Students' attitudes towards drama-based role play in freshmen's oral performance

Abstract

Speaking is widely recognized as the most important tool for communication that influences how students succeed in foreign language learning. In particular, given its importance to enhancing students' oral performance, drama-based role plays are strongly connected to this language learning skill through English. Recent reforms in higher education in Vietnam have stressed the increased demands on universities to promote the quality of teaching and learning foreign languages at all levels to meet learners' needs, particularly students' capacity of interacting with others using English. However, research into the effects of drama-based role play activities on English as a foreign language (EFL) students' oral performance is limited in the Mekong Delta. Moreover, students' reluctance to interact in the target language is largely influenced by traditional speaking instruction, whereas speaking requires a more interactive and communicative learning environment. This paper therefore provides insights into students' attitudes towards the use of drama-based role-play activities in EFL speaking classes. Using a descriptive design, interviews were undertaken with freshmen who were currently learning at a Vietnamese university in the Mekong Delta. The findings show positive attitudes of the students towards drama-based role play activities. Pedagogical implications for productive instructional practice to advance students' oral performance are also discussed.