Piloting a drama-based oral language intervention

Children’s oral language skills at the earliest stages of education are known to determine their success at school later on. Improving oral language skills is achievable through targeted intervention, and drama can be an effective intervention medium, but its potential has not been extensively evaluated to date. The present study piloted an eight-week drama-based intervention designed to improve young children’s skills in English. Forty-one children in Years 1–3 (between 6 and 8 years old) took part. Of these, 21 (12 of whom had English as an Additional Language) completed the intervention (12 followed a movement-based approach and 9 followed a text-based approach), while 20 acted as a control group. Quantitative data (i.e., oral language assessments administered before and after the intervention) and qualitative data (i.e., interviews held before and after the intervention and observations held during the drama workshops) were collected. No significant differences in oral language measures were found between the two intervention groups or between the intervention group and the control group at the end of the intervention. However, the qualitative measures suggested that the workshops were enjoyable and helped children develop their confidence, self-expression and leadership skills. As these communication skills can facilitate the development of oral language, we suggest that future research should explore the effects of drama on their development.