<![CDATA[Understanding internal mental processing is crucial for explaining language learning outcomes in informal educational settings. However, students’ cognitive development within extracurricular English Club programs has rarely been evaluated through systematic psychometric profiling. This research aimed to identify and analyze students’ cognitive dimensions in the English Club program at SMAN 8 Mandau, focusing on how underlying mental architecture influences English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learning and communicative fluency. A quantitative survey research design employing a census sampling technique was conducted with all 10 active members of the SMAN 8 Mandau English Club. Data were collected using a validated and reliable 8-item Likert-scale questionnaire measuring five core cognitive dimensions: perception, memory, attention, language processing, and thinking and problem solving. Descriptive statistical analysis revealed a high overall cognitive readiness among participants, with a cumulative group mean score of 33.00 out of a maximum of 40.00 (SD = 5.270). Among the dimensions, “Thinking and Problem Solving” achieved the highest score (Mean = 4.5), indicating that club activities effectively train students to utilize communication strategies and overcome real time speaking obstacles. Conversely, “Attention Management” recorded the lowest mean score (Mean = 3.6), highlighting susceptibility to internal and external distractions during oral practice. Overall, the English Club significantly fosters students’ cognitive frameworks by lowering language anxiety, facilitating long term vocabulary recall, and accelerating sentence processing. It is recommended that EFL instructors integrate targeted focus-training and interactive digital tasks into extracurricular club routines to ensure balanced cognitive development and sustained communicative accuracy.]]>
