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Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 15. Number 4, December 2024 Pp.311-327
Department of English language, Faculty of Education
Majmaah University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Department of English language, Faculty of Education
Majmaah University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of drama techniques in improving the speaking skills of Saudi EFL students in terms of accuracy, pronunciation, vocabulary, and fluency. Therefore, the significance of the study is in its contributions to the field of second language teaching in Saudi Arabia, as well as in its potential to provide information to stakeholders such as researchers and English language teachers to explore to what extent drama techniques can have an impact on improving EFL students’ speaking skills. This study employed a quasi-experimental research design with one class and two groups randomly divided equally. The research population consisted of first-year Saudi English majors, specifically all 60 female students enrolled in the speaking and listening course. One class was chosen as the experimental group (30 students) and another as the control group (30 students). The study was conducted over four weeks in the second semester of 2024. A speaking test was utilized as a research instrument. The data analysis results revealed an apparent weakness in the students’ speaking accuracy, pronunciation, vocabulary, and fluency in both groups during the pre-test. However, the post-test revealed significant differences in the students’ speaking accuracy, pronunciation, vocabulary, and fluency in both groups, indicating that drama techniques had a significant impact on students’ speaking skills. The primary recommendation was to raise teachers’ awareness of the drama techniques and activities to employ in speaking classes
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Al danah Ghazai Al Mutairi is passionate about language education and instruction. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English language and literature from Hafr Al Batin University, Saudi Arabia, in 2020. She completed her studies and obtained a Master of Arts in English Language (Applied Linguistics) from Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia, in 2024.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-0276-1261.
Prof. Salah Alfarwan is a full professor of applied linguistics in the Department of English Language and Linguistics at Majmaah University. He has extensive experience in language teaching and research with over 25 years and 30 publications in solid reputable journals. ORCID : https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1849-9554.