English language clubs (ELCS) in secondary schools: a study of their current status in Sibu, Sarawak / Angel Helen P. Pereira, Aiza Johari and Christine Jacqueline Runggol

English language Clubs (ELCs) are a feature of the co-curricular activities in all secondary schools in our country. They function to carry out language activities that will help students enhance their language learning. To what extent they are effective in doing this is unclear. This study aims to shed some light on the status quo of the ELCs. The study looked at the secondary schools in the Sibu Division of Sarawak. The study looked at five factors through the lens of the teacher-advisors. They were: The students, the activities, the teacher-advisors’ role, internal and external support. The methodology used both qualitative and quantitative data in a mixed methodology approach. The quantitative data was obtained from a survey of all the schools in Sibu, while qualitative data was collected through interviews. The results revealed that while the schools carried out the ELC activities, the way they were managed and the way they were carried out were not effective enough to meet the needs of the student members. A lot more could be done to improve the situation. The study provides recommendations that need to be taken into consideration in order to improve the efficacy of ELCS in the schools.