Integrating aesthetic experience in german as a foreign language (DAF) acquisition: an empirical study for developing a workshop concept – arts educate in romanian schools

Language use and communication evolve significantly due to everyday necessities, influencing both native and foreign language interactions. The need for effective communication and cooperation drives us to engage in various communicative exchanges. However, traditional structured learning often diverges from naturally motivated, experience-based language learning, leading to difficulties in foreign language acquisition such as hesitant verbal communication and fear of making mistakes. This paper explores a complementary approach to create realistic, experience-rich learning processes that align with natural language acquisition. Focusing on learning through aesthetic experiences, which unite the inner duality of humans (Schiller, 1792), this study investigates the impact of an arts-based workshop concept called ‘Arts educate – a German as a Foreign Language-Workshop’ on students' individual, social, and communicative competencies. Key research questions included the extent of the workshop’s impact, its structural requirements, and the necessary teacher training. Over two and a half years, this empirical survey involved 29 Romanian teachers of German as a Foreign Language (DaF), 29 schools, and 368 students. The research utilized a mixed-methods approach with pre- and post-intervention surveys, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative tools. The intervention phases included initial training, intervention 1, a second meeting, intervention 2, and final evaluation. Results indicate that artistic activities significantly enhance students' communication skills in German, improving active vocabulary, the more conscious integration of verbal, non-verbal, and paraverbal communication, pronunciation, willingness to speak, and confidence in speaking. Furthermore, participants demonstrated improvements in self-awareness, self-expression, and social skills, fostering greater confidence and presence in their interactions. This study provides detailed insights into the research methods and tools used, along with a thorough discussion of the outcomes, supporting the hypothesis that aesthetic experiences significantly contribute to the communicative competencies of students learning German as a foreign language.