This action research uses creative drama activities to develop speaking competence through picture books among preschoolers on online platforms. This study aims to determine the creative drama activities I implemented to achieve speaking outcomes in preschoolers.
The research group consisted of four preschool learners. The study's implementations began on October 30, 2022, lasted twelve weeks, and ended on December 25, 2022. Three picture books were used in the research: book 1, The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle; book 2, The Colour Monster by Anne Llenas; and book 3, From Head to Toe by Eric Carle. Learners read the story and played games, sang songs, and did creative drama activities during the lessons. I emphasized creating a supportive and engaging learning environment that fosters learners' sense of comfort and ownership. I also emphasized the importance of creative drama techniques in encouraging learners to speak and the need to tailor teaching methods to the learner's needs, interests, and abilities. Learners spoke up and used props efficiently during target tasks. To provide evidence of the effectiveness of creative drama and storytelling in improving speaking skills in preschoolers, data collection methods, including video recordings, feedback and questionnaires from parents, the observation of a nonparticipant observer, and the
teacher's journal, were used in this study. The data collected using these methods was triangulated to ensure the findings' validity and reliability. Future research could focus on broadening the study's scope to include a larger sample size and a broader range of learner ages. It would be interesting to investigate the long-term effects of CD activities on speaking abilities and compare their efficiency to other language instruction techniques. It would also be helpful to study how learner activities are used and how well they work in online or hybrid learning environments.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
1.1 Statement of the problem
1.2 Significance of the Study
1.3 Personal Motivation
1.4 Limitations
2. Literature Review
2.1 Teaching and Learning English as a Foreign Language
2.2 Communicative Language Teaching
2.3 Teaching approach: Task-Based Language Learning
2.3.1 Features of a Task
2.3.2 Task features that potentially support language learning
2.3.3 Task types in relation to creative drama
2.4 Definition and Importance of Speaking Skills and Sub-Skills in Communicative Language Teaching
2.4.1 Qualities of a Successful Speaking Classroom
2.4.2 Speaking proficiency challenges in English language classrooms
2.4.3 Use of creative drama to relieve speaking proficiency challenges in preschoolers
2.5 Introduction to Creative Drama in Education
2.5.1 The advantages of creative drama in developing preschoolers' speaking skills
2.5.2 Implementation of creative drama activities in the preschool context
2.5.3 Creative drama techniques that can be used to improve speaking skills
2.6 The importance of using picture books with young learners as a basis for creative drama
2.6.1 Criteria for selecting picture books to develop speaking skills
2.6.2 Language use in stories
3. Didactical and methodological considerations of task plans
3.1 Didactical and methodological considerations of the Circle Time Routine
3.2 Book One: The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
3.2.1 Didactical considerations
3.2.2 Task plan and methodology
3.3 Book two: The Colour Monster by Anna Llenas
3.3.1 Didactical considerations
3.3.2 Task plan and methodology
3.4 Book three: From Head to Toe by Eric Carle
3.4.1 Didactical considerations
3.4.2 Task plan and methodology
4. Methodology
4.1 Research Design
4.2 Learning Context and Participants
4.3 Data Collection Procedure
4.4 Data Collection Instruments
4.5 Data Analysis Procedure
4.6 Validity and Reliability of the Study
5. Findings
5.1. Creative drama in storytelling
Findings from the Teacher’s Journal
5.2 Supporting preschoolers
5.3 Developing speaking skills
6. Discussion and Conclusion
7. Recommendations, and Further Research
Research Objectives and Themes
This study investigates the extent to which creative drama in storytelling supports preschoolers in developing their speaking skills in a foreign language context. Through an action research approach on online platforms, the study evaluates how integrated task-based lesson plans, when centered on picture books and creative drama, foster motivated participation, spontaneity, and self-confidence in young learners.
- Integration of creative drama techniques to overcome speaking anxiety.
- Utilization of picture books as a framework for meaningful language acquisition.
- Application of Task-Based Language Learning (TBLL) in a preschool setting.
- Development of speaking sub-skills like pronunciation, fluency, and vocabulary.
- Assessment of the role of supporting materials and props in communicative tasks.
Excerpt from the Book
Hot seat:
The character is seated on a chair opposite the learners, face-to-face. Members of the group question the character about his ideals, motivations, relationships, and conduct. It is a very efficient strategy for allowing the character to discover various features by asking and answering questions (Neelands, 1990, as cited in Akar, 2000, p. 30). Even when done unpreparedly, fleshing out a character is a fantastic approach. This technique can be used in language classrooms to develop questioning skills with the group. In our task plan 1, the character monster is questioned one by one by the learners. Questioning in role (or "hot seating"), according to Fleming (1994, p. 58), is a technique in which one of the learners (or the teacher) is questioned about their character, motives, attitude toward a problem, or relationship with others while they are in a specific role. This method encourages learners to consider and analyse the character's thoughts and feelings, as well as their own ideas about the character. It can be used to foster empathy and understanding of different points of view, as well as improve communication and critical thinking skills. As Fleming (1994, p. 58) suggests, hot seating can be done as follows:
If there are no questions or if they end too soon, the class might be invited to quickly debate possible questions in pairs before resuming.
Learners who are being questioned may start to exhibit the emotions of the character (nervous, tense, wary, hostile).
Pupils can occasionally remain at the level of asking literal, scarcely relevant questions, but can be given a lead by the teacher's intervention.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter outlines the importance of foreign language acquisition for preschoolers and identifies the problem of speaking anxiety, proposing creative drama and picture books as potential solutions.
2. Literature Review: This section covers theoretical foundations including communicative language teaching, task-based learning, the role of speaking sub-skills, and the pedagogical benefits of creative drama.
3. Didactical and methodological considerations of task plans: This chapter details the practical instruction strategies, circle time routines, and lesson plans used for specific picture books.
4. Methodology: This section describes the action research design, the selection of participants in a bilingual preschool, and the various data collection instruments utilized.
5. Findings: This chapter analyzes the gathered qualitative data, presenting insights from the teacher’s journal, parent feedback, and nonparticipant observations regarding learner progress.
6. Discussion and Conclusion: This final chapter synthesizes the results, confirming the effectiveness of creative drama in improving speaking skills and summarizing the pedagogical implications.
Keywords
Creative Drama, Preschoolers, Speaking Skills, Picture Books, English as a Foreign Language, Task-Based Language Learning, Communicative Language Teaching, Storytelling, Language Acquisition, Role-play, Motivation, Self-confidence, Online Learning, Teacher-in-Role, Scaffolding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this study?
This study focuses on using creative drama activities and picture books on online platforms to help preschool learners develop their English speaking competence.
What are the main thematic areas covered in the research?
The research covers communicative language teaching, task-based language learning, the role of dramatic techniques, and the importance of supportive learning environments for young children.
What is the central research question?
The core research question asks to what extent does creative drama in storytelling support preschoolers in developing their English speaking skills.
Which methodology does the author use?
The author employs qualitative action research, involving personal observation, teacher journals, video recordings, parent feedback, and insights from a nonparticipant observer to triangulate the findings.
What is covered in the main body of the work?
The main body detail the theoretical background, the design of task-based lesson plans involving specific books like "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" and "The Colour Monster," and the analysis of the collected implementation data.
Which keywords categorize this work?
Key terms include Creative Drama, Preschoolers, Speaking Skills, Task-Based Language Learning, and EFL (English as a Foreign Language).
How does "Hot Seating" assist learners?
The "Hot Seating" technique allows students to role-play and question characters directly, which fosters empathy, critical thinking, and spontaneous verbal interaction in the target language.
Why are picture books used as the basis for drama?
Picture books are used because their repetitive patterns, visual aids, and engaging themes reduce anxiety, provide a natural context for language use, and stimulate the child's imagination.
How do puppets influence shy learners?
Puppets act as intermediaries for communication, making interaction less intimidating for timid learners by providing a safe, playful, and familiar character for the children to converse with.
How is the success of the creative drama activities measured?
Success is measured through active participation, the children's ability to use identified language chunks spontaneously, and their increased willingness to communicate in authentic, role-played settings.
- Citar trabajo
- SEDA HAVA AK (Autor), 2023, Developing English speaking competences by using picture books in preschool drama activities, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1525386
