English extracurriculars and anxiety levels: a quantitative examination among first-year university students

Abstract

In a supportive and immersive environment, engaging in English extracurricular activities is crucial for university students as it enhances their language skills, cultivates valuable communication and teamwork abilities, and significantly alleviates their anxiety levels. This quantitative study aimed to examine the causality between the independent variable (intervention in English extracurricular activities—EECAs) and the dependent variable (learners’ anxiety levels) using the Foreign Language Anxiety Scale developed by Horwitz et al. Data were collected from a sample of 306 first-year students at a university in Vietnam through self-report surveys administered both before and after participating in EECAs. The analysis of the collected data employed descriptive statistics and paired sample t-tests, revealing a causal relationship between participation in these activities and language learners’ anxiety levels. The results revealed that active involvement in extracurricular activities may reduce learners’ anxiety levels. These findings emphasize the significance of considering the potential impact of extracurricular activities on learners’ anxiety levels and call for further research and interventions to address and alleviate anxiety in language learners involved in such activities.

Keywords:

• Extracurricular activities (ECAs)
• english extracurricular activities (EECAs)
• foreign language anxiety (FLA)
• anxiety levels
• impact

Reviewing editor:

• Juan de Dios Martínez Agudo, Didactics of Languages and Literatures, Faculty of Education, University of Extremadura, Spain

SUBJECTS:

• Bilingualism/ESL
• Educational Psychology
• Higher Education

Introduction

Education is a highly integrated program that encompasses various dimensions, extending beyond classroom activities and including extracurricular activities (ECAs) that deepen student learning and experience, while also offering opportunities for future professional development in a variety of fields (Saleem, 2023). ECAs refer to student experiences that are not included in the formal curriculum, and research has demonstrated their equal significance in skill enhancement compared to normal classrooms (Eccles & Templeton, 2002). It has been proved that ECAs provide students with significant opportunities to excel in their academic pursuits (Tenhouse, 2003). By engaging in these success-oriented activities, students have the opportunity to recognize and improve their abilities. ECAs advocate for learners to practice skills and knowledge, discover their talents and interests as well as develop existing skills, and overcome or decrease pressure, stress, and anxiety to balance their academic and non-academic lives (Holland & Andre, 1987; Mahoney et al., 2003; Larson et al., 2006; Marsh, 1992). Therefore, ECA involvement is also connected to positive mental health outcomes including lower rates of anxiety and depression (Sepulveda & Hutton, 2019; Bang et al, 2020). In addition, the experiences gained during university and high school play a pivotal role in fostering academic and non-academic achievements, psychological growth, and preparing individuals for their future (Marsh & Kleitman, 2002). Therefore, it is imperative to explore key factors that influence students’ capacity to excel in the university setting. The present investigation focuses on the impact of extracurricular activities, specifically English extracurricular activities (EECAs), on the psychological well-being of non-native language speakers, particularly, aiming to examine the causality between EECAs’ participation and the levels of anxiety experienced by university learners.

During the past decades, numerous studies have examined the connections between ECAs’ participation and their outcomes, consisting of educational outcomes, academic-learning outcomes (Shamsudin et al., 2014), and social-emotional-behavioral outcomes (Feraco et al, 2023). A few studies explored ECAs’ influence on participants’ anxiety, in particular and only a few studies specifically highlight the issue of EECAs’ impact on participants in general, or even there is no empirical research on the influence of EECAs on English learners’ anxiety in the university educational system yet. Typically, in a critical review of the literature related to the correlation between extracurricular activities in schools and learners’ educational outcomes, Shulruf (2010) highlighted that a range of educational outcomes for ECA participants came from non-specific extracurricular activities. After reviewing 29 studies in the past decade, it was concluded that most studies merely focus on whole extracurricular activities, in general, involving sports clubs, school publications, seminars, vocational activities, community activity, extra courses, and other types of competitions, without focusing on a specific extracurricular activity. This shows a big gap in the current study because we expectedly focused specifically on the impact of English extracurricular activities (EECAs) which are organized regularly every week on participants’ foreign language anxiety levels in the tertiary environment.

In general, despite the proliferation of ECAs at the college level, measurements of the effects of these activities have focused on all activities as a whole, rather than one specific effect of certain activities on students. In the same light, there exists a lack of studies exploring the impact of ECAs on anxiety levels related to learning English at the college level. Moreover, previous researchers in the field have explored the educational and behavioral aspects of ECAs, rather than from psychological points of view, specifically the anxiety levels in learning a new language. Therefore, this study aims to address this gap and explore how EECAs impact anxiety about learning English among college-level students. By focusing on this aspect, the study aims to provide insights into the potential benefits of EECAs in reducing anxiety related to English language learning, which can ultimately help students achieve their academic and personal development goals.

The findings of this study are expected to provide valuable insights for educators, English of Foreign Language teachers, and school administrators, enabling them to recognize the significance of EECAs in facilitating learners in English language acquisition and alleviating foreign language anxiety levels. The specific research question is: How do English extracurricular activities for university English learners impact their levels of language anxiety?

Literature review

Developmental framework

The developmental framework is one of the dominant theoretical frameworks in the educational literature, which firmly theorizes the positive impact of ECA on participants’ development (Seow & Pan, 2014). ECA involvement can foster participants’ performance in multiple directions, including life-skill development, higher-academic performance, and social-norm behavior and interaction development (Broh, 2002). This model suggests that ECAs facilitate many outcomes, such as academic, social, and educational ones, and life skills as well (Holland and Andre, 1987). In addition, based on previous studies, ECAs’ participation fosters better characteristics such as ethics, self-esteem, and employability, establishing and leading to more fully developed, socially skilled, and mature students (Marsh, 1992; Larson et al., 2006). In the same vein, the research conducted by Hansen et al. (2003) investigated some potential opportunities for participating in extracurricular activities (ECAs) during the developmental stage. The authors posited that such participation can offer students six fundamental areas of learning experiences. They consisted of enabling them to explore new experiences and develop their identity, fostering the development of personal initiative, enhancing their emotional, cognitive, and physical skills, fostering collaboration and social aptitude, promoting interpersonal connections, and expanding their social networks (Hansen et al., 2003). Furthermore, participation in extracurricular activities among undergraduate students facilitated the acquisition of a wide range of crucial abilities, such as social skills, communication skills, organizational skills, presentation skills, public speaking skills, and analytical skills (Siddiky, 2019). When acquiring these key skills, students are able to surmount anxiety and make gradual advancements in their personal development. It can be inferred that engaging in ECAs may serve as a crucial factor in enhancing students’ academic performance, and skill development, and alleviating academic stress within the educational system. Our current study aims to investigate the casualty between the ECAs’ participation and learners’ anxiety levels; therefore, based on the developmental framework, it appears evident that extracurricular activities (ECAs) have a beneficial influence on the psychology of participants.

Foreign language anxiety

According to Horwitz et al. (1986), Rachman (1998), Brown (2000), and Horwitz (2009), anxiety is defined as stress, dread, irritation, apprehension, discomfort, lack of security, doubt, and uneasiness. It is characterized as a pervasive sense of discomfort that includes increased alertness, heightened activity in the sympathetic nervous system, and reduced cognitive concentration (Kelly, 2002).

Anxiety is considered one of the most significant barriers that must be handled when learning a new language (Horwitz et al., 1986). According to Young (1991), Horwitz, Horwitz, and Cope (1986) were the pioneers in considering anxiety as a separate and identifiable phenomenon in the context of language acquisition. These scholars defined it as ‘a distinct complex of self-perceptions, beliefs, feelings, and behaviors related to classroom language learning arising from the uniqueness of the language learning process’ (p. 128). These emotions are problematic because they have a detrimental impact on the learners’ participation and enthusiasm in the language-learning process (Horwitz, 2001).

Learning foreign languages can be affected by a variety of variables, including anxiety. MacIntyre (1995) explained the term anxiety as a sentimental state that can have both favorable and unfavorable consequences, either facilitating or impeding the process of language acquisition. Oxford (1999a) also agreed that anxiety has both negative and positive impacts on the acquisition and development of language skills. He stated that ‘debilitating anxiety’ could hinder the performance of students by preventing them from participating in activities or stopping them from implementing the language in social contexts. In contrast, positive anxiety has the potential to increase students’ levels of concentration. ‘Positive anxiety’ implies a form of stress or nervousness can be seen as motivating or stimulating, rather than ‘debilitating anxiety’, and anxiety simply refers to a kind of challenge enhancing learners’ ability to concentrate on their tasks. It can boost students to a moderate level of arousal that optimizes their concentration, attention, and cognitive performance (Pietrangelo, 2020). This concept aligns with the Yerkes-Dodson law (1908), a psychological concept, which suggests that a person can reach a high level of performance with arousal or stress up to a certain point (Yerkes & Dodson, 1908). In addition, the phenomenon of foreign language anxiety is linked with adverse physical, psychological, and social consequences, which may result in inferior academic achievement (Bailey et al., 1999; Oxford, 1999a). Similarly, several other studies indicate that foreign language anxiety and stress may harm learners’ performance in a language classroom (Bailey et al., 2000; Sellers, 2000; Zhao, Guo, & Dynia, 2013). Furthermore, foreign language anxiety (FLA) has a negative impact on the link between proficiency in a second language and readiness to speak the language (Zhou et al., 2020).

Some students may experience specific kinds of language anxiety with varying degrees while others do not since it is a context-dependent term (Teimouri et al., 2019; MacIntyre & Gardner, 1989). In a study to investigate anxiety and enjoyment in young Chinese pupils’ English classes, Liu and Hong (2021) found that approximately one-third of the participants had anxiety when they spoke English, although over half of the participants enjoyed their English classes. In addition, female pupils felt less nervous and happier than male learners in English class. This finding concurs with other published results of studies on foreign language learners (Akkakoson, 2016; Dewaele & MacIntyre, 2014). In contrast, other studies confirmed that the anxiety levels of female students were greater than those of their male friends (Donovan & MacIntyre, 2004; Jafarigohar & Behrooznia, 2012; Park & French, 2013, cited by Liu & Hong, 2021). In the meantime, Matsuda and Gobel (2004) reported that there were no differences in anxiety levels based on gender, while Bensalem (2018) found that there was no correlation between gender and FLA among English learners in higher education.

Types of anxiety

Language anxiety can be classified into four types: social, psychological, proficiency-related, and contextual (Alamer & Almulhim, 2021). First, the primary source of social pressure is friends, followed by family members and then teachers. When students compare their performance to that of their peers, they appear to experience pressure. Second, referring to psychological anxiety, students bear the fear of failure. They are scared of retaking the courses, which can lead students to lose classroom concentration and collaboration. Third, proficiency-related anxiety results from challenges with their language proficiency. Fourth, students may encounter anxiety in diverse scenarios, such as the simultaneous acquisition of multiple skills or languages. These four types of anxiety align with the categorization proposed by Horwitz et al. (1986), as noted by Alamer and Almulhim (2021).

Horwitz et al. (1986) identified a wide range of distinct forms of language anxiety, encompassing performance anxiety related to the fear of negative evaluation (FNE), test anxiety (TA), and communication anxiety (CA). Fear of negative evaluation (FNE) refers to the fear of being evaluated by others (Watson & Friend, 1969). Learners with FNA concerns would have a tendency to avoid social interaction and they worry about conveying a negative social impression on themselves. Test anxiety (TA), which is a type of performance anxiety, arises from the fear of academic failure, test-anxious students, even the most intelligent and well-prepared ones, make mistakes frequently and they usually feel worried about failing to perform well (Sarason, 1978; Horwitz et al., 1986). Lastly, communication apprehension (CA), coined by McCroskey (1970), refers to a form of social anxiety characterized by shyness and unease during interactions and communication with others, particularly in front of large audiences. Shy learners are more likely to avoid or minimize interactions with others, as a result, CA may happen in foreign language learning activities (Bakhtyari & Kassim, 2022). Besides that, other anxieties, including cognitive and affective tension, can be identified within educational settings (Spielmann & Radnofsky, 2001). Students experience cognitive tension when their presumptions are inconsistent with the fundamental concepts and organization of the course material. Affective tension arises when learners express disagreement throughout their interactions with their peers and teachers. In addition to the three categories of anxiety described by Horwitz et al. (1986), Amal Alnatour (2018) identifies an additional type of anxiety that is associated with English classroom anxiety. For example, learners express fears and uncertainties about understanding the language, feeling nervous and forgetful during English classes, and experiencing a sense of being overwhelmed by the complexity of language rules. Additionally, some individuals express disengagement and a lack of motivation, as seen in the reluctance to take more English classes or the tendency to think about unrelated matters during language class (Horwitz et al., 1986).

Extracurricular activities (ECAs) - English extracurricular activities (EECAs)

Definition of ECAs - EECAs

Although scholars tend to define extracurricular activities (ECAs) in multiple ways, they generally agree on a common definition of ECAs. For instance, Cadwallader et al. (2002) defined ECAs as activities that students participate in after they finish regular school time. Similarly, Guilmette et al. (2019) described ECAs as activities that students participate in outside of their core classroom learning experience. In addition, Bohnert et al. (2010), as cited in Boelens et al. (2021), stated that ECAs would include but not be limited to sports, arts, music, and community programs. According to Hasan et al. (2022), ECAs refer to extracurricular activities that involve students’ participation in courses but are not included in the standard curriculum of their schools or universities. In addition to the formal classroom schedule, ECAs can also be integrated with English to enhance students’ skills, known as English Extracurricular Activities (EECAs).

Types of ECAs - EECAs

Scholars categorize distinct ECA types in several different ways. According to Boelens et al. (2021), ECAs can be divided into organized sports and non-sport activities, which might include but are not limited to community programming, the arts, music, and sports. Fredricks (2011), on the other hand, defined ECAs as school-based extracurricular activities like athletics, the arts, and school organizations, as well as community-based youth programs and out-of-school time after-care services. Marsh and Kleitman (2002) provided another way of categorizing ECAs, by dividing them into academic and non-academic programs such as sports, student government, school newspapers, and the performing arts.

Moreover, activities after school are categorized into two different types: structured and unstructured (Turkson et al., 2021). Turkson et al., (2021) indicate that activities such as football clubs, athletic teams, drama clubs, and group studies with educational goals that have been planned, directed, designed, and organized are called ‘structured activities’. Participation in these activities significantly considerably enhances the probability of high school graduation (White et al., 2018; Lemkin et al., 2018). On the other hand, unstructured activities include watching favorite movies, hanging out with friends, going to social events, and listening to music. Compared to participation in structured extracurricular activities, participation in unstructured activities may bring fewer benefits and possible adverse effects on academic achievement, according to some studies (Lee et al., 2018; Sharp et al., 2014).

In the current study, English extracurricular activities (EECAs) refer to structured activities which organized regularly outside of the classroom.

Previous studies: ECAs effects on foreign language learners

Previous studies of the impact of extracurricular activities have been associated with a range of favorable results, including improved academic performance, increased social and emotional growth, and reduced communication anxiety levels.

Researchers and educational practitioners have mentioned and highly confirmed the significant positive effects of ECAs on learners’ competencies and educational accomplishments (Holland & Andre, 1987; Marsh, 1992). Several studies demonstrated clearly that the academic performance and social-psychological outcomes of students who frequently participated in ECAs showed much better and more beneficial outcomes than those who did not participate in ECAs (Van Matre, Valentine, & Cooper, 2000). In another study conducted by Yildiz (2015), the role of ECAs was examined to foster students’ self-confidence and motivation in learning English. According to Makarova and Reva (2017), language extracurricular activities in universities play an important role not only in motivating students to learn and develop their communication skills but also in overcoming shyness and nervousness.

In addition, past studies on English Foreign Language students showed a positive effect of ECAs on their social skills and communication anxiety. According to Eccles et al. (2003, as referenced in Alnaeem, 2021), participation in extracurricular activities aids in establishing a greater sense of community involvement and helps students acquire the social and intellectual abilities necessary in a range of situations. Such results are consistent with Alnaeem’s study from the year 2021, it was found that foreign language students who engage in a higher number of extracurricular activities can reduce their communication anxiety levels (Alnaeem, 2021). In the study, all participants resoundingly concurred that these activities assisted them in enhancing their communication skills and overcoming certain degrees of fear and anxiety. It was then interpreted that this is because ECAs give participants a chance to hone their skills and practice speaking in public settings, which reduces communication anxiety. This aligns with McCroskey and Beatty (1984) observations that a large number of students tend to experience communication anxiety, particularly when performing public speaking. Given that participants are still undergraduates learning and developing their communication abilities, the large number of participants with intermediate communication apprehension levels might be seen as a good indicator of the benefits of extracurricular activity engagement.

Although extracurricular activities (ECAs) are generally believed to have positive impacts on students, multiple studies propose that they can also have some negative effects. Participation in extracurricular activities correlates with improved academic performance, but this is only true to some extent (Fredricks & Simpkins, 2012). Some studies suggest sports and vocational clubs tend to have negative effects on students. According to the research conducted by Marsh and Kleitman (2002), increased involvement in vocational clubs tends to be linked with diminished academic achievements during twelfth grade and in post-secondary education. Moreover, Eccles et al. (2003) discovered that individuals engaged in sports activities tend to exhibit lower academic performance compared to those involved in artistic activities. Likewise, in a large qualitative survey conducted by Buckley and Lee (2018), 32% of respondents in the study noted the time as being a concern with extracurricular activities, and some even identified them as a potential cause of stress, highlighting the tension that can exist between extracurricular activities and academic endeavors. Nonetheless, several studies have indicated that involvement in sports is linked to a higher probability of attending college, improved academic grades, enhanced attendance rates, and reduced disciplinary incidents (Snyder and Spreitzer, 1990; Snyder, 1969; Whitley, 1999).

In brief, there is a shortage of studies that have mainly focused on language-related extracurricular activities at university (Zakhir, 2019), especially EECAs. Previous investigations into ECAs’ effects have concentrated on ECAs in general rather than just one particular activity’s impact on students. In the same vein, little research has been done on how ECAs affect anxiety levels associated with learning English at the college level. Therefore, the objective of this research is to address this knowledge gap by examining the influence of EECAs on learners’ anxiety levels.

Methodology

Research design

Quantitative statistical analysis was employed to investigate the causal relationship between participation in extracurricular activities (ECAs) and the anxiety levels of learners. The study collected data through a pre-and post-test design in order to achieve the research objective. The study sample (n = 315) was the first-year students at FPT University in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, who took part in English extracurricular activities during the fall semester of the year 2022. However, nine samples were rejected because they did not meet the reliability requirements. As a result, the total number used for research analysis was 306 samples. The survey was administered through an online platform, based on the 33-item Foreign Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) (Horwitz et al., 1986), which is attached in the Appendix.

Participants

First of all, FPT University’s 19-year-old freshmen students (245 boys and 61 girls) were chosen because they had a bona fide chance to join EECAS (regular and variable-skill English extracurricular activities). The sample of the research is students who were enrolled in the general English course and participated in EECAs and were randomly invited to participate in the study and selected through a convenience sampling method. Then the data was collected from self-reports of the participants in the EECAs (including The Writing Time, Reading Time, Talking Time, and Recreation Time series) organized by the FPT University English Department.

Data collection tools

Scales to measure students’ anxiety levels

There have been many scales that measure learners’ anxiety levels in learning foreign languages (MacIntyre & Gardner, 1991). Currently, there are four commonly employed assessments to measure language anxiety, including the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS), Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA-24), Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety (PRPSA-34), and Speaker Anxiety Scale (SA). While the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA-24), Personal Report of Public Speaking Anxiety (PRPSA-34), and Speaker Anxiety Scale (SA) primarily focus on speaking situations, such as public speaking, presentations, group discussions, and one-on-one conversations, the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) evaluates a broader range of anxieties that can arise within a foreign language classroom setting. Horwitz et al. (1986) introduced the LP Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS), a comprehensive measure consisting of 33 items. This scale has been utilized in the present study as well. FLCAS is seen as a more comprehensive assessment of anxiety in a foreign language classroom context. The FLCAS is also suggested as a suitable tool for conducting pre-and post-tests to assess the effectiveness of techniques and interventions aimed at reducing anxiety levels among learners in foreign language classrooms (Russell, 2020). This scale has been utilized widely by numerous scholars such as Alnatour (2018) who categorized the 33 items into four following components: Test anxiety (TA), fear of negative evaluation (FNE), communication anxiety (CA), and other forms associated with anxiety in the foreign language classroom (OA). Consequently, this study aimed to assess the influence of EECAs on learners’ anxiety levels, focusing on four key domains (TA, FNE, CA, and OA) extracted from the 33-item FLCAS developed by Horwitz et al. (1986).

To fulfill the objectives of the study, the researcher utilized the FLCAs scale with high reliability and validity developed by Horwitz et al. (1986). The 33-item Foreign Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) (Horwitz et al., 1986) was employed as the main tool for the investigation. It included Likert-scale responses ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). The FLCAS was divided into 4 main domains: test anxiety (items: 2,8,10,19, and 21), fear of negative evaluation (items: 3,7,13,15,20,23,31,33), communication anxiety (items: 1,9,14,18,24,27,29,32), and others related to foreign language classroom anxiety (items: 4,5,6,11,12,16,17,22,25,26,28, and 30) (Alnatour, 2018).

During the pre-test phase, the FLCAS was adopted to find out the levels of anxiety of the first-year students when they were learning a foreign language before they joined EECAs. In the post-test, the FLCAS was adopted so that the effect of EECAs on anxiety could be studied after students had already been through EECAs in the Fall Semester of 2022. Data collection took place in September and October of that academic year. Then, a clear analysis of the participants’ self-reports on an anxiety scale was conducted on a post-test to examine how the student’s anxiety levels had changed.

Description of the intervention: English extracurricular activities

The English extracurricular activities (EECAs) at FPTU are an important part of a well-rounded education because they foster what students learn in the classroom and prepare them to apply their acquired knowledge in practical real-world situations. As such, ECAs at FPTU take the form of structured and academic activities. In particular, a wide range of English extracurricular activity programs including Talking Time (TT), Reading Time (RT), Writing Time (WT), and Recreation Time (RET), are regularly organized weekly (twice a week) every semester in a fully equipped community room at FPTU (Table 1).

Table 1. Description of English Extracurricular Activities (EECAs) at FPTU.

	English Extracurricular Activities at FPTU
Aspects’ intervention	Talking Time (TT)	Reading Time (RT)	Writing Time (WT)	Recreation Time (RET)
Duration	7 weeks
Frequency	Twice a week
Session Length	90 minutes each
Main objective	Improve students’ critical thinking, public speaking and debate skills	Inspire a love of reading in students and cultivate a daily reading habit​	Improve students’ writing skills in a relaxed setting.	Create a friendly English environment for students to develop creativity, socialize and release stress after class through recreational activities.
Session Structure	Provide opportunities for students to use English 100%, with a focus on activities rather than teaching explicit language knowledge. Incorporate cognitively challenging problem-solving and inquiry tasks, including the main components of a typical session: warm-up, main activity, and performance.
Sequence of Activities	Group discussions, pair-work activities, role-plays, presentation, and debates	Group discussions, work in pairs, reading-writing connection, book cover design and presentation	Instructor-led introductions, exercises, group writing, and peer correction	Watching films, listening to music, playing traditional games, cosplaying as influencers, hand-made activities, and board games
Materials Used	Trending Topics: BBC News, CNN News, VN Express International, etc. Textbooks: Speak Your Mind, University Success Other materials: Youtube videos	Textbooks: Speak Your Mind, University Success, and Complete IELTS. Books: e.g. ‘Wonder’ by R.J. Palacio, ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul’ book series.	Textbooks: Speak Your Mind, University Success, and Complete IELTS.	2 screens, hand-made materials, and board games
Instructor’s Role	Train hosts before each session, observe and provide feedback during the sessions, and support participants	Train hosts before each session, observe and provide feedback during the sessions, and support participants	Host each session and provide participants with feedback on their writing	Train hosts before each session, observe and provide feedback during the sessions, and support participants
Feedback	Teacher Feedback for hosts, participant votes, peer feedback, votes on social media (Facebook), and self-reflection	Teacher Feedback for hosts, participant votes, peer feedback, votes on social media (Facebook), and self-reflection	Feedback from teachers and peers	Teacher Feedback for hosts, participant votes, peer feedback, votes on social media (Facebook), and self-reflection
Challenge and Solutions	The primary obstacle faced was the participants’ various levels of language proficiency. To address this, flexible strategies were employed, allowing participants to collaborate with peers at similar proficiency levels. There are also teachers and volunteers to support and motivate them. Additional support materials were provided to accommodate different learning needs.

Through these activities, students can enhance their experience and practice their language skills in a relaxed and enjoyable environment, reinforcing what they have learned in the classroom. Moreover, students can reduce learning anxiety, which is one of the most important goals of ECAs at FPTU.

To achieve the goals of ECAs at FPTU, both teachers and students play important roles. Teachers act as coaches and mentors at EECA programs, guiding students in developing their skills and helping them acquire the principles of collaboration, accountability, resilience, competitive spirit, inclusivity, and appreciation for cultural diversity and community. Specifically, teachers train a group of students to host each English extracurricular activity session (e.g. presentation skills, classroom management skills, organizational skills, problem-solving skills). These students called hosts or organizers then take the lead in planning and executing regular weekly events. In the meantime, the majority of other students attend EECAs as participants to connect with other English language learners, and enhance their language skills and other abilities in a supportive and fun environment.

Moreover, the recurrent nature of EECAs at FPTU is another unique feature that distinguishes them from other foreign language events that only occur sporadically. Specifically, each type of EECA occurs twice a week and learners have a great chance to attend eight times per week. By participating in regular ECAs, students can develop a sense of routine and continuity in their language learning, which can further reinforce their language skills and foster a feeling of unity and belonging within the student body.

Data analysis

Descriptive analysis was employed to analyse the survey data collected from tertiary participants, in order to gain a better understanding of the impact of EECAs’ participation on learners’ anxiety levels. Descriptive analysis is a relevant statistical method for summarising and describing the key features of the sample and the data (Creswell & Creswell, 2022). Hence, the data analysis was conducted utilizing SPSS Version 20 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). First, the reliability test for each of the independent variables was used to confirm the reliability of the data. The sample was then described using descriptive statistics, and the data were examined to see if the distribution of the results, which were reported as a mean and standard deviation, was appropriate. Additionally, the paired sample t-tests were specifically chosen for our pre-and-post study because in the research, each participant contributes data at two distinct time points: before and after EECAs intervention. Therefore, paired sample t-tests were done to see if participation in a structured EECA program made a statistically significant difference in the participants’ anxiety levels (including test anxiety, fear of negative evaluation, communication anxiety, and other types of anxiety), examing the causaltity between EECAs’ engagement and anxiety levels via pre-post test.

Reliability analysis

A reliability test has been performed on the data in Table 2 to ensure its validity. The accepted alpha values for the 33 items about anxiety levels on the pre-test and post-test were .810 and .892, respectively.

Table 2. Reliability.

	Cronbach’s Alpha	N of Items
Pre-test	.810	33
Post-test	.892	33

Results

SPSS version 20 was used to examine the participants’ FLCAS scores and the relationship between their anxiety levels on the pre-test (before they joined English extracurricular activities) and the post-test (after they joined EECAs). Descriptive statistics were used to express variables, including means and standard deviations.

Gender differences:

A first investigation was made to check for the possible gender differences in joining EECAs and their anxiety levels before and after participating in EECAs at FPT University.

Table 3 shows the descriptive statistics that go with the FLCA scores of male and female participants. The number of participants was 306 from FPT University in Vietnam, 61 females and 245 males. It was estimated that the participation rate of male university students in EECA activities is four times higher than the participation rate of female university students. Based on the group statistics table, the mean anxiety levels before participating in EECAs in females (M = 3.0363) were higher than those in males (M = 2.909). It showed that female students were more anxious about learning a foreign language than male students. However, after participating in ECAs, the level of female anxiety decreased considerably, with a mean of 2.8823; simultaneously, the mean value of male anxiety levels was also slightly down, from 2.9090 to 2.8623.

Table 3. The mean difference in scores of the two groups.

Gender		Number of participants	Mean Difference	Std. Error
Pre-Test	Female	61	3.0363	.06358
	Male	245	2.909	.02722
Post-Test	Female	61	2.8823	.07544
	Male	245	2.8623	.03367

Student anxiety level before and after participating EECAs

Table 4 shows the results of the mean and standard deviation of different pre-test and post-test scores related to participants’ language anxiety levels.

Table 4. Paired samples statistic.

		Mean	N	Std. Deviation	Std. Error Mean	Sig
Total	Pre-Test	2.9343	306	.44305	.02533	.032
	Post-Test	2.8663	306	.53909	.03082
Domain 1	TA-pre	2.9595	306	.49989	.02858	.303
	TA-post	2.9209	306	.52444	.02998
Domain 2	FNE-pre	3.0519	306	.77474	.04429	.000
	FNE-post	2.8007	306	.80118	.04580
Domain 3	CA-pre	2.9465	306	.45869	.02622	.258
	CA-post	2.9052	306	.57287	.03275
Domain 4	OA-pre	2.8374	306	.46244	.02644	.507
	OA-post	2.8614	306	.58468	.03342

According to the results in Table 4, it is demonstrated that students were more anxious before participating in the EECAs, with the sum of the mean values at mean = 2.9343; SD =.44305. Yet, after joining the EECAs at FPTU, this value of the level of anxiety decreased to mean = 2.86663, SD =.53909. Also, Table 4 shows that there is a statistically significant difference between how anxious the participants were about language before and after the test. The significance value of sig.032 is less than.05, suggesting that there is a statistically significant difference between the means of pre-participation and post-participation. The results showed that EECAs have a crucial role in reducing anxiety levels generally.

Additionally, Table 4 shows the results of the paired sample test, including the pre-test and the post-test. This was done to see if there was a change in participation in four specific domains of English learners’ test anxiety, such as test anxiety (TA), fear of negative evaluation (FNE), communication anxiety (CA), and other things related to English classroom anxiety (OA). First, the most noticeable change was the difference in the mean value of the fear of negative evaluation (FNE) domain. The mean value decreased significantly from 3.0519 (pre-test) to 2.8007 (post-test). The sig figure also indicated this trend, which is sig.000 (less than sig.05); meanwhile, the other domains did not show any significant differences. Furthermore, the mean value of test anxiety (TA) showed a slight decrease of 0.3 (from 2.9595 to 2.9209), while communication anxiety (CA) exhibited a decline of 0.4 (from 2.9465 to 2.9052). In contrast, the fourth domain (OA) did not show any positive change. Yet, the average mean values of the post-test overall are lower than that of the pre-test, which suggests a decrease in participants’ anxiety levels across the four domains. Therefore, there is a direct connection between the involvement of EECAs and the lowering of anxiety.

Discussion

This study examined how English extracurricular activities (EECAs), such as reading time, writing time, talking time, and recreation time, impact on participants’ anxiety levels. The results of the study showed that students’ anxiety levels gradually decreased when they did extracurricular activities. Also, there was a positive link between students’ anxiety levels before and after they did EECAs. The paired sample T-tests illustrated that there were statistically significant differences in learners’ participation in such English extracurricular activities. In general, these findings would seem to suggest that participation in structured extracurricular activities resulted in a statistically significant decrease in foreign language learners’ anxiety levels. These findings are consistent with those obtained by Alnaeem (2021), who discovered that participation in extracurricular activities led to participants experiencing a reduction in communication anxieties and anxiety as well as an improvement in their communication abilities.

This study also revealed that, among the four main domains of anxiety levels, the fear of negative evaluation (FNE) received a moderately significant difference. It proves that participating in EECAs helps participants reduce the anxiety related to the fear of negative evaluation (FNE). They tend to feel less embarrassed, upset, or frightened when they are called to perform their language. Certainly, English extracurricular activities (EECAs) primarily emphasize group work, fostering interaction and collaboration among students. This approach may mitigate the tendency to compare individual performance to others, a factor contributing to social anxiety (Spielmann & Radnofsky, 2001). Furthermore, students can improve their English language proficiency by regularly engaging in extracurricular activities. The four English language abilities of reading, writing, listening, and speaking can all be improved through Talking Time (TT), Reading Time (RT), the Writing Time series (WT), and Recreation Time (RET). Each activity has a main skill that it focuses on. Specifically, TT provides opportunities for students to talk about various topics; RT offers a wide range of books that students can read with a common goal set out in each session; WT trains students to write in common academic topics, and RET builds an atmosphere for students to enjoy entertaining sessions such as singing competitions, game shows, etc. Therefore, as students’ English competence improves, proficiency-related anxiety tends to decrease (Spielmann & Radnofsky, 2001). As such, the more English students are exposed to, the less daunting they find it to face their fear of evaluation.

Additionally, EECAs frequently offer an enjoyable and secure setting where students can practice their English without worrying about being critiqued or condemned. Peers and hosts can provide students with constructive criticism so that they can work on their language skills without feeling self-conscious. This assertion is further supported by the research conducted by other scholars, including Fredricks and Eccles (2006) and Mustapha et al. (2010), who discovered that the primary source of foreign language anxiety among students is the apprehension of receiving unfavorable judgment from their peers. They also concluded that engaging in various extracurricular activities can serve as a beneficial means for young individuals to counterbalance such negative experiences.

Nevertheless, another unexpectedly surprising result is that the change in mean values of test anxiety (TA) and communication anxiety (CA) is slightly different, but the sig values show that there is no statistically significant difference between the two domains of anxiety. Regarding test anxiety findings, it indicates that learners actually do not feel at ease much during the tests and still worry about the consequences of failing and the involvement in EECAs does not have much impact on participants. This findingIt implies that EECAs normally aim at developing language skills and tackling some inside fear when learning English, and from now on EECAs should be considered how to help participants overcome anxiety when tests come. The apprehension related to failure and the prospect of retaking a course which is categorized as psychological anxiety (Spielmann & Radnofsky, 2001) should be investigated in further research to uncover underlying reasons and propose effective solutions for alleviating psychological anxiety among language learners. Additionally, one of the main EECAs is promoting speaking skills, which is believed to advocate students’ confidence in communication; the result does not show much difference via pre and post-test. Unlike other researchers such as Jamal (2012), Mahdi (2015), Nghia (2017), and Alnaeem (2021), they confirmed that there is a clear pattern in cases where extracurricular activities significantly lead to better communication and more confidence. Not only do people who participate in extracurricular activities get over their anxiety about communicating with others, but they also learn how to interact constructively. Indeed, the results concerning CA are unexpected because the EECA, or Talking Time, creates a warm and engaging setting where participants freely interact, leading to a significant effect on learners’ CA. Therefore, conducting additional research on this matter is strongly advised. Undoubtedly, although there is not much difference in the impact of EECAs on test anxiety and communication anxiety, at least the mean results show a slight change in the optimistic direction of these two areas. From this, we would affirm that the results are also reassuring for the obvious positive impact of EECAs on participants’ anxiety levels, proving that the CA and TA have reduced gradually when participants join EECAs.

Another noteworthy finding is that the participants’ level of other anxiety (OA) did not show any positive changes after joining EECAs. This can be understandable because of additional factors associated with the learning environment, extending beyond the scope of EECAs’ influence. For instance, features revolving around fear, nervousness, or anxiety are linked to grammatical rules, or the teacher’s instructions. Also, students’ minds might wander or drift away to unrelated thoughts while they are in a language class (Horwitz et al., 1986), signaling a potential lack of engagement or interest in the language class. This aligns with contextual anxiety according to Alamer and Almulhim (2021). Underlying causes of language anxiety in the classroom may stem from learning materials or the relationship between students and teachers (Spielmann & Radnofsky, 2001). Therefore, teachers and educational managers should consider advocating for learners to overcome OA in the classroom besides extracurricular activities. Furthermore, EECA organizers should incorporate elements addressing OA for participants engaged in extracurricular activities.

Overall, examining the whole result of the research, our findings substantiate the significance of EECAs on participants’ anxiety levels. Particularly, when testing the impact of EECAs on participants’ anxiety levels, the study revealed a genuine association between engagement in EECAs and levels of anxiety. The available evidence strongly suggests that extracurricular activities for English language learners have a significant impact on reducing anxiety levels. This study confirmed that the study’s findings agree with the developmental framework, which reveals that getting people involved in extracurricular activities can have a positive effect (Marsh & Kleitman, 2002). Undergraduates have great chances to reduce and eliminate their anxiety levels after engaging themselves in EECAs, particularly.

Thus, the present research has made two main contributions. First, it provided empirical support for the developmental model about the relationship between EECAs and participants’ anxiety levels measured by adopting from FLCAS scale (Horwitz et al., 1986). Second, it identified the causal relationships between EECA's experiences to participants’ anxiety levels; as a result, it confirms some significant values of building a kind of informal, friendly, interactive, and regular English extracurricular activities in the tertiary environment.

Conclusion

This research aimed to investigate how the engagement of participants in English extracurricular activities (EECAs) influences their levels of anxiety within the foreign language classroom. The study specifically explored various aspects of anxiety, including test anxiety, fear of negative evaluation, communication anxiety, and more, employing a 33-item Horwitz scale. The results showed that people felt less anxious when they joined EECAs. Significantly, the majority of individuals managed to overcome their apprehension regarding negative judgment, which proved vital in enhancing their language proficiency. Furthermore, the findings indicated a causality between EECAs and levels of foreign language anxiety. The findings affirm and motivate learners to engage in extracurricular activities, both presently and in the future, as a means to enhance their language abilities and alleviate foreign language anxiety. As such, the results mentioned above have significant implications for pedagogy. Foreign language anxiety should be acknowledged in university students, and effective measures need to be implemented to alleviate their anxiety. Based on the results, FPTU should continue to create EECAs for students and encourage them to participate in the activities more, so the positive results could be more apparent.

In summary, English extracurricular activities have persisted and expanded due to the significant benefits they provide. This research contributes to inspiring more young individuals, particularly those interested in improving their foreign language proficiency, to participate in EECAS and experience its invaluable advantages. Also, the study suggests university counselors and administrators, as well as teachers, parents, and society, should consider creating and developing more regular and structured EECAs for future generations.

Limitations - Recommendations

As with many other studies, this one also contains some limitations. First, the sample for this research is first-year undergraduates from a private university who participated in innovative, new-format English extracurricular activities. Therefore, the results of this study may lack applicability or generalizability to other populations, contexts, or settings. Future research may consider more diverse samples (e.g. all undergraduate students, K-12 students) or other extracurricular activities at various schools and universities. Second, our study is centered on a specific university in Vietnam, and it is crucial to acknowledge potential challenges when extending our findings to diverse contexts. The distinctive features of this particular institution, such as its cultural nuances, academic structure, and student demographics, may impact the transferability of our results to other educational settings. However, the outcomes of this research could offer valuable insights into Asian countries with similar contexts to Vietnam or those where English is used as a second language. Third, although a causal relationship exists between participation in EECAs and anxiety levels, the observable impact of EECAs on students’ anxiety levels may not be notably significant due to the time gap between the pre-and post-tests. Future research may consider studying for a longer period to capture all insights. Last but not least, due to time and resource constraints, not all factors that can affect students’ anxiety levels (e.g. students’ backgrounds, and parental involvement) have been examined in this study. They may be incorporated into future research inquiries.

Abbreviations
ECAs	=	Extracurricular Activities
EECAs	=	English Extracurricular Activities
TA	=	Test Anxiety
FNE	=	Fear of Negative Evaluation
CA	=	Communication Anxiety
OA	=	Other Anxiety
FLA	=	Foreign Language Anxiety
FLCAS	=	Foreign Language Anxiety Scale

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the editor and anonymous reviewers for their useful feedback, and suggestions which helped us considerably improve this article. We acknowledge with thanks the valuable contributions of the participants of our study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Hien Nguyen T. Dieu

Hien Nguyen T. Dieu is a full-time lecturer at the FPT University in Vietnam. Her research interests focus on higher education and technology, TESOL, education psychology, and extracurricular activities.

Ngoc Nguyen T. Nhu

Ngoc Nguyen T. Nhu works as an English lecturer at FPT University, Vietnam. Her current research interests have been focused on higher education, technology-enhanced learning, e-learning, and language education.

Quyen Kieu Minh

Quyen Kieu Minh is a full-time lecturer at the FPT University in Vietnam. His research interests focus on higher education, TESOL, education psychology, and extracurricular activities.

Appendix

The 33 items of the FLCAs scale (Horwitz et al., 1986)

1. I never feel quite sure of myself when I am speaking in my English class.

2. I don’t worry about making mistakes in English class.

3. I tremble when I know that I'm going to be called on in English class.

4. It frightens me when I don’t understand what the teacher is saying in the English language.

5. It wouldn’t bother me at all to take more English classes.

6. During language class, I find myself thinking about things that have nothing to do with the course

7. I keep thinking that the other students are better at English than I am.

8. I am usually at ease during tests in my English class.

9. I start to panic when I have to speak without preparation in English class.

10. I worry about the consequences of failing my English class.

11. I don’t understand why some people get so upset over English classes.

12. In English class, I can get so nervous I forget things I know.

13. It embarrasses me to volunteer answers in my English class.

14. I would not be nervous speaking English with native speakers.

15. I get upset when I don’t understand what the teacher is correcting.

16. Even if I am well prepared for English class, I feel anxious about it.

17. I often feel like not going to my English class.

18. I feel confident when I speak in English class.

19. I am afraid that my English teacher is ready to correct every mistake I make.

20. I can feel my heart pounding when I'm going to be called on in English class.

21. The more I study for an English test, the more confused I get.

22. I don’t feel pressure to prepare very well for English class.

23. I always feel that the other students speak English better than I do.

24. I feel very self-conscious about speaking the foreign language in front of other students.

25. English class moves so quickly I worry about getting left behind.

26. I feel more tense and nervous in my English class than in my other classes.

27. I get nervous and confused when I am speaking in my language class.

28. When I'm on my way to language class, I feel very sure and relaxed.

29. I get nervous when I don’t understand every word the English teacher says.

30. I feel overwhelmed by the number of rules you have to learn to speak English.

31. I am afraid that the other students will laugh at me when I speak English.

32. I would probably feel comfortable around native speakers of English.

33. I get nervous when the English teacher asks questions which I haven’t prepared in advance.