CC BY
207PHILOLOGICAL SCIENCES
THE EFFECTS OF DRAMA ACTIVITIES ON STUDENTS IN EFL
Aryn K.
Master's student University of International Business Almaty, Kazakhstan
Abstract
Drama provides a framework for listening and communication practice and allows language practice to be more meaningful. The drama activities are designed not only to improve the language skills of students, but also to familiarize them with a real situation, taken from real life. In this article types of drama activities which can be implemented in EFL classroom will be reviewed. As well as studies which were conducted to find out the effect of drama on students in EFL classroom. The studies revealed that the use of drama in EFL greatly affects students. The aim of the article is to assure that drama activities will benefit not only speaking skills of EFL learners, but also other factors such as confidence.
Keywords: drama; drama activities; EFL teaching; drama types.
Introduction
Speaking skills play an important role in teaching a second language. Given this importance, little attention has been paid to this ability over the years, and techniques such as memorizing dialogues have been used (Kayi, 2006). The target language and those who use it as their mother tongue rarely become familiar with the foreign language. Many of these students are unable to watch English-language publications, films or listen to music. The classroom atmosphere is the only place where they get to know the language.
Hui (2011) and Kaiyi (2006) point out that teachers should pay close attention to the use of authentic classroom resources, encourage student speech participation, engage students in collaborative learning, maximize student presentation time, and provide support and feedback.
Drama is widely used around the world in teaching English as second language. According to multiple studies which have been conducted worldwide, in general it mainly showed only positive results. The use of drama not only did it have positive effects on speaking skills of students, but also benefits other aspects such as student's confidence and social skills.
Language users are often wary of the difficulties associated with constant and formal conversation with large audiences. By pointing out how popular they are with people and what to do with them, teachers can help minimize irrational fears. By maintaining a positive classroom atmosphere and offering students the opportunity to practice individually or with another student, and then in significantly larger groups, they can also help minimize these concerns. Students should then practice communicating in front of their peers who are facing the same situation. Students can practice presenting results, answering questions, and group discussions. Frequent presentations and class discussions enable teachers to identify and solve problems. Students can benefit from learning by setting presentation goals and measuring their success. Students can be encouraged to set specific goals by looking at experienced speakers. Mastering oral presentation in these forms will reduce student anxiety while at the same time helping them understand the subject of the lesson. Students
are less likely to be fearful and anxious when well prepared and more likely to succeed. Preparedness can be improved with a thorough knowledge of the subject, adequate organization and practice of presentation. Opportunities should be provided to develop conversational skills so that students can improve their English skills.
Types of Drama
So there are different types of drama activities which can be used in teaching English.
1.1 Role play
Role play is an imitation of the character and actions of a person other than you. Cornett (1999) emphasized that when students participate in role-playing games, they develop fluency and verbal communication skills, and also use the body in face-to-face communication. For students studying a second language who may not always speak English at home, these skills are particularly important.
Holt and Kisilka (2006) said that role-playing can be fun and improve learning. Because these tasks use a student-student interaction model, they enable EFL students to understand the value of collaboration and to show interest in learning.
1.2 Improvisation
Landy (1982) describes improvisation as an unplanned, unprepared, spontaneous series of actions, usually containing statements about who is, where is and what is doing there. In improvisation, without planning, students must create a scene, speak, act, react and move. Improvisation is an improvised act without a script or presentation plan, but with minimal instruction or teacher structure (Burlinska, 2016). This approach helps students to improve their communication skills as well as gain self-confidence. Students can develop their characters as much as they want, and speak as they like (Trivedi, 2013).
Improvisation is a teaching method in which learners are assigned roles to engage in dialogues or conversations based on the situation of the discussion on prompts that are given using their own words or phrases. Students usually don't have much time to plan what they are about to say. Students use their own experience in learning the target language.
1.3 Mime
Cambridge Dictionary defines mime as the act of using your hands and body movements, as well as nonverbal facial expressions to convey feelings and actions or tell a story.
The term mime can be described as "non-verbal presentation through gesture, body movements and the expression of an idea or story" (Dougill, 1987, p. 13). Since students perform without using the L2 in front of their peers, they are not pressured in classroom activities (Savignon, 1983).
In completing their task by acting out, explaining the structure learned, students experience great enthusiasm, ingenuity, fun, and sociability while playing mime games (Angelina Linda Hartani).
1.4 Readers' theatre
RT is group reading with roots in the old traditions of storytelling in Ancient Greece (Drew 2009: 52). A reader's theater is the oral reading of two or more readers of a drama or poetry.
Each script is broken down into parts or phrases that are shared among the readers. Students are assigned different roles or numbers and read aloud the script they hold in their hands, each with their own copy of the script. Each role or number occurs several times in the script, so each participant reads the small fragments several times.
1.5 Simulation
Simulation is an exercise wherein learners simulate real life experiences, either as themselves in a given situation, or as characters other than themselves, or with thoughts and emotions they really do not experience (Jeremy Harmer, 2007, p. 352). Simulations are very similar to role-plays, but they differ from role-plays in that they are more detailed. Students can bring objects to class during simulation to set a more appropriate environment.
Review of Related Literature
Drama is an important tool that can positively engage students in learning English (Davis, 1990; Der-vishaj, 2009). Using drama in teaching English can be a great tool that fulfills the function of key activities such as role-playing, simulating daily life scenarios, staging readings and dialogues, or imitation. They are ideal for practicing speaking and English pronunciation, and for communication between classes. The use of drama is also a great way to spice up lessons, as well as empowering students of all skill levels to participate in engaging activities. The drama will greatly enhance students' confidence as well as their ability to speak English.
As Chauhan (2004) noted, using drama as a foreign language lesson in English teaching offers a framework for listening and significant language development, encouraging learners to use their language skills and thus develop their language skills. In foreign language lessons, dramatic exercises and / or strategies are important in that they get students to become familiar with functional language and encourage them to use language that is immersed in context and circumstances. The "acting out" method encourages students to take a different position, which allows them to be creative.
The researchers also found that drama reduced anxiety levels in English as foreign language learners when they were trying to figure out if drama was helping learners develop oral skills (Miccoli, 2003; Conejeros & Fernandez, 2008; Gorjian et al., 2010).
The drama has become a form of teaching that inspires students to learn a foreign language in an innovative and productive way. This means that drama techniques create an environment in which learners learn in context, apply their creativity, and respond spontaneously. For fluency in English, language skills without any prior training are essential.
Trained as an actor and teacher of English as a Second Language, Smith (1984) draws the link between the theatre arts and language learning. He believes that actors and learners have a common goal of expressing intended messages, have the same barriers to working with new roles and vocabulary, and therefore can use the same techniques to solve problems and achieve goals.
During the performance participants complete tasks to develop their language skills in a relaxed and free atmosphere. Factors such as curiosity and enthusiasm are also involved. In this process, various tasks are performed aimed at improving the cognitive, affective and kinesthetic spheres. During the drama process, the participants learn and have fun (Bruce & Eryaman, 2015).
The many interactions they engage in have a positive effect on their emotional development. These characteristics of the dramatic method generate curiosity and expectations in the participants about language skills (Erdogan, 2016).
The drama offers a safe and inspiring environment in which effective L2 learning takes place (Miccoli, 2003). In an EFL class, the use of drama promotes the development of students' oral skills, which helps them communicate effectively (Gathumbi&Masembe, 2005). Since drama is student-centered, it can be seen as a communication method focused on language development. It is through drama that students in an attractive environment can naturally use L2 (Dodson, 2000).
The drama creates a learning atmosphere in which students learn L2 by effectively representing the target language in real life scenarios. Thus, by practicing the language according to the given scenarios in the classroom, they improve their language proficiency (Atas, 2015).
In the study which was conducted by Ozlem Gokturk, Muhittin Qali§kan, Mustafa Serkan Ozturk (2020) creative drama activities were designed and used in order to promote speaking skills of 7th graders. As creative drama puppets, a role play, mime and improvisation were applied. Speaking exam, speaking rubric, the Scale of Attitudes towards English course and research diary were used as data collection tools. As for the results of this study is that after the completion of creative drama, the speech abilities of students significantly increased compared to their abilities at the beginning of classes. Another result is that students' atti-
tudes towards the course have changed positively during the course of the class. These results were also supported by data from the study diary.
To assess the impact of creative drama activities on the improvement of speaking skills and the impact on attitude paired samples of the t-test were conducted. These results suggest that creative dramatic techniques enhance speaking ability.
Mine Atas (2014) detected that drama not only improves speaking skills but also decreases the level of anxiety and increases students' confidence in speaking English. In her study 12th grade students at the age of 18 took part. In order to find out how drama affects the speaking anxiety, pre- and post- questionnaires and pre-and post-interviews along with students' diaries were used. Role play, mime, improvisation and drama scripts were utilized in this study. Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS), designed by Horwitz, Horwitz, and Cope (1986), was used as pre- and postquestionnaire.
At the pre-interview most students admitted that they were afraid of making mistakes while speaking English and feeling ashamed and embarrassed in case they do. The fear of making mistakes while speaking prevented them from speaking whatsoever.
The results of the quantitative data indicate that drama positively influenced the anxiety, nervousness, and embarrassment of students while talking in the FL. Most of the students have taken advantage of the drama lessons, for example, the unprepared conversation in FL; feeling safe speaking English; overcoming feelings the feel of being worse in comparison with other students when speaking in English (Atas, 2014). Many students have argued that they are no longer afraid of making mistakes while speaking English and most of the them said they had improved their pronunciation and also they feel relaxed during English lessons.
In the study conducted by Bahman Gorjian (2010) results showed that the experimental group students had a more optimistic view of the teaching style, teaching drama through dramatic performance; while the control group was sometimes unhappy with the atmosphere and activities in the classroom. 60 students majoring in English Language and Literature participated in the study, they were divided into an experimental and control group. Two plays were used in the study: A Doll House and The Death of Salesman. The classroom environment is an important factor affecting student learning in literature classrooms and is often influenced by the actions of teachers in the classroom. Lack of anxiety about getting good marks and the fear of making mistakes were the most prominent items listed by the experimental group.
In a drama class, where students are given roles to play, the teaching method makes the classroom activities enjoyable, as students' responses indicate, with more emphasis on the drama than the text itself.
Conclusion
According to the studies it can be concluded that using drama activities in EFL positively impact students. Using drama activities enhances students' confidence and reduces learners' anxiety of speaking. It also
sets a non-threatening educational environment, so students don't feel pressured to get good grades, instead they will enjoy the drama activities and will take active participation in the learning process.
It was found that the use of drama significantly affected the emotional performance of the classroom, students eliminated their English class biases and were more willing to attend English classes (Atas, 2014).
Drama offered students great opportunities to practice English and gave students a practical sense of how to use their communication skills. Moreover, it improved learners' affective variables that motivated them to speak and developed greater confidence in the conversation (Sirisrimangkorn, 2018).
Drama helps students develop their imaginations, reinforce their self-confidence, and expand opportunities for collaboration with others. They also have their own stage to share their thoughts and show their initiative (Deri Sis Nanda, 2016). Another advantage of this technique is that the psychological burden of memorizing isolated material is minimized through dramatization. Instead, it facilitates group practice, increases student self-confidence, and promotes self-realization rather than single memorization.
It could be suggested that the institutional education that implements English language training program should freely promote EFL learners to write a script and establish theater activities.
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