Creating a Safe Learning Environment for EFL Learners

Creating a Safe Learning Environment for EFL Learners

Alvin Gueco Datugan

Department of Education Faculty, Thailand

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.909000048

Received: 28 August 2025; Accepted: 02 September 2025; Published: 28 September 2025

ABSTRACT

Learning a foreign language is not just about mastering grammar and vocabulary; it’s also about having the confidence to use those skills in real-life situations. Self-confidence is key for English as a Foreign Language learners to express themselves and take risks in their learning. Through a literature-based approach, this article explores how teachers can play an important role in building this confidence, with a particular focus on the emotional safety of learners in the classroom. This article seeks to fill the gap by enlightening educators on strategies to create a safe, supportive, and non-judgmental classroom environment where learners can make mistakes and learn from them. The goal is to help teachers understand the importance of attending to the emotional needs of their students, most especially in promoting a more inclusive and nurturing learning environment.

Keywords: EFL, safe learning environment, emotional needs

INTRODUCTION

Learning comes with the ability to comprehend situations and to relate your skills and abilities to the learning context. For someone to fully express himself, he should be confident to take courage in pursuing more and better in the upcoming learning endeavors. Teachers play several key roles in nurturing EFL learners’ self-confidence (Juliani, & Febrina Dafit, 2024). It is not sufficient for students to merely know that their school is physically secure; they must also feel safe and confident in seeking support from their teachers and school-based mental health professionals for their concerns (Reeves, M.A., Kanan, L.M., & Plog, 2009). Emotional safety is not only essential in language teaching but also in the overall academic learning journey of EFL learners. The importance of the cultural meanings of self-expression and the moderating role of cultural beliefs on its psychological effects play a vital role in our lives (Kim, H. S., & Sherman, 2007). Being able to express oneself without having the fear of getting reprimanded, scolded, or shamed is more than just a freedom of expression but a freedom to be himself regardless of his nationality, race, ethnicity, religion, or his accents and pronunciation. While physical safety is often the main concern in schools, emotional safety is equally vital for learners to feel comfortable asking for help and expressing themselves freely (Reeves, Kanan, & Plog, 2009). The ability to express oneself without fear of judgment is deeply connected to cultural norms and beliefs (Kim & Sherman, 2007).

While existing studies often focus on teaching tools, methodology, and linguistic enhancements, there is minimal exploration of the impact of emotional safety on learners’ confidence and willingness to embrace mistakes as part of their learning process. Despite the focus on teaching methods and language skills in existing research, there is little focus on the emotional aspects of language learning. The gap in this article lies mainly in the emotional well-being of learners in language classrooms, especially in addressing how teachers can create a psychologically safe training ground for learners. This article seeks to fill the gap by raising awareness among educators of different countries in various levels of teaching institutions about the importance of understanding and addressing the emotional needs of the EFL learners and exploring strategies that are supportive and inclusive in language teaching.

Furthermore, this article aims to enlighten language educators on emotional approaches for EFL learners and suggests educational strategies leading to a supportive and non-judgmental classroom environment where learners of English as a foreign language feel at home and safe to learn and grow even when they are committing mistakes in the process.

Understanding the Emotional Needs of EFL Learners

Barriers to emotional safety often come with the fear of judgment and the anxiety of making even the simplest mistakes in pronunciation or unfamiliar accents. In addition, factors that lead to other barriers are cultural and language differences. Language and communication barriers, along with bullying, negatively affect students’ sense of safety and engagement. However, caring and respectful relationships with teachers provided students with opportunities to take control of their learning and participate in schoolwide decisions, creating a greater sense of engagement. Peer support also contributes to emotional engagement by alleviating school-related stress (Krauss, et al., 2024). For an EFL learner learning a new language, English for instance, may sound huge or even impossible to accomplish. Exerting extra effort by adding a supportive emotional approach may open another chance for them to keep moving forward. In contrast, negative emotions can create anxiety and stress, leading to hindrance of language acquisition, the language anxiety. Language anxiety refers to the worry and negative feelings people experience when learning or using a language that is not their native tongue. It applies to both second languages, where there is interaction with others, and foreign languages, where such contact is limited, affecting skills like speaking, reading, writing, and comprehension (MacIntyre and Gregersen, 2012). Imposing perfection on terminology in the class may also lead to slow vocabulary expansion and stagnant fluency in language-speaking performances, so other communication skills may be affected.

Strategies for Educators to Create a Safe Learning Environment

Empathy is a human attribute that is not learned but innate to all human beings. Therefore, adopting an empathetic teaching approach can broaden the course of creating a safe learning environment for the EFL learners. The critical role of empathy in improving classroom dynamics, student motivation, and teacher development plays a vital role, particularly within the socio-cultural context in education. Therefore, generalizations to other EFL contexts should be approached with caution in a broader view (Tran Thi Thuy, et al., 2024). Empathy is also known as putting your feet in other shoes, allowing you to see things from others’ perspectives.

Most EFL learners usually struggle with words they are unfamiliar with and have never used at all in their entire life. Showing understanding and patience when employing performing tasks that may sound simple but are complex to the learners means something to them. Scaffolding, on the other hand, may be of great help for the EFL learners through probing in the form of constructive and motivating questions that may also increase speed and quality to learners’ responses. Educators should try the PBL method in EFL settings, using it as a scaffolding tool to enhance students’ awareness of metacognitive strategies and improve their skills (Berenji, Sepideh, 2021). Giving the learners ample time to think and perform their respective tasks allows them to perform at their own pace, which may also result to increased self-confidence and self-esteem (Kamdideh, & Barjesteh, 2019). Learners also feel the belongingness and comfortability of the whole learning journey when they are given positive feedback and are well informed, especially on the instructions and directions teachers propose in the English language- repetitions are also required to associate ideas with their long-term memory retention (Yang & Azari Noughabi, 2023; Botes & Dewaele, 2023).

On the contrary, avoid penalties and destructive criticism when giving feedback. Some notable penalties and destructive criticism in the history of teaching in the old days include using harsh words as a sign of discipline and giving huge amounts of writing tasks (Yazdanmehr, & Akbari, 2015). These tasks, originally intended as writing assessments, have been used differently in recent years and may still be employed by some educators today. Instead of viewing mistakes negatively, teachers should embrace them as opportunities for growth and improvement.

Conceptual Framework

This article is grounded in the idea that creating a safe environment is essential for effective English language learning. Based on previous studies, a safe environment includes three main areas: physical safety, emotional and psychological safety, and instructional support. When these areas are present in the classroom, EFL learners are more likely to feel confident, motivated, and ready to participate. Physical safety means that students learn in a clean, organized, and comfortable space that is free from harm or danger. Emotional and psychological safety includes the feeling of being accepted, respected, and not judged for mistakes. It also involves reducing fear, anxiety, and stress in class. Instructional support refers to how teachers guide, encourage, and help students learn without pressure or embarrassment. This includes clear instructions, positive feedback, and supportive classroom rules.

This article aims to give helpful ideas and information on how to manage EFL classrooms well. The goals of the study are to explore simple and effective ways teachers can create a safe and friendly classroom for EFL students, to gather useful information from past studies about common problems and how to handle them in EFL classes, and to give easy-to-follow suggestions that teachers can use to improve the classroom environment for EFL learners.

METHODOLOGY

This article used a literature-based approach to explore how a safe environment can be created for EFL learners. Instead of collecting new data, the researcher gathered and studied existing articles and research papers related to the topic. The focus was to identify common ideas and strategies that have been effective in different classroom settings. Articles were selected using online databases such as Google Scholar, ERIC, etc. These materials were read carefully, analyzed, and sensitized to understand the best practices in promoting a safe learning environment.

CONCLUSION

The emotional needs of the EFL learners may appear in different forms and levels; however, through a sympathetic teaching approach, they will feel the inclusivity and sense of belongingness in the classroom setting. It’s therefore important that educators are familiar with sympathetic approaches when integrating complex tasks in language teaching that are usually hindering the EFL learners’ learning growth. Teaching strategies are all over the cyberworld and even in books, not to mention the countless seminars and workshops educational institutions offer to sustain 21st-century teaching.

RECOMMENDATION

1. Teachers should use friendly and respectful communication to make students feel safe and welcome in the classroom.
2. Teachers need to learn about common challenges in EFL classes and prepare ways to handle these problems calmly and fairly.
3. Teachers should familiarize themselves with the socio-cultural context where English teaching takes place.
4. Schools and teachers should apply simple strategies from research that help create a positive and supportive learning space for all students.

Conflict of Interest Statement

There is no conflict of interest to disclose.

REFERENCES

1. Berenji, S. (2021). Enhancing metacognitive scaffolding and comprehension ability through problem-based learning in an EFL context. Education Research International, 2021, 6766793. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/6766793
2. Guo, K., Chen, X., & Qiao, S. (2024). Exploring a collaborative approach to peer feedback in EFL writing: How do students participate? RELC Journal: A Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 55(3), 658–672. https://doi.org/10.1177/00336882221100876
3. Juliani, & Febrina Dafit. (2024). Investigating teachers’ roles in forming EFL learners’ self-confidence: A lesson learned for young learners. Journal of Language and Literature Studies, 4(1), 124–134. https://doi.org/10.36312/jolls.v4i1.1819
4. Kamdideh, Z., & Barjesteh, H. (2019). The effect of extended wait-time on promoting Iranian EFL learners’ willingness to communicate. International Journal of Instruction, 12(3), 183–200. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2019.12312a
5. Kim, H. S., & Sherman, D. K. (2007). “Express yourself”: Culture and the effect of self-expression on choice. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.92.1.1
6. Krauss, S., Wong, E. J. Y., Zeldin, S., Kunasegaran, M., Nga Lay Hui, J., Ma’arof, A. M., Yee Mei Tien, W., & Ismail, I. A. (2024). Positive school climate and emotional engagement: A mixed methods study of Chinese students as ethnocultural minorities in Malaysian secondary schools. Journal of Adolescent Research, 39(5), 1154–1192. https://doi.org/10.1177/07435584221107431
7. MacIntyre, P., & Gregersen, T. (2012). Affect: The role of language anxiety and other emotions in language learning. In S. Mercer, S. Ryan, & M. Williams (Eds.), Psychology for language learning (pp. 139–157). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137032829_8
8. Reeves, M. A., Kanan, L. M., & Plog, A. E. (2009). Comprehensive planning for safe learning environments: A school professional’s guide to integrating physical and psychological safety – Prevention through recovery (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203879863
9. Tran Thi Thuy, Pham Trut Thuy, & Le Thanh Thao. (2024). Empathetic pedagogies in English as a foreign language (EFL) teaching: Specific strategies and experiences from the Mekong Delta context. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 23(1), 3. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.23.1.3
10. Yang, S., Azari Noughabi, M., Botes, E., & Dewaele, J.-M. (2023). Let’s get positive: How foreign language teaching enjoyment can create a positive feedback loop. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 13(1), 17–38. https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2023.13.1.2
11. Yazdanmehr, E., & Akbari, R. (2015). An expert EFL teacher’s class management. Iranian Journal of Language Teaching Research, 3(2), 57–72. https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:152151969