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

Conclusion

Data was gathered, analyzed, and summarized to answer the following question: To what extent do extracurricular activities affect the English language acquisition and social well-being of High School English Learners? The results were divided into four themes: Reasons to participate in Extracurricular Activities, Reasons not to participate in Extracurricular Activities,

Benefits of participating in extracurricular activities, and Recommendations from the students. All three students mentioned having positive experiences as English Learners at the High School. They felt included by several activities the school organizes, but they mentioned it is important to keep the cultural activities all year long. Students also mentioned a need to incorporate more Spanish in the school announcements and recognize the majority of the population is Hispanic, and a way to celebrate everyone would be to use the most spoken language after English. Finally, students recognized that the school lacks afterschool programs that target English Learners. It seems most of the resources go to integrate ELs at the lower levels. However, High School students also require these types of activities.

Chapter 5: Conclusion

The effect of extracurricular activities on academic learning has been the subject of several studies. Some of them emphasize the importance of taking part in these activities because they support students in establishing characteristics like self-esteem, time management, and discipline. However, there is little research on extracurriculars among immigrant communities. It is imperative to know the value of extracurricular activities for immigrant adolescents (Albayrak et al., 2021) English language learners might experience culture through regular interactions in the classroom, but more meaningful participation can happen in unstructured activities like extracurricular activities (Cherng et al., 2011). In addition to helping students in achieving academic success, extracurricular activities may also help newcomers socialize, feel at home in the school environment, and increase their desire to learn English (Houghton, 2014). ELLs can build their self-confidence through extracurricular activities in a secure learning environment.

Additionally, students develop stronger work ethic and demonstrate intellectual and social competence. (Park, 2015). This study seeks to find the relationship between English language learners and extracurricular activities by answering the question: To what extent do extracurricular activities affect the English language acquisition and social well-being of High School English Learners?
This study uses qualitative narrative research using interviews with three volunteer students. The researcher chose this type of research to recognize and honor the voices of English Learners. Three high school students who speak Spanish as their first language and are between the ages of 15 and 18 engaged in the study. The participants' differences in the level of English proficiency ensured that everyone contributed a variety of perspectives on the relationship between extracurricular activities and English language development.
Below is a summary of the Chapter 4 findings and how they relate to the research question. The researcher reviews the results connecting them to the literature review studied in Chapter 2. The researcher will provide suggestions for additional research that could develop from the findings of this investigation. The researcher will discuss the study's limitations and study's relevance to the field of education, which will also be examined in the conclusion.