English Oral Skills Training through Theater Performance in an EFL Setting

We examined the use of dramatic/theater presentation for teaching oral skills to 37 Taiwanese EFL undergraduate students, with the main goal being to determine whether such strategies and performance experiences positively support oral skills in terms of motivation and achievement. Data were collected via performance evaluations, observations, a seminar, individual interviews, and a questionnaire. Results indicate significant increases in learner motivation and oral English achievement. Students were actively engaged and willing to put significant time and effort into the project. However, the process strongly affected some students in terms of performance-related stress.