THE EFFECT OF DRAMA PERFORMANCE ON LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING ATTITUDE: THE CONTEXT OF A JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL

• Main Authors: Wen-ching Liu, 劉文清
• Other Authors: Ye-ling Chang
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2006
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/43484211945413869769

碩士 === 國立高雄師範大學 === 英語學系 === 94 === The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of integrating drama performance into English instruction for junior high school students in Taiwan. Specifically, the effects of drama performance on students’ English competence in listening, speaking, reading and writing are examined first. Then, students’ attitudes toward language learning via drama technique are compared and analyzed. And finally, their responses to cooperative learning and drama performance are investigated and analyzed. The subjects for this study came from two classes of 78 students in the eighth grade of Alian Junior High School in Kaoshiung County. The students were divided into two groups. Drama performance was applied in Class P; contrastively, drama performance was not applied in Class N during the integrating drama performance into English instruction (IDPEI) project. All of the 78 subjects joined a 22-week project, and they were requested to read three drama scripts and write three worksheets related to the drama while learning. All subjects were asked to answer the pre-study questionnaire and took a monthly English term examination as the pre-test before the IDPEI project. After the project, the subjects were asked to answer the post-study questionnaire and took a monthly English term examination as the post-test in order to compare the differences between Class N and Class P. Then, two monthly English term examination scores and the results of five-point scale questions in the pre-study and the post-study questionnaires were collected, computed and analyzed quantitatively. The opinions and responses of the students in the open-ended questions of the pre-study and post-study questionnaires were analyzed qualitatively. Based on the quantitative and qualitative data analyses, the findings of the present study are summarized as follows. 1. After the IDPEI project, Class P performed better than Class N in listening, speaking and reading, but there was no significant difference in writing between the two classes. 2. As to attitudes toward English drama instruction, the students of Class P had more positive attitudes than those of Class N did after the IDPEI project. 3. After drama performance, students of Class P held higher attitudes toward English language learning, including listening, speaking, reading and writing, than those of Class N did. 4. Most of the students in Class P responded affirmatively to using cooperative learning in drama performance, and they also thought that drama performance reinforced their learning experience. Based on the study findings, it is suggested that English teachers in junior high school should integrate drama performance into English instruction. This helps students reinforce their learning experience and increase students’ interest and motivation toward English learning. In addition, through the interaction in the learning activities, students can realize the importance of cooperative learning, and they will develop their interpersonal relationship and foster personal growth in the end.