Integrating Drama to Enhance Saudi EFL Students' Fluency

This research proposal investigates the impact of integrating drama on the spoken fluency of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students in Saudi Arabia. The study highlights the importance of this topic, given the increasing use of English as a global language and the challenges faced by Saudi Arabian students in achieving fluency. The rationale is grounded in critical pedagogy, emphasizing student participation and interaction. The proposal outlines the existing gap in knowledge, particularly concerning the application of drama as a pedagogical tool in the Saudi Arabian context. The research aims to answer questions related to how drama impacts spoken fluency, enhances understanding of English expressions, and can be incorporated into the EFL learning system. The proposal includes references to relevant literature and suggests a framework for future research in this area, contributing to the field of language acquisition and pedagogy. The research focuses on male students due to the segregation of male and female students in Saudi Arabian schools.

Running head: IMPACT OF INTEGRATING DRAMA ON EFL STUDENTS OF SAUDI
IMPACT OF INTEGRATING DRAMA ON EFL STUDENTS OF SAUDI
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1IMPACT OF INTEGRATING DRAMA ON EFL STUDENTS OF SAUDI
Table of Contents
1. Introduction..............................................................................................................................2
2. Research Rationale...................................................................................................................2
2.1 Importance of the Study....................................................................................................2
2.2 Theoretical Perspective.....................................................................................................3
2.3 Why does this Research Matter?.......................................................................................3
2.4 Contribution to Knowledge...............................................................................................3
3. Gap in Knowledge....................................................................................................................4
4. Research Questions..................................................................................................................4
5. References................................................................................................................................5

2IMPACT OF INTEGRATING DRAMA ON EFL STUDENTS OF SAUDI
1. Introduction
The use of the English language as a lingua franca has been adopted by many countries
and individuals whose native language is not English. The reason behind this is that, English is
one of the most popular languages in the world which is usually used as an international
language. Students of Saudi Arabia are primarily taught Arabic as their primary language, due to
which their learning and fluency of speaking English becomes slow. The factor of globalization
is making almost every country multilingual, including countries like Saudi Arabia. Therefore,
the proposal draft explains the need for using methods like integrating drama sessions in
classrooms, in order to enhance the fluency of speaking English among the students of Saudi
Arabia.
2. Research Rationale
2.1 Importance of the Study
The importance of imparting education to the citizens of Saudi Arabia has increased
significantly during the mid-20th century. Several schools for both boys and girls have been
opened which has significantly resulted in a rise in the number of schools. However, the quality
of written and spoken English remains below average among the students of Saudi. The reason
behind this is the conventional methods that EFL teachers have been following since ages, like
teacher-centered learning rather than learner centered activities, or imparting English education
without keeping in mind the need analysis while setting the course curriculum (ur Rahman &
Alhaisoni, 2013: 112). This research deals with how drama can become an essential method/tool
of enhancing the fluency of the EFL students of Saudi Arabia by engaging them to enact famous

3IMPACT OF INTEGRATING DRAMA ON EFL STUDENTS OF SAUDI
English dramas where they would need to practice and speak out the English dialogues by
themselves.
2.2 Theoretical Perspective
Critical pedagogy is a theory that was introduced by Paulo Freire, which deals with
allowing students to be an active member of the learning process in the classroom and not a
mere receiver without any understanding (Ooiwa-Yoshizawa, 2018: 245-253). This theory is
based on the establishment of classrooms, where teachers and students can learn together. The
use of this theory can be made by introducing drama sessions in classrooms where students are
able to interact and participate in the entire session, where the learning process becomes a two-
way affair. The sharing of dialogues from the drama with each other would result in the
betterment of the fluency levels among the EFL students.
2.3 Why does this Research Matter?
English has been one the primary non-native languages for the students of Saudi Arabia
since the 20th century. Many actions have been taken by the Supreme Committee for Educational
Policy (1963) to up-lift the level of spoken as well as written quality of English among school,
college and university students. Though, even after this support, students of Saudi are not
capable of having a face-to-face or telephonic conversation with any individual in English. This
is because the students could not acquire the basic skills of the language and they were not made
aware of how English is an important international language. Therefore, this research paper
would give an in-depth understanding of how drama can be incorporated across all EFL learning
sessions, where students can improve their fluency of speaking English by practicing the
dialogues of the drama repeatedly which would enhance their vocabulary as well their accent of
speaking.

4IMPACT OF INTEGRATING DRAMA ON EFL STUDENTS OF SAUDI
2.4 Contribution to Knowledge
The learning and understanding of famous English dramas, has always been the best way
of grabbing the rich essence of the language (Saxton & Miller, 2013: 111-124). Enacting the
dialogues of the drama would make the students aware of how every word of the English
language is expressed, based on the persisting situation. This makes the student aware of the
meaning of the word being expressed by the other person in case of a conversation in the English
language specifically.
3. Gap in Knowledge
There has been research which stated how EFL teachers face various difficulties in
imparting English knowledge to the students of Saudi Arabia. The papers explain how various
socio-cultural and language based hindrances have made the non-native teachers reluctant in
teaching the language. This phenomenon results in the demotivation of the teacher as well as the
students to put the necessary emphasis on the English language (Shah, Hussain & Naseef, 2013:
106-108). Therefore, this research based on using drama as a learning medium to make the EFL
students in Saudi Arabia fluent in the English language would become a major step of imparting
English language sessions in the form of practicing skits and other street plays which would
motivate each student to take part in it without any socio-cultural or language barrier.
4. Research Questions
Q1. How integrated dramas impact the spoken fluency of EFL students in Saudi Arabia?
Q2. How enacting the dialogues from English dramas enhance the level of understanding of the
words and their expression among the EFL students in Saudi Arabia?

5IMPACT OF INTEGRATING DRAMA ON EFL STUDENTS OF SAUDI
Q3. How Saudi Arabia can upgrade the EFL learning system by incorporating drama as a
learning process among the students across different schools?

6IMPACT OF INTEGRATING DRAMA ON EFL STUDENTS OF SAUDI
5. References
Ooiwa-Yoshizawa, A. (2018). Implications of EFL Critical Pedagogy: Theory, Practice and
Possibility. Learning, 19, 245-253.
Saxton, J., & Miller, C. (2013). Drama, creating and imagining: Rendering the world newly
strange. How drama activates learning: Contemporary research and practice, 111-124.
Shah, S. R., Hussain, M. A., & Nasseef, O. A. (2013). Factors Impacting EFL Teaching: An
Exploratory Study in the Saudi Arabian Context. Arab World English Journal, 4(3), 106-
108.
ur Rahman, M. M., & Alhaisoni, E. (2013). Teaching English in Saudi Arabia: prospects and
challenges. Academic Research International, 4(1), 112.