricular activities, they can encounter beneficial cultural and linguistic improvements as they communicate with other peers in this new environment. (Donroe, 2020). The findings of this study also agree with this previous research as evidenced that there is a positive relationship between English language learning, social well-being, and extracurricular activities.