Integrating drama and digital technology for English learning: An exploratory mixed-methods study

Li Ding; Michaela Sambanis

doi:10.33178/scenario.20.1.4

Authors

Li Ding University of Göttingen , Freie Universität Berlin
Michaela Sambanis Freie Universität Berlin

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33178/scenario.20.1.4

Keywords:

drama-technology integration, ESL learning, intercultural communication, teaching-learning lab, mixed-method research

Abstract

The reported study investigates high-school ESL learners’ responses to an innovative English learning experience that integrates drama and digital technology in the teaching-learning lab setting (Lehr-Lern-Labor). An essential part of the so-called Digital Drama Lab seminar (DDL), the teaching-learning lab gives pre-service English teachers, namely, the seminar participants, a platform to experiment with this drama-digital integration (DDI) approach as they teach a group of high-school learners (N = 28). The study employed an exploratory mixed-methods research design to examine both positive and negative experiences of the teenage learners and identify the respective contributing factors. Findings suggest a reciprocal relationship between drama-based activities and digital technology in the English education context. Digital tools were reported to mitigate challenges and discomfort induced by drama-based language activities, while drama activities were found to create an engaging, supportive, and meaningful environment conducive to authentic language use. The results highlight the potential of the DDI approach in promoting a positive English learning experience, especially for less advanced learners. In addition, this approach appears to have great potential for addressing controversial and intercultural topics in language classrooms.

Author Biographies

Li Ding, University of Göttingen, Freie Universität Berlin

Li Ding is a PhD candidate at the University of Göttingen. This work was conducted during her time as a Research Associate at Freie Universität Berlin. Her doctoral research investigates the application of drama for creative writing in ESL contexts. Her academic interests extend to the aesthetic use of literature and technology in drama-mediated language classrooms. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5509-2788.
Michaela Sambanis, Freie Universität Berlin

Prof. Dr. Michaela Sambanis is Chair of English Didactics in the Institute for English Language and Literature at the Freie Universität Berlin. In her work, she combines evidence from didactics, neuroscience and psychology and encourages the dialogue between researchers and practitioners. Her focus currently lies on positive factors (resilience, flow, psychological capital, etc.), embodied cognition, and on performative teaching and learning. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0569-2483.

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