Using Drama to Enhance the Speaking Performance and Intelligibility of English Major Students at the University of Palestine
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33977/1182-012-036-017Keywords:
Drama approach, speaking performance and intelligibilityAbstract
Speaking activities are one of the most difficult tasks that many English foreign language learners (EFLLs) do not admire. These learners are not motivated enough to participate in such activities, and usually, they opt to withdraw. Most English language teachers adopt traditional methods in dealing with such activities, which negatively affects their students’ speaking performance. The main purpose of the present study is to investigate the effect of using the drama approach on enhancing speaking performance and intelligibility among English major students at the University of Palestine. The researcher adopted the quasi-experimental approach and selected a convenient sample of the University of Palestine’s English majors, including 15 senior students, two males and 13 females. The selected students were enrolled in a drama course during the second semester of the academic year 2018/2019. To achieve the goals of the study, the researcher used drama as a teaching approach to enhance students’ speaking performance and intelligibility. In the one-group experiment design of this study, the researcher conducted a speaking pre/posttest on the study participants. The participants’ speaking performance and intelligibility were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed. The results revealed that the drama approach positively enhanced the University of Palestine’s English students’ speaking performance and intelligibility.
References
Aburezeq, Kh. & Abu Taha, M. (2018). Problems English majors encounter in learning drama in English at Al-Aqsa University in Gaza and ways to reduce them. International Journal of Research in English Education, 3(3), 30-45.
Afana, S. (2012). The impact of educational drama intervention on Palestine ninth graders’ English speaking skills at Gaza UNRWA schools. Unpublished M.A. thesis, Islamic University-Gaza.
AL-Hosni, S (2014). The speaking difficulties encountered by EFLLR. International Journal on Studies in English Language and Literature, 2(6), 22-3.
Aljadili, M. (2014). The effectiveness of using virtual classes on developing the tenth graders speaking skills and their speaking anxiety. Unpublished M.A. thesis, Islamic University-Gaza.
Ashour, J. (2014). The effect of using a video conferencing-based strategy on URWA 9th graders English speaking skills and their attitudes towards speaking. Unpublished M.A. thesis, Islamic University-Gaza.
Bailey, K. M.(2006). Issues in Teaching Speaking Skills to Adult ESOL Learners. In Review of Adults Learning and Literacy, A Project of the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy, Volume 6, Chapter 5, (pp. 113-164).
Borgde, S. (2007). The use of drama activities in teaching German in third-level classroom. Scenario: language, culture, literature, 2007(1), 1-24.
Chaney, A.L. & Burk, T.L.(1998). Teaching oral communication in grade k-8. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Delaney, T. (2012). Quality and quantity of oral participation and English proficiency gains. Language Teaching Research, 16(4), 467-482.
Derwing, T. M. & Munro, M. J. (2009). Putting accent in its place: Rethinking obstacles to communication. Language Teach, 42(4), 476-49.
Diaz-Rico, L.T. (2013). Strategies for Teaching English Learners. 3rd Edition, Pearson Education, Inc.
El-Hilaly, A. (2001). The effect of communication strategies and risk taking on oral fluency. Faculty of Education, Al Azhar University, Cairo.
Ellis, R. & Barkhuizen, G. (2005). Analyzing Learner Language. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Flipsen, P. (2006). Measuring the intelligibility of conversational speech in children: Why And How. Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics, 20(4),303-312.
George, D. & Mallery, P. (2003). SPSS for Windows Step by Step. United States of America: Pearson Education, Inc.
Gotz, S. (2013). Fluency in Native and Nonnative English Speech. Amsterdam: John Benjamin’s Publishing Company.
Harmer, J. (2001). The practice of English language teaching. 3rd Edition. London: Longman.
Kailani, T. & Muqattach , L. (2016). ELT Methodology (1). Amman-Jordan: AL-Quds Open University Publication.
Kailani, T. & Muqattach , L. (2017). ELT Methodology (2). Amman-Jordan: AL-Quds Open University Publication.
Kang, O., Thomson, R. & Moran, M. (2018). Empirical approaches to measuring the intelligibility of different varieties of English in predicting listener comprehension. Language Learning, 68(1), 115-146.
Kao, S. & O’Neill, C. (1998). Learning a second language through process drama. U.K.: JAL Press Ltd.
Kormos, J. & Denes, M. (2004). Exploring measures and perceptions of fluency in the speech of second language learners. System, 32(2), 145-164.
Laught, J. R. (2019). Sociocultural theory and language learning as performance: Teaching and learning additional language through performing arts. London: Lexington Books.
Lennon, P. (1990). Investigating fluency in EFL: A quantitative approach. Language Learning, 40(3), 387-412.
Longley, R. (2018). What is drama? Literary definitions and examples. Retrieved from: https://www.thoughtco.com/drama-literary-definition-4171972
Marks, J. (2007). IELTS resource pack. Delta Publishing. Quince Cottage: Hoe Lane Peaslake.
Pishkar, K.; Moinzadeh, A. & Dabghi, A. (2017). The effect of teaching modern English drama on the students’ fluency and accuracy of speaking. Research in English Language Pedagogy, 1 (8), 41-51.
Richards, J. & Renandyya, W. (2002). Methodology in language teaching: An anthology of current practice. The First Edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Riggenbach, H. (1991). Towards an understanding of fluency: A microanalysis of native speaker conversation. Discourse Processes, 14, 423-441.
Sabah, S. (2015) The effectiveness of using debates in developing the speaking skills of English majors at university of Palestine. Unpublished M.A. thesis, Al-Azhar University-Gaza.
Shaat, M. (2017). The oral proficiency of English majors at AL-Azhar university-Gaza. Journal of the University of Palestine for Research and Studies, 7(3), 1-27.
Sharbain, I. (2009). The difficulties encountering ninth grade teachers in performing their roles in light of the communicative approach to teaching speaking in Gaza Strip. Unpublished M.A. thesis, Islamic University-Gaza.
Thornbury, S. (2005). How to Teach Speaking. London: Pearson Education Limited.
Thomson, A. (2016). The effectiveness of drama as an instructional approach for the development of second language oral fluency, comprehensibility, and accentedness. Tesol Quarterly, 51(1), 115-142. https://doi.org/1.1002/tesq.290
Tuan, N & Mai, T. (2015). Factors affecting students’ speaking performance at Le Thanh Hien High School. Asian Journal of Education Research, 3(2), 8-23.
Water, M., McAvoy, M. & Hunt, K. (2015). Drama and education: Performance methodologies for teaching and learning. London & New York:Routledge.
Zourob, M. (2014). The effectiveness of using webinar on improving the speaking skills for Rafah UNRWA seventh graders and their anxiety. Unpublished M.A. thesis, Islamic University-Gaza.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
- The editorial board confirms its commitment to the intellectual property rights
- Researchers also have to commit to the intellectual property rights.
- The research copyrights and publication are owned by the Journal once the researcher is notified about the approval of the paper. The scientific materials published or approved for publishing in the Journal should not be republished unless a written acknowledgment is obtained by the Deanship of Scientific Research.
- Research papers should not be published or republished unless a written acknowledgement is obtained from the Deanship of Scientific Research.
- The researcher has the right to accredit the research to himself, and to place his name on all the copies, editions and volumes published.
- The author has the right to request the accreditation of the published papers to himself.
2.png)
_2.png)
