The Affective-Cognitive Advantage of Community Language Learning: A Quasi-Experimental Study on Adolescent EFL Speaking Proficiency and Anxiety Reduction

Abstract

Objective: Speaking anxiety remains a major barrier for adolescent EFL learners, particularly in contexts with limited opportunities for authentic communication. Objective: This study compared the efficacy of Community Language Learning (CLL) against the PPP approach in enhancing speaking proficiency and reducing foreign language classroom anxiety among Indonesian junior high school students. Methods: A preregistered, mixed-factorial quasi-experimental design was employed. Eighty eighth-grade students were assigned to CLL (n=40) or PPP (n=40) groups. Speaking proficiency was assessed using a five-component analytic rubric, and anxiety was measured with the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS), supplemented by reflective diaries. Data were analyzed via mixed-factorial ANOVA and thematic analysis. Result: The CLL group demonstrated significantly greater improvement in overall speaking scores (gain = 27.05) than the PPP group (gain = 19.15), with a large between-groups effect size (d = 1.70). CLL also produced a significantly larger reduction in anxiety (mean reduction = 15.75). Qualitative findings highlighted enhanced psychological safety and collaborative metacognitive correction as key mechanisms. Novelty: This first CLL-PPP comparison in Indonesian junior high schools reveals anxiety reduction as a mediator of speaking gains, integrates mixed-methods evidence, and offers a replicable humanistic EFL model for resource-limited settings.