Employing Drama Techniques in the Classroom to Improve the Speaking Skills of EFL University Students

This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of drama techniques in improving the speaking skills of Saudi EFL students in terms of accuracy, pronunciation, vocabulary, and fluency. Therefore, the significance of the study is in its contributions to the field of second language teaching in Saudi Arabia, as well as in its potential to provide information to stakeholders such as researchers and English language teachers to explore to what extent drama techniques can have an impact on improving EFL students’ speaking skills. This study employed a quasi-experimental research design with one class and two groups randomly divided equally. The research population consisted of first-year Saudi English majors, specifically all 60 female students enrolled in the speaking and listening course. One class was chosen as the experimental group (30 students) and another as the control group (30 students). The study was conducted over four weeks in the second semester of 2024. A speaking test was utilized as a research instrument. The data analysis results revealed an apparent weakness in the students’ speaking accuracy, pronunciation, vocabulary, and fluency in both groups during the pre-test. However, the post-test revealed significant differences in the students’ speaking accuracy, pronunciation, vocabulary, and fluency in both groups, indicating that drama techniques had a significant impact on students’ speaking skills. The primary recommendation was to raise teachers’ awareness of the drama techniques and activities to employ in speaking classes