using drama in english classrooms: the effects on
TRANSCRIPT
Yaratıcı Drama Dergisi 2021, 16(2), 191-206
www.yader.org
Using Drama in English Classrooms: The Effects on Vocabulary Gains in Very Young Learners
Enisa Mede1
Alvin Vardar2
Article Info AbstractDOI: 10.21612/yader.2021.012 The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of drama technique on the
vocabulary development while teaching English to Very Young Learners (TEVYLs). The study also attempts to find out the reflections of English teachers about using drama in their classroom practices. To meet these objectives, 23 very young learners (VYL)s and 7 teachers enrolled in an English program of a private kindergarten in Istanbul participated in this study. Data were collected from pre- and post- picture drawings to examine whether there was any difference in the vocabulary gains of the participants. In addition, observations and teacher’s field notes were used to find out the effectiveness of dramatization while TEVYLs. The findings revealed that dramatization led to vocabulary gains in VYLs. The teachers perceived this method and related techniques to be entertaining, motivating and engaging leading to an interactive and dynamic learning environment. Based on these results, the study provides pedagogical implications and suggestions about integrating dramatization in VYLs’ English classrooms
Article History
Received 06.05.2020
Revised 03.16.2021
Accepted 03.31.2021
Article History
Drama technique
Very Young Learners (VYLs)
Vocabulary Gains
Teaching English to Very Young Learners (TEVYLs)
Article Type
Research paper
1 AssociateProfessor,BahçeşehirUniversity,İstanbul,Turkey,e-posta:[email protected]:https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6555-5248
2 MA., BahçeşehirUniversity, İstanbul,Turkey,, e-posta: [email protected] ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4736-1263
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İngilizce Sınıflarında Drama Tekniğinin Kullanılması: Erken Yaşta Kelime Kazanımı Etkisi
Makale Bilgisi ÖzDOI: 10.21612/yader.2021.012 Bu çalışmanın amacı drama entegreli öğrenmenin Türkiye’de bir özel anaokulunda
İngilizceyi yabancı dil olarak öğrenen Türk öğrencilerin kelime kazanımlarına etkisini incelemektir. Çalışma aynı zamanda öğrencilerin ve öğretmenlerin bu öğrenme yöntemine karşı algılarını ve uygulama esnasında İngilizce öğretmenlerinin karşılaşmış oldukları zorlukları araştırmaktadır. Katılımcılar İngilizce başlangıç seviyesinde 23 altı yaş öğrencisi ve yedi öğretmenden oluşmaktadır. Çalışmadaki nicel veriler, resim çizme tekniği aracılığı ile ön-son kelime bilgisi testi ve gözlem kontrol listesi ile elde edilmiş olup çalışmanın başlangıcı ve sonucunda anlamlı bir fark ortaya çıkmıştır. Öğretmen yansıtıcı kağıtlarından elde edilen nitel veri ve öğrenci mülakatlarından açığa çıkan sonuç drama temelli öğretimin uygulama zorluklarının yansıra eğlenceli, motivasyonu arttırıcı, öğretici, dinamik, etkileşimli, doğal ve derse katılımı arttırıcı olduğunu gösterirken öğrenci mülakat sonuçları drama yönteminin entegre edilmiş öğretimin keyifli ve öğrenci açısından uygulaması kolay olduğunu göstermiştir.
Makale Geçmişi
Geliş tarihi 06.05.2020
Düzeltme 03.16.2021
Kabul 03.31.2021
Anahtar Sözcükler
Drama
Erken yaşta dil edinimi
Kelime kazanımı
Yabancı dil olarak İngilizce
Makale Türü
Araştırma Makalesi
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Using Drama in English Classrooms: The Effects on Vocabulary Gains in Very Young Learners
Introduction
Interest in the teachingofEnglish toyoung learners (TEYLs)hasbeen steadilygrowinginrecentyearsparticularlyinthefieldoflanguageeducation,whichiscausingchangesinvariousteachingapproaches,andtechniques(Kırkgöz,2007;Creminetal.,2009;Demircioğlu&İspir,2016;Shin,2006).Englishteachersputasidethetraditionalteachingtechniquesandpreferdifferenttypesofteachingtechniquestomaketheiryounglearners(YLs)acquirethelanguageinamorenaturalandmeaningfulway.Therefore,teachersbecomeincreasinglyawareofthefactthatinordertodeveloptheiryounglearners’foreignlanguageskillsandvocabularyknowledgeitisvitaltoplanattractive,creativeandengaginglessons.(Heathcote&Bolton,1994;Warren,2013;Rui,2017).
ItisobviousthatteachingEnglishmayvaryaccordingtotheage,level,needsandinterestsofthelearners.Consideringtheprocessoflanguagelearning,Haynes(2007)statesthat,foreignlanguageeducationiscomplicatedandhasitsownstagesdifferingacrossagegroups.Toexemplify,foryounglearners,itcoversasilentperiodandearlyproductionperiodduringwhichtheyareexpectedtolearn1000wordsintotal.Althoughtheycanproducesomeofthemincorrectly,theyareexpectedtostartproducingthosebasicformsandwordsintheearlyproductionstage.Theresearcherdescribesthatafterthesetwostagescomesthe“speechemergence”periodinwhichlearnersareabletoproduceshortstructuresorphrasesfromaselectionof3000vocabularywords.Learnerscanalsoaskbasicquestions,interactandunderstandillustratedstories.Next,the“intermediatefluencystage”comes,wherelearnersareabletouse6000words.Theycanformcomplexspokenandwrittensentencesaswell.Finally,inthe“advancedfluencystage,”theresearcherstatesthatlearnerscanbecomenative-likeintenorfifteenyearsoflanguagelearning.Furthermore,thesestageshighlighttheimportanceofvocabularyexpansionwhichaidtocommunicatewiththespeakersofthatlanguage.
Apartfromthelearningprocess,Wilkins(1972)statestheimportanceofvocabularyandformteachingbysaying“…verylittlecanbeconveyedwithoutgrammar,andnothingcanbeconveyedwithoutvocabulary”(pp.111-112).Consideringthisquotation,teachingthenecessarystructuresandtargetvocabularyiscrucialinlanguageclassroomsandtherefore,itshouldbeintegratedinlessonplansusingenjoyableandcommunicativeactivities.StewingandBuege(1994)pointoutthatchildrencanunderstandthemeaningsofvocabularyandtheirfunctionssuchasnouns,verbs,adjectivesandadverbswhenphysicallyactingthemoutinforms.Therefore,dramatizationtechniqueshavealastingeffectonthewaystudentslearn,understand,andinternalizethemeaningsofEnglishvocabulary.
Oneof themosteffective in-class techniques,whichhelpsVYLs todevelop theirabilityto understand, learn, and produce English is through dramatization. Specifically, dramatizationin education has been developing for the past twenty years, and it is one of the oldest teachingtechniques(Brown,19933;Boudreault,2010;Dal,2017;Kocaman,Dolmacı&Bür,2012;Wessels,1987;Zafeiriadou,2009).AccordingtoBrown(1993),dramatizationisapowerfulwayofhelpingyounglearnersexpressthemselvesandgainmoreconfidence.Throughdramatization,younglearnersbecomemore interested in the lessonsbecause they feel like they areplayinggames rather thanlearningasubject.Specifically,thistechniqueisusefulforYLs’becauseitreplicatesthethingthatmakespeoplelearnlanguagesthefastest:necessity.Barnett(1998)statesinEducationalDramaandLanguageArtsthatifachildneedstospeakalanguagetocommunicateandtobeinvolvedinan
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interactive,tangibleway,theywillbemoreengagedwiththelanguageandtherefore,willpickitupquicker.
Several studies emphasized that children’s participation and interest is higherwhen theyareexposedtodramatizationtechniquesinEnglishlessons.Theyalsoperceiveddramatizationfun,enjoyableandfeltmoreconfidentwhilelearningEnglish(Gardner,1999;Fuentes,2010;Yılmaz,2010;Rew&Moon,2013;Hazar,2015).Toexemplify,accordingtothestudyconductedbyFuentes(2010), twoequivalentgroupsofprimary levelGalicianstudents’vocabularyexpansion is testedthroughanexperimentalresearch.Thepurposewastofindoutwhetherdramatizationexercisesaremoreuseful to teach topic-basedvocabulary thandidacticmethodsornot.Theusefulnessof sixdramatizationtechniqueswereexaminedandhowbeneficialdramatizationistoteachandtolearnaforeignlanguageisdetermined.Theresultsindicatedthatthelearnerswhoareinstructedthroughdidacticmethodsshowedlowersuccessinlearningvocabularythanthelearnerswhoareinstructedthroughdramatization techniques. Itwasalsoobserved thatdramatization techniquescontributedhighlyinlearners’vocabularyexpansion.
InanotherstudycarriedoutbyYılmaz(2010),theeffectofcreativedrama-basedactivitiesonseventy-eightyounglearners’Englishvocabularyacquisitionwasinvestigated.Avarietyofdrama-basedactivitieswereadministeredtothetreatmentgroupforadurationofeightweeks.Additionally,the feelingsof theparticipantsaboutdrama-based lessonsweremeasured followingeachdrama-basedlesson.Theresultsreportedthatdrama-basedactivitieshadasignificanteffectonenhancingvocabulary development.Moreover, the responses of the participantswere supportive of drama-basedactivities.
Rew andMoon (2013) looked at the direct effects of a specific dramatization techniquethroughanexperimentmethodstudy.Forty-nineprimary studentsparticipated inEnglishdrama-based(role-play)lessonsforeightweeks.Theobtainedresultsdemonstratedthatthespeakingabilityoftheparticipantswashighlydeveloped.Similarly,Hazar’s(2015)studyindicatedthateveninaverylimitedtimethespeakingskillsofyounglearnersdevelopedafterpracticingEnglishthroughdrama-basedactivities.TheparticipantsexibitedpositiveattitudestowardstheuseofthistechniqueinEnglishlessonsaswell.
In addition, Gardner (1999) argued that children gain more self-confidence throughdramatizationandfeelmoreflexibleinrole-playing.TheygetasafespacetopracticetheirEnglishand test-outdifferentphrasesorwords.Theyalsobecomemoreeager tospeakduring the lessonwhich aids with the development of their overall communicative competence (Heinig, 1993;Üstündağ,1997).
Basedontheseoverviews,buildinganauthenticclassroomatmosphereinEnglishclassesisessentialinorderforteacherstosucceedinthelanguageteachingprocesswithyounglearners(Pinter,2017).Whenyounglearnersfeeltheyarenotenjoyingwhiletheyarelearning,theycaneasilyloseinterestintheactivitiesbeingimplementedinclass(Chou,2014).Insuchaclassroomenvironment,thelanguageteachingandlearningprocesscanbecomeharder.Asteachersturnawayfromtraditionalteachingtechniquessuchasvocabularymemorizationandrepetition,theyfocusonactivelypreparingchildrentoproducethelanguageduringlessons.Dramatizationtechniquesbecomeeffectivetoolsparticularlyfordevelopingcommunicativecompetenceandvocabularyofyounglearners(Hapsari,
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2015).Inthisregard,teachersareexpectedtoplanmorecreativeandparticipatorylessonsandbringactivities that canpromoteYLs’ self- learning,peer andgroup interaction in authentic situations(Edelenbos,Johnstone&Kubanek,2006;Warren,2013).
Inlightoftheseobservationsandtheconciseliteraturereview,dramatizationhelpsteachersandlearnerstorecycleandconsolidatethepreviouslyornewlylearntvocabularyandformswhenappliedtoclassroomenvironment.Byincreasingthenumberandtypesofdramatizationactivitiesin English lessons, teachersmay create amore natural learning atmospherewhich increases themotivation, participation and confidence inVYLs. The present study, therefore, emphasizes theconsistentuseofdramatizationbyusingthetechniques,warmups,miming,puppetry,simulationsandrole-playinVYLs’Englishlessons.Specifically,thisstudyexplorestheeffectivenessofthesetechniques on the vocabulary gains while TEVYLs. Finally, this study attempts to reveal thereflectionsoftheteachersabouttheintegrationofdramatizationinVYLs’Englishclassrooms.
Tomeettheseobjectives,thefollowingresearchquestionswereaddressedinthisstudy:
• Is there any significant difference in the vocabulary gains of theVYLs after theincorporationofthedramatechnique?
• What are the reflections of English teachers about drama-based lessons whileTEVYLs?
Method
Research Model
Teachingcanbeconsideredtobeacraft.Itcanbebothdescribedasanartandascience,whichiswhygreatteachersalwaysexperimentandmakesomemistakes(Johnson,2017).However,teacherswouldliketoknowhowandwhattheyareteachingisactuallyusefulfortheirlearners.Oneoptiontofindthisoutisthroughcasestudies(Yin,2009).Mostsimply,casestudyisdefinedas“anempiricalinquirythatinvestigatesacontemporaryphenomenon(the‘case’)in-depthandwithinitsreal-worldcontext”(Yin,2009,p.16).Asthepresentstudyattemptedtogatherin-depthinformationaboutaparticularsampleandcontext,casestudywasadoptedasaresearchdesignofthisstudy.
Setting and Participants
The present studywas conductedwith 23YLs (13 female and 10male) ofEnglish at aprivatekindergarteninIstanbul,Turkey.Theywereall6yearsoldandtheywereatthebeginninglevelofproficiency(pre-A1level).
ApartfromtheVLYs,7Englishteachersparticipatedinthisstudy.4teacherswereTurkish,2AmericanandoneBritish.Allteacherswerefemale,andtheiragerangedfrom29to34yearsold.Theyhadteachingexperiencebetween5to9yearsandhavebeenworkinginthesameschoolforthelastthreeyears.Theparticipatingteacherswereteaching25hourseachweek.Thelessonswere40-minutelong.ThelessonswerebasedontheContentBased(CB)Approachincludingwarmup,circletime,activetimeandtabletimeactivities.
The teachers met each day after school, and they prepared drama–based lesson planscollaboratively.Specifically,theaimofthelessonswastoimprovethevocabularyofthelearners
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byengagingtheminvariousactivitiesForexample,alessonplanoftheunit“AttheCircus”wasdesignedbasedondramatizationandactivitiessuchasgames,storiesandcraftworkwereintegratedtohelplearnersimprovethetargetvocabularyrelatedtothetopic.Duringthelesson,theteacherscreatedfunandenjoyableclassroomenvironmenttogenerateinteractionamongVYLs.
Data Collection Tools
Inthiscasestudy,datawerecollectedfrompicturedrawingstoexamineiftherewasanydifference in the vocabulary gains of theVYLs after drama-based lessons.As for the teachers’reflectionsaboutusingdramatechniqueswhileTEYLs,dataweregatheredfromobservationsandteacher’sfieldnotes.Thefollowingsectiondescribeseachdatacollectiontoolindetail.
Picture drawing. Picturedrawingasamethodofdatacollectionhasbeenusedinanumberofstudies(DeLange,Olivier,Geldenhuys,&Mitchell,2012).Thetechniqueisalsoknownasthe“drawandwrite”approach.TheteachersinthisstudyadaptedthismethodtoallowveryYLsdrawandsaythevocabularytheyhavelearnedthroughdrama-basedlessonssincetheirwritingskillswerenotdevelopedyet.Specifically,inthisresearch,thelearnerswereaskedtodescribeanddrawpicturesaboutsevenwordsrelatedtocircusperformersinordertofindouttheirvocabularygainsbeforeandafterdrama-basedlessons.TheYLslookedatthedisplayedpictureonthesmart-boardanddrewtheperformerstheycannameaspre-test.Aspost-test,bylookingatthesamecircuspicturedisplayedonthesmartboardduringpre-test,theparticipantsdrewandcoloredtheperformerstheycouldname.Then,theysaidthenamesoftheperformersbypointingtothevisualsontheirownpapers.
Teacher field notes. Duringthedrama-basedlessons,theteachersobservedtheirlessonsandtookfilednotes(Dewey,1993).Keepingfieldnotesaftereachlessonprovidedtheteacherswiththe opportunity to get in-depth information about the effectiveness of using dramatizationwhileTEVYLs.
Data Collection ProcedureThissectionoutlinestheproceduralstepsofthestudyincludingsampling,qualitativeand
quantitativedatacollectioninstruments.Toprovideanoverviewoftheprocedureofthestudythefollowingtablepresentsthedatacollectionprocedureappliedinthisstudy:
Table 1. Overview of Data Collection Procedure
Week Unit Name: At the CircusWeek1 Pre-picturedrawing
Week2Drama-Basedlesson1includingwarmup,songs,puppetry,role-play,drawings,observationandfieldnotes
Week3Drama-Basedlesson2includingwarmup,songs,puppetry,role-play,drawings.Teacherobservationandfieldnotes
Week4Drama-basedlesson3includingsongs,warmupgames,miming,Role-playsimulations,drawings,observation,andfieldnotes
Week5Drama-basedlesson4includingsongs,warmupgames,miming,Role-playsimulations,drawings,observationandfieldnotes
Week6 Post-picturedrawing
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Using Drama in English Classrooms: The Effects on Vocabulary Gains in Very Young Learners
Data Analysis
In the present study, both qualitative and quantitative data were collected and analyzedsuccessively.Thequantitativedatawere collected frompre- andpost-picturedrawingwhile thequalitative data were gathered through observations and filed notes.As for the analysis of thevocabularygainsobtainedfrompre-andpost-picturedrawings,thedatadidnotmeettheassumptionofNormalityDistribution for parametricmeasurement (p>.05).Therefore, a non-parametric test,WilcoxonSigned-RankTestwasusedtocomparewhethertherewasadifferenceinthevocabularygainsofVYLsafterdrama-basedlessons.
Apartfromthequantitativedata,thequalitativedatagatheredbymeansofobservationsandteacher’sfieldnoteswentthroughthematicanalysistoidentify,analyze,andreportthethemesrelatedto using drama-based lessons inVYLs’English classrooms.The six-phase approach to thematicanalysiswasfollowedinthestudy(ClarkeandBraun,2012).First,thedataweretranscribedbytworaterswhohadwereoneoftheresearchersandanMAstudentexperiencedinqualitativeresearch.Thetranscribeddatawerereadandre-readforfamiliarizationpurposes.Then,initialcodesthatwererelevanttotheresearchquestionsweregenerated,andthecodesandtheassociateddataextractswerecollatedtogether.Afterthat,theidentifiedcodesweregroupedintomainthemes.Finally,theobtainedthemeswerereviewedbythetworaterstoensurethattheyworkedwelltoidentifythedataparalleltotheresearchquestionsandfinalizedthedataforreportingpurposes.Theoverallinter-coderreliabilitywasfoundtobe.83,whichindicatedhighreliabilitybetweenthetworaters(McHugh,2012).
Findings
ThefollowingsectionofthisstudyfirstreportsthevocabularygainsofYLsbeforeandafterdrama-basedlessons.Then,theteachers’reflectionsarepresentedinthestudy.
Tobeginwith,duringthedrama-basedlessonstherewereseventargetwordsrelatedtothecircusperformerstheYLswereexpectedtolearnandmakeuseofduringthelessons.Thevocabularygainswereexaminedpre-andpost-picturedrawings.Table2belowreportstheobtainedfindings:
Table 2. Vocabulary Gains Pre- and Post- Picture Drawing
N Mean Rank Sum of Ranks z pNegativeRanks 0a .00 .00
-4.250 .000*PositiveRanks 23b 12.00 276.00Ties 0cTotal 23 a.post<preb.post>prec.post=pre
Table 3. Descriptive Statistics of Pre- and Post-Picture Drawing
(N=23) Min. Max. M SDPre 0 1 .09 .288Post 4 7 6.09 .996
According to the Wilcoxon Test results, the difference regarding very young learners’vocabularygainswerestatisticallyata95%confidencelevel(Z=-4.250;p=.000<.05).Inaddition,whenthevocabularyratewasanalyzed,itwasfoundthattheratebeforetheimplementationwas0.9
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and6.09aftertheuseofdrama-basedlessons.Inbrief,thefindingsindicatedthatthevocabularygainsofstudentsincreasedduringthedrama-basedlessons.
Furthermore,tofindoutthereflectionsoftheteachersaboutusingdramawhileTEYLs,the5themesnamely,entertaining,motivating,promotingparticipation,dynamiclearningenvironment,interactionwereinducedfromtheteacher’sfieldnoteswhileobservingthelessons.Eachthemeisdescribedinthefollowingpartofthestudy.
Entertaining. Theanalysisoftheteachers’fieldnotesshowedthattheyfounddramatizationentertainingforYLs.TeachersstatedthatYLswerecheerfulandhadfunduringdrama-basedlessons.Thisfindingissupportedinthefollowingexcerpts:
[…]Thestudentsarehavingfun.Theyarelaughingateachotherduringmimingactivities.(T1,Fieldnotes,12.02.2020)
[…]IcanseethattheEnglishteachercouldbuildanenjoyableatmospherebyapplyingdrama-basedactivities.Weshouldapplythesetypesofactivitiesmoreoften.(T2,Fieldnotes,15.02.2020)
[…]Childrenlikedtheactivities.Theyhadfun.Wealsohadfun.Theywatchedeachotherandtheteacherwithagreatinterest.(T7,Fieldnotes,19.02.2020)
Motivating. Consideringthistheme,theEnglishteachersexpressedthatYLswerehighlymotivatedduringthelesson.Theywerewonderingwhatcomesnextastheactivitieswereattractiveasdisplayedintheseexcerpts:
[…]Childrenarewonderingwhatcomesnext.Theyseemtobemotivatedenoughtounderstandthecontentoftheactivities.Thechildrencanunderstandtheteacher’sinstructions,too.Thereisnoneedforextraexplanation.(T3,Fieldnotes,12.02.2020)
[…]Theactivitiesaresoattractiveandeyecatchy.Nearly,allofthemarefocused.(T5,Fieldnotes,15.02.2020)
[…]Theactivitiesweresomotivating,andmylearnerslikedthemalot.(T4,Fieldnotes,15.02.2020)
[…]Duringtheactivities,studentsweremotivated,andtheylistenedtotheinstructionscarefully.(T6,Fieldnotes,19.02.2020)
Promoting participation. ThefieldnotesoftheteachersshowedthatincorporatingdramapromotedtheparticipationofYLsaswell.Theparticipantswereveryenthusiastictoparticipateintheactivitiesasdramaattractedtheirattention.Thisfindingissupportedbelow:
[…]Thekidswanttoparticipateinalloftheactivities.Theirfingersareupallthetime.(T2,Fieldnotes,12.02.2020)
[…]Someofthechildrenwantedtojointhesametypeofactivitymorethanonetimeinordertorole-playadifferentcharacterthistime.Theysay,“Teacher,againplease.”(T5,Fieldnotes,15.02.2020)
[…] Participation is high. Sometimes children are reluctant to wait their turn. (T1, Field notes,19.02.2020)
Dynamic learning environment. AllEnglishteachershighlightedthatdrama-basedEnglishlessonsencouragedadynamic,creativeandanenergeticlearningenvironmentasdisplayedinthesecomments:
[…]Theactivitiesofthelessonarenotpassive.Childrenareactivemostofthetime.Theysing,playgamesandrole-play.(T3,Fieldnotes,12.02.2020)
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[…]Thereislessteachertalk.Studentsaremorecreativeanddynamicwhileperformingdrama-basedactivities.Thisisexactlywhatweneed.(T2,Fieldnotes,15.02.2020)
[…]Theyarenotexpectedtositandlisteninsteadtheyruntothecentertopractice,speak,sing,playgames.(T6,Fieldnotes,19.02.2020)
[…]Mostofthetimetheyareactiveandenergetic.Theydolotsofactions,mime,sing,drawandcolor.Theylearnthroughmovement.(T5,Fieldnotes,22.02.2020)
Interaction. For the last theme induced from the field notes, the teachers indicated thatdrama-basedlessonspromotedinteractionbetweenstudents.Theytalkedwiththeirpeersandweremoreactiveduringthelesson.Consideringthisfinding,theysaid:
[…]StudentstalkedtoeachotherinEnglish.Allactivitiessupportedpeerwork.Studenttalktimewasmorethanteachertalktime.ChildreninteractedwitheachotherinEnglish.(T7,FieldnotesData,12.02.2020)
[…]Iobservethatchildrenaremoreactive.Theytalkmoreandinteractwiththeirpeers.(T1,FieldnotesData,15.02.2020)
[…]Kidsarelearningandpracticingmoreandmore.Dramapromotedinteractioninmyclass.(T2,FieldnotesData,19.02.2020)
[…]Theytalkedviapuppetsinpairs,theywerelikeplayingathome.Theclassroomatmospherewasmoreinteractive.(T4,FieldnotesData,26.02.2020)
Tosummarize,basedon the reflectionsof theparticipants, it canbe inferred thatdrama-basedEnglishlessonsresultedinhighermotivationamongYLs,whichenabledthemtopaymoreattentionandactivelyparticipateinthelesson.Thelessonswereentertainingandinteractivewhichcreatedadynamiclearningenvironmentintheclassroom.
Discussion
The aim of this studywas to investigate the effect of dramamethod on the vocabularydevelopmentofYLsofEnglish.ThestudyalsoattemptedtorevealthereflectionsofteachersaboutTEYLsthroughdrama-basedlessons.Tefirstresearchquestionfocusedontheeffectsofdrama-basedlessonsonthevocabularygainsofYLs.Thefindingsofthepre-andpost-picturedrawingsrevealedthatusingthedramatechniqueshelpedYLswiththeirvocabularydevelopment.ThisfindingisinlinewithDemircioğlu’s(2010)studywhichindicatedthatafterusingdrama,therewasanincreaseinthevocabularyexpansionofthemajorityoftheyounglearners.Similarly,Alqahtani’s(2015)studyreportedthatdrama-basedlessonsarebeneficialfortheexpansionofYLs’vocabularyknowledge.
Furthermore, the second research question attempted to find out the teachers’ reflectionsaboutdrama-basedlessons.Thefieldnotesshowedthat theYLsweremorewillingtoparticipateinthelessonastheyhadfunwhilelearning.Theywerealsomotivatedandtheirinteractionamongtheir peers increasedwhich created a dynamic learning atmosphere in the classroom. Similar tothese findings, Bouldreault (2010) stated that the benefits of using drama-based English lessonswerecountedasbeinganeffectivenaturalpromoterof interaction, communication,participationandmotivation. Therefore, it is noteworthy to point out that English teachers should considerincorporatingthistechniqueintotheirlessonstoestablishamoreeffectiveandinteractiveteachingandlearningenvironment.
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Inconclusion,thefindingsofthisstudyrevealedthatdramaisaneffectiveinstructionalmethodondevelopingvocabularyinYLs’Englishclassrooms.Drama-basedlessonsfosterparticipationandcreatedynamiclearningenvironmentwhichleadstoahighlymotivating,entertainingandinteractivelanguagelearningandteachingenvironment.
Pedagogical Implications, Limitations and Suggestions for Further Research
The present study has some pedagogical implications to be considered. First, this studyshowedthatdramaisaneffectivetechniquetobeusedwhileteachingvocabularytoYLsinEnglishclassrooms.Asthistechniqueisperceivedasmotivatingandentertaining,itcanalsobeimplementedwhileteachinglanguageskillssuchasspeaking.Asaresult,thefindingsofthestudystronglyconfirmthatusingdramatizationwhileTEVYLsresultsininteractiveanddynamiclanguageteachingandlearningenvironment.
On the other hand, this study has some limitationswhichmight be addressed by futureresearch.First,thenumberoftheparticipantswaslimitedasthesamplewasnotverylargeinthetargetsetting.Therefore,expandingthenumberoftheparticipantsmightleadtomoregeneralizableandcomparativeresults.Duetotimeconstraints,dramatizationwasusedonlyfor6weekswithaparticularfocusoncontentandvocabulary.Implementingthismethodforalongerperiodmightleadtomorein-depthfindingsrelatedtooveralllanguagedevelopmentofVYLs.Therefore,theresultsofthisstudyshouldbetakenassuggestiveforfurtherresearchersinterestedinusingdramatizationwhileTEVYLs.
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Appendix
Sample Lesson Plan
LEVEL Kindergartenage6 Duration 40min. Lesson hour 1-2Theme/Topic AttheCircusBook/Unit(s) Bebop3/AttheCircusTargetVocabulary Performersatthecircus
Clown
Ringmaster
Acrobat
Strongman
Magician
Juggler
Dancer
TargetStructure -Hello
-I’maringmaster/clown/dancer/acrobat/strongman/magician/juggler.
-Welcometothecircus.
Levelofthestudents BeginnerNumberofthestudents 23Theaimofthelesson Teachingthemerelatedvocabulary(i.e.,circusperformers).Materials Poster,flashcards,youtubesongsrelatedtothetopic,somecraftwork
materialsandworksheetsfortabletimeactivitiesandsmartboard.Primary&Secondaryobjectives
Teachingtargetvocabularyandcreatingasafeenvironmenttopracticethenewlylearnedvocabularythroughfundramaactivities.
Songs&videossharedwithstudents
Adayatthecircus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyLtMTNxjK8
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Using Drama in English Classrooms: The Effects on Vocabulary Gains in Very Young Learners
Activity 1: Warm up- Let’s go to the circus today!!!
Sswillbeaskedelicitingquestionsabouttheplaceandtheperformerstheyseeintheposterbeforetheactivitiesofthelessons.
Tplaysathemerelatedsongfromyoutubelink.
Sswatchandlistentothesong.
Ssmakeatrainandgotothecircusalltogether.
Sswalkaroundtheclassandlistentothecircussong.
Whenthesongfinishes,theTsays:“Weareatthecircusnow.”
TmakestheSssitonthefloorinasemi-circle.
Objective(s):
Tomakestudentsfamiliarwiththetheme.
Tofamiliarizethemwiththenewtopic.
Tomakeasmoothstarttothelesson.
TocheckwhetherSsknowtargetvocabularyornot.
Activity 2: Presentation- Mini Theatre- (10 mins.)
Ttalkswithtwopuppets.
Tsays:“Hello I’m a ring master, welcome to the circus.”
Thepuppetssay: “Hello I’m a clown/dancer/juggler/ acrobat/ ringmaster/ strongman, welcome to the circus.”
Toexposestudentswiththetargetvocabularyandstructures.
Todeveloptheirlisteningskills.
Topresentthethemewithafunactivity.
Activity 3 Practice- Puppetry
TasksSstodopuppetryasshedidduringpresentationsection.
TcallsthevolunteerSstopresent.
TcreatesadynamicclassatmospheresothatSsfeelsafe.
Ssdecidewhichperformertheywanttobeatthecircus.
Objective (s):
Ssinteractwitheachotherusingpuppets.
Ssusethetargetvocabulary.
Sstalktimeincrease.
Ttalktimeisreduced.Activity 4 Table Time
Thandsoutwhitepapersforthestudents
Tasksthemtodrawandcolortheperformertheywanttobeatthecircus.
Sstalkabouttheirpics.Theymakesentencessuchas,“Look! I’m a dancer.”
Objective (s):
Sslearnthroughaproductiveactivity.
Sshavefunwhilelearning.
Sstalkabouttheirperformance.
Yaratıcı Drama Dergisi 2021, 16(2), 204-206
www.yader.org
Uzun Özetİngilizce Sınıflarında Drama Tekniğinin Kullanılması:
Erken Yaşta Kelime Kazanımı EtkisiEnisa Mede3
Alvin Vardar4
Giriş
Erken yaşta yabancı dil eğitiminin önemi, farklı yöntem ve yaklaşımların geliştirilipuyarlanmasınayolaçmıştır(Kırkgöz,2007;Creminetal.,2009;Demircioğlu&İspir,2016;Shin,2006).Gelenekselyöntemlerinyerine,çocuklarınyabancıdiledinimsürecinindahadoğalveanlamlıolmasınısağlayangünceltekniklergeliştirilmiştir.Yabancıdileğitimindedoğalöğrenmeveöğretmensınıfortamıyaratılmasıönemlidir(Pinter,2017).Erkenyaştadilöğrenmesürecinieğlenceli,halegetirmekönemlidir(Chou,2014).Özelliklekelimeediniminiezberciyaklaşımınyerine,interaktifve eğlenceli hale getirmekgerekir.Bunu sağlamanınbir yoludramayöntemini kullanmaktır.Buyöntemerkenyaştailetişimbecerisivekelimedinimisürecinidesteklemektedir(Hapsari,2015).Busebeptenötürü,yabancıdilöğretmenlerinindramayönteminikullanarak,derslerinidahaeğlenceli,yaratıcıveöğrenciodaklıyapmalarıönemlidir (Edelenbos,Johnstone&Kubanek,2006;Warren,2013).
Yabancıdiledinimsürecinde,öğretmenlerderslerinidahaeğlenceli,yaratıcıvekapsayıcıhale getirmek için sınıflarında yeni yöntem ve tekniklere yer vermeye başlamıştır (Heathcote&Bolton,1994;Warren,2013;Rui,2017).Yabancıdildeanlamaveüretmeyetileriningeliştirilmesikonusunda drama önemli bir yöntem olarak bilinmektedir. Çocukların özellikle kendilerini dahamotive,rahatvegüvenlihissetmelerikonusundasınıflardadramakullanımınıyaygınhalegelmeyebaşlamıştır(Brown,1993).Dramayöntemikullanıldığındaçocuklarındilöğrenmesürecinindahaeğlencelivekapsayıcıolduğu,aynızamandabuyöntemindilöğretiminidedahaanlamlıveinteraktifhalegetirdiğivurgulanmıştır.
Erkenyaştadiledinimisürecindedramayöntemininönemibirçokçalışmadavurgulanmıştır(Gardner, 1999; Fuentes, 2010;Yılmaz, 2010; Rew&Moon, 2013; Hazar, 2015). Çalışmalarınsonuçlarına göre drama yöntemini aktif olarak kullanmanın, çocukların dil başarılarını, dersekatılımlarını ve eğlenerek öğrenmelerini desteklediği bulunmuştur. Ayrıca çocukların kelimehaznesiningelişmesindeönemliroloynadığıdavurgulanmıştır(Hapsari,2015).Dramayönteminiyabancı dil sınıflarında etkin kullanmanın öneminden yola çıkarak, bu çalışmanın amacı dramaentegreli öğrenmenin Türkiye’deki bir özel anaokulunda İngilizceyi yabancı dil olarak öğrenenTürköğrencilerinkelimekazanımlarınaetkisiniincelemektir.Çalışmaaynızamandaöğrencilerinve3 Doç.Dr.,BahçeşehirÜniversitesi,İstanbul,Türkiye,e-posta:[email protected]:https://orcid.org/0000-0002-
6555-52484 BilimUzmanı,BahçeşehirÜniversitesi, İstanbul,Türkiye, e-posta: [email protected] ID: https://orcid.org/0000-
0002-4736-1263
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öğretmenlerinbuöğrenmetekniğinekarşıalgılarınıveuygulamaesnasındaİngilizceöğretmenlerininkarşılaşmış̧olduklarızorluklarıaraştırmıştır.Eldeedilenbulgularsonucundadramayöntemininerkenyaştayabancıdileğitimveöğrenimindenasıletkilikullanılacağıyönündetavsiyelerdebulunmuştur.
Yöntem
Bu çalışma bir vaka analizi olup (Yin, 2009), Türkiye’deki özel bir anaokulun yabancıdil sınıfında yürütülmüştür. Katılımcılar 23 altı yaş öğrencisi ve 7 İngilizce öğretmenindenoluşmaktadır.Çalışmadaöğrencilerbaşlangıçdüzeyiİngilizceseviyesindedir.Öğretmenler,6 hafta boyuncaİngilizcederslerini(haftalık25ders)dramayönteminiuyarlayarakyapmıştır.Öğretmenlergüncelİngilizceprogramındayeralan“Sirk”konusunudramatizaysonile işlemiştir.Herhaftanınbaşındabirarayagelerekdersplanlarınınüzerindengeçip,konuyuveaktiviteleridramayöntemineuyarlamıştır.Ön-sontestteneldedilennicelverilerSPSSileanalizedilmiştir.Analizlersonucundaçocuklarınkelimekazanımlarındaçalışmanınbaşlangıcınanazaranönemlibirgelişmeolduğuveherikitestarasındaanlamlıbirfarkolduğuortayaçıkmıştır.Nitelverilerintematikanalizlerisonucundaisedramaentegreliöğretiminbirkaçuygulamazorluğununolmasınınyanısırabuyöntemindahaeğlenceli,motivasyonuarttırıcı,öğretici,dinamik,etkileşimli,doğalolduğuveöğrencilerindersekatılımlarını olumlu etkilediği gözlemlenmiştir.Ayrıca öğrenci mülakat sonuçlarına göre dramakullanımınınİngilizcederslerineentegreedilmesinin,eğlenceli,motiveediciolduğuveaynızamandaöğrenciodaklıöğrenmeyenedenolduğubulunmuştur.
Tartışma ve Sonuç
Buçalışmadaeldeedilenbulgularagöredramayöntemininerkenyaştayabancıdileğitimdeetkiliolduğubulunmuştur.Ön-sontestsonuçlarınagöreöğrencilerinkelimekazanımlarınakatkıdabulunduğu ve çalışmanın sonucunda kelime kazanımını önemli ölçüde artığı gözlemlenmiştir.Çalışmandaeldeedilenbulgulardahaöncekiçalışmalartarafındandadesteklenmektedir(Alqahtani,2015).Ayrıcadramayönteminikullanmanındersidahaeğlencelihalegetirdiği,motivasyonuartırdığıveöğrencilerinindersekatılımlarınıolumluyöndeetkilediğibulgularıdabenzerçalışmalartarafındandesteklenmiştir(Bouldreault,2010).Erkenyaşyabancıdilsınıflarındadramakullanımınınöğrencideolumlualgıgeliştirdiğiveadaylarıbuyöntemsayesindehemkelimekazanımlarınarttığıhemdeeğlendikleribulunmuştur.Ayrıcadramaentegreliderslerdeadaylarınfarklıkarakterlerebürünerekkendilerini daha rahat ifade ettikleri tespit edilmiştir. Bu süreçte adaylardamotivasyon ve dersekatılımınarttığı,dramasayesindesınıflarındahainteraktifolduğusonucunavarılmıştır.
Tüm bu bulguların sonucunda, erken yaşta yabancı dil eğitimi sürecinin drama yöntemikullanılarakdesteklenmesivedersplanlarınınonagöretasarlanmasıgerektiğiönemlevurgulanmıştır.Drama yönteminin erken yaşta yabancı dil eğitimi sürecinde etkili kullanılması sonucundaçocukların kelime bilgisine artış olduğu ve öğrenme sürecinin daha eğlenceli ve kapsayıcı halegetirdiğigözlemlenmiştir.Hemöğretmenlerhemdeöğrencileriçindramaentegreliderslersayesindedahadoğalveeğlenceliöğrenmeveöğretmeortamıyaratılmıştır.Ayrıca,dramayöntemininetkinkullanılmasınındinamik,motive,eğlenceliveinteraktifsınıfortamıyarattığıveözellikleerkenyaşyabancıdilsınıflarındaaktifolarakbuyönteminkullanılmasıgerektiğisonucunavarılmıştır.