How do Higher Education Students in the English Language departments perceive the impact of integrating drama and theater skills in EFL education?

Abstract

The purpose of this mixed-method study was to investigate the impact of integrating drama and theatre skills in EFL education on the motivation and language skills among Higher Education Students in the English language departments in Israel. Mixed-method research was used to investigate the identified problem with data being collected from Higher Education Students in the English Language departments using survey questionnaires, interview questions, examination tests, and classroom observations. Purposive sampling was used to recruit 53 students and 312 Higher Education Students in the English Language departments. Survey results and interview findings showed that integrating drama and theatre skills in EFL education improves the acquisition of relevant new terms and words of the target language among students. The students who received instructions through drama and theater showed improved acquisition of new word morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, and phonology. Also, students who participated in the experimental group showed improved pronunciations of words, phrases, and terms better than learners who do not receive instruction via drama and theater. Further, integrating drama and theatre skills in EFL education improves the acquisition of new contextualized vocabulary and word structure. students who received instruction through drama and theater techniques showed significantly better performance in vocabulary than their peers who did not receive instruction via drama and theater techniques. Findings of this intervention study also showed that the integration of drama and theatre skills in EFL education contributes to improved confidence among learners and motivates them largely when learning the target language. Integrating drama and theatre skills allowed students to develop their imagination resulting in improved development of their social skills, emotional engagement, creative skills, communication proficiency, and enhanced problem-solving skills. Findings from the surveys, interviews, and classroom observations also showed that students showed improved ability to process information, identify specific language issues like words, pronunciation, spelling, and sentence construction. Finally, drama and theatre integration in EFL education contributed to the advancement of skills in cooperation and social awareness and understanding among students. In conclusion, the integration of drama and theater in EFL education contributes to significant improvement in student motivation and English language acquisition.