영어 동시와 극화 활동 기반 초등 영어 수업에서의 의사소통 양상

Aspects of communication in EFL primary instruction based on English poetry for children and dramatizing activities

The purpose of this study was to investigate the aspects of communication in EFL primary instruction when poetry for children and dramatizing activities were utilized. Two research questions were set up: 1) How do primary English learners establish communication when children’s poetry is provided as language input? 2) What are the aspects of communicative functions in primary English instruction based on dramatizing activities using children’s poetry? 11 poems for children were selected as language input and participants responded to each poem by preparing and presenting a drama in front of the whole class. Two major findings emerged through qualitative data analysis. First, English poetry served as the foundation for EFL primary learners to establish communication in English. For example, participants could start communication by adopting expressions from poetry to their conversation, improving the drama by filling the gap of poems’ storyline, and reflecting on their experiences to dramatic activities. Second, participants in the study employed diverse communicative functions throughout the whole process of reading and responding to poems. Actional, strategic, and socio-cultural functions were most frequently employed communicative functions by the participants. Based on the results, some suggestions were provided.