Exploring teachers' and students' perceptions on the Use of role-play to enhance EFL learners' speaking skills

Abstract

This current study explores the views of EFL teachers and students about the use of Role-Play as a drama-based activity to enhance learners’ speaking skills. The aim of this research is to understand and discover the advantages, potential challenges, and the conditions that allow for an effective Role-Play implementation in the classroom; with third year EFL oral expression teachers and students at the department of English at Abderrahmane Mira University of Bejaia. To collect data, a mixed method was opted for, students’ questionnaire, teachers’ questionnaire, and students’ focus group interview. The obtained results were analysed using a descriptive statistics. The results indicate that both teachers and learners have positive attitudes towards the integration of Role-Play in oral sessions. Despite both of them claimed that this technique has also a negative side, recognizing some of their challenges, and emphasizing the necessary conditions that lead to create an effective Role-Play inside oral expression classes. The study findings reveal that taking into account both teachers’ and students’ views are important for acquiring Role-Play’s integration in teaching and learning English as a foreign language.