This paper examines student perceptions on the effectiveness of developing communicative competence through drama-based group projects in an EFL class in Taiwan. A whole language approach was adopted and students were required to accomplish their drama projects by conducting a series of collaborative and skill- integrated activities throughout the semester. Forty non-English major University freshmen, with intermediate English proficiency enrolled in this class. In groups, activities such as watching movie, reading movie reviews, introducing the movie plots and casts, providing feedback through presentations, choosing the plot, adapting and editing the script, and finally performing the plot were enacted in class. Questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore students’ perceived effectiveness on their overall language learning through the drama-based projects. The results revealed students’ positive feedback not only on the part of their improved language ability, but on their enhanced awareness and understanding of the proper use of target language. In addition, positive comments on boosted confidence and gains from collaborative learning were also reported.
Keywords: A Whole Language Approach, Communicative Competence, Drama-Based Group Project, Student Perceptions
