Year: 2022
Type: article
Abstract: Teachers and researchers from around the world have attested to the benefits of using drama-based activities in EFL (English as a Foreign Language) classrooms.Despite this praise it is believed that the number of Japanese teachers of English using such activities in their classes is very small.There are a number of reasons for this including a lack of confidence in the teachers' English language ability, poor communication skills with their students, a lack of quantitative analysis of drama-based activities, and a perception that drama is not serious learning.This study compares the quantitative and qualitative analysis gathered in a pre-and post-task test (see Appendix A) for 52 university students from 3 EFL classes using a skit to ascertain whether the positive findings of Theobald (2021) can be repeated.Results show that while the quantitative analysis was all positive, the degree of improvement varies depending on the group.The qualitative analysis shows a combined average increase in confidence in overall English skills of 17%, replicating the 2021 study. International research on the use of drama in the EFL classroomThis paper recognizes that there are cultural differences between nations when learning EFL.However, these differences should not be overemphasized because any student learning a new language, regardless of age, ability or nationality, has the same feelings of embarrassment, frustration, social anxiety, peer pressure etc.For a more detailed list of anxieties students of a new language face see Atlas (2015).In 1978, Vygotsky said the most significant moment in the course of intellectual development takes place when speech and practical activity come together.Such a statement reads like a definition for what happens when drama activities are used in the EFL classroom.
Author: Theobald, Marcus
Institution: Shigakukan University
Language: English
Subfield: Language and Linguistics
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7144688795