Throwing away the textbook: a process drama approach to teaching ESL in China

The author considers the effectiveness of process drama as a pedagogical method and questions the difference between process drama and the kinds of role-play commonly used in ESL classes. Adopting a process drama methodology the author delivered two Oral English courses for undergraduate students and at the conclusion of the course invited the students to evaluate their learning in the form of a focus group. The results of the research suggest that there are distinct advantages to using a process drama approach to teaching oral English. Students on the course not only improved their self-confidence and operational performance but also exhibited behaviours commonly attributed to autonomous learners. They were also able to identify these improvements in themselves and engage in goal setting for future learning