Although the development of second language (L2) oral fluency has been widely investigated over the past several decades, there remains a paucity of research examining language instruction specifically aimed at improving this cognitive skill. In this study, the researchers investigate how instructional techniques adapted from drama can positively impact L2 fluency, comprehensibility, and accentednessthree frequently discussed dimensions of L2 speech. Following a pretest-posttest design, the researchers obtained speech samples from 24 adolescent Brazilian EFL learners before and after their participation in a 4-month drama-based English language program. The development of oral skills by this group was compared with that of a parallel group of learners who received 4 months of instruction in a traditional communicative EFL classroom. Thirty untrained Canadian native English speaker raters evaluated randomized recorded L2 speech samples and provided impressionistic scalar judgments of fluency, comprehensibility, and accentedness. Results indicate that drama-based instruction can lead to significantly larger gains in L2 English oral fluency relative to more traditional communicative EFL instruction; comprehensibility scores also appear to be impacted, but with a much smaller effect; accentedness scores do not seem to benefit from one type of instruction over the other. The authors discuss implications for teaching practice. USING DRAMA TO PROMOTE FLUENCY Treatment group: Drama-based EFL program Comparison group: Traditional EFL program Class 1: 5 m M age = 13.8 (range = 13-14) Class 3: 2 f; 3 m M age = 13.6 (range = 13-15) Class 2: 4 f, 4 m M age = 14.6 (range = 13-16) Class 4: 5 f; 1 m M age = 13.3 (range = 12-15) USING DRAMA TO PROMOTE FLUENCY 121
Anxiety is a dimension of L2 speaking that has been heavily investigated over the past several decades, but there is a paucity of research investigating instruction aiming at lowering anxiety. While research suggests drama lowers L2 learners’ anxiety, it is unclear to what extent anxiety is affected by drama. This article reports results from a mixed methods study examining whether drama impacts foreign language anxiety (FLA). The participants were 24 Brazilian adolescents who took part in two distinct four-month EFL programmes: a drama and a non-drama programme. An adapted version of the Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) was used as pre- and post measures. Analyses from FLCAS indicate a significant reduction in FLA levels among learners in both groups over time, with a slightly better improvement among learners in the drama group. Further analysis provides evidence that drama can enhance comfort levels when speaking the L2. Implications for research and language teaching are discussed.
Although recent calls have been made for a plurilingual shift in language learning, particularly in countries with linguistically and culturally diverse populations, teachers are still unsure about how to apply plurilingualism in the classroom. There remains a paucity of studies investigating the disconnect between the theory and implementation of the plurilingual shift. This quasi‐experimental study addressed these challenges by implementing plurilingual instruction in one English language program in a Canadian university and examining teachers’ perceptions of this type of instruction compared to English‐only. Seven teachers, all co‐researchers of the study, taught two groups of students with different approaches: One group received plurilingual instruction, and the other group received English‐only instruction. A deductive analysis of semistructured interviews with the teachers and an inductive analysis of classroom observations were conducted. Results show several affordances of plurilingual instruction, such as engaging students in language learning, advancing agentive power, and developing a safe space. Moreover, although none of the teachers had received training in plurilingualism, they unanimously reported preference for plurilingual instruction. Challenges resulted mainly from teachers’ history with the English‐only teaching tradition. This study is significant because it pioneered research aiming to bridge the gap between the theory and practice of plurilingualism, contributing pedagogical directions in TESOL.
Language and culture are informally integrated in many English as an Additional Language (EAL) programs, but cultural discussions are often regarded from the perspective of a particular dominant culture. Although this integration is crucial for the development of communicative competence, practical applications are still challenging as language teachers tend to know more about linguistic items than cultural aspects (Celce-Murcia, 2007
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