EXPLORING TEACHING ENGLISH THROUGH DRAMA IN A LOCAL ISLAMIC INSTITUTION USING EXEMPLARY STORIES FROM HADITHS

Abstract

This study is aimed to explore the benefits students perceived they have gained from learning English through drama activities. The researcher collected qualitative data from essays written by students aged 18 to 21 in three second-semester-classes at a university college. These students were taking a compulsory English proficiency course namely English for Proficiency (Intermediate Level). The drama competition was held wherein 17 classes contested. The competition was one of the items in their English course ongoing assessment. Data was collected from ‘self-reflection essays’ written by the students after they competed in the drama competition. These essays aimed to discover the perspectives of these participants about the teaching and learning approaches to L2 that could enable ESL students to use the drama in classroom communicative engagement situations. They were observed in their intermediate level classes prior to this, with their lessons being reported on field notes. In order to identify the level of recognition, satisfaction, engagement, inspiration and language skill of students, these classroom findings accompanied the essays and scrutinized the communicative interaction that took place in the classroom. In achieving the goal of the research, these two analytical instruments played an important role in investigating the use of drama as approaches to communicative engagement and their practices. In order to provide evidence related to the acceptance of drama practices as a communicative engagement approach, the data from this study was qualitatively analysed.