Taking charge: Improving EFL students' language proficiency, academic skills and professional preparation via student-led activities

This study discusses the influence of student-run activities on developing proficiency in English, promoting non-academic skills and enhancing professional preparation. Because there is a paucity of research in this area, this study explores the perceptions of EFL learners and professors at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), Oman, about student involvement in a society run completely by students. It describes how planning, creating and running various activities help to develop learners' language proficiency, and enhance their personalities, especially their interpersonal and social skills, and preparedness for future employment. The study is grounded in a number of theoretical approaches, including Vygotskian thinking, social constructivism, and learner-centered methodologies. It used two versions of an open-ended questionnaire: one given to learners who were actively engaged in these activities and the other to faculty members who worked closely with these students. Learners reported shyness reduction, enhanced selfconfidence and improved language and communication skills. Faculty members reported that student involvement in the society gave them ample and invaluable opportunities to organize and plan activities on their own, to develop teamwork, and to enhance social and interpersonal skills, all of which contribute greatly to their preparedness for the workplace.