THE INTERSECTION OF LANGUAGE LEARNING AND MENTAL HEALTH: EXAMINING ANXIETY-REDUCTION STRATEGIES THROUGH CONTEMPLATIVE PEDAGOGY IN ELT

Abstract

The current study explores the impact of the implementation of contemplative pedagogy in the reduction of foreign language anxiety among undergraduate students of English Language Teaching in Pakistan. The study used a quasi-experimental design with 120 participants in three state universities in Punjab in 12 weeks during the fall 2024. The experimental group was given training that included mindfulness exercises, reflective journaling, and breath practices whereas the control group was given classical training. The collection of data was done using the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale used pre- and post-intervention, semi-structured interviews with 15 participants, and classroom observation notes. The paired-sample t-tests conducted to analyze quantitatively determined that there was statistically significant resulting reduction of anxiety in the experimental group over the control group. Qualitative thematic analysis revealed that there are five dominant themes, namely, improved self-awareness, better emotional management, heightened classroom engagement, coping-development, and learner-autonomy. The findings triangulated show that contemplative practices are promising strategies of anxiety reduction in ELT, especially in applying to communication apprehension and fear of negative evaluation. By playing a role in developing new literature on holistic practices in language instruction, the study will offer an empirical basis of why integrating contemplative pedagogy in Pakistani contexts of higher learning is helpful.