Integrating Student Response System into English as a Foreign Language Classroom: A Preliminary Study

This study discusses the use of Student Response Systems (SRS) in the context of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learning, exploring how SRS affects learners’ EFL anxiety and enjoyment. The study investigates whether the use of an SRS can increase EFL learners’ enjoyment and reduce their anxiety. A quasi-experimental design was used, with 58 undergraduate students from a Chinese university participating in the study. Their EFL anxiety and enjoyment were measured using validated questionnaires both before and after the intervention. Results showed that the treatment group outperformed their counterparts in the control group in terms of EFL anxiety with a small-to-medium effect size. Additionally, the use of SRS significantly reduced EFL anxiety in the treatment group over the six-week-long intervention with a small-to-medium effect size. However, regarding enjoyment, there was no significant difference between the two groups, and the treatment group did not have a significant increase in enjoyment. This preliminary study suggests that SRS can be an effective tool for reducing negative emotions in relation to EFL learning.