Abstract

This thesis explores the impact of Readers Theater (RT) on the fluency and pronunciation skills of adult English language learners (ELLs) at an intermediate proficiency level. Readers Theater, a technique gaining attention in oral language skills development, involves transforming stories into scripts and performing them orally in a dramatic way. While there is limited empirical research on the extended use of this technique, this study employs a quasiexperimental design with control and treatment groups to evaluate its effectiveness based on temporal fluency measures and level achievement tests. Research has identified three particular temporal fluency measures that correlate with second language proficiency: pause frequency, articulation rate, and mean length of utterance. The study was conducted over a 14-week semester, where a total of five RT scripts were introduced, practiced, and performed. Speech data were collected via program-directed language acquisition tests (LATs) given at the beginning and end of the semester. All students completed initial demographic surveys and the treatment groups completed an end of the semester survey plus participation in a focus group. Findings from the study showed mixed results: no significant differences in fluency measures between groups, but improvements in LAT scores, and participants' perceived levels of confidence, accuracy, and fluency. Treatment students' qualitative feedback highlighted RT's benefits in vocabulary learning, pronunciation, and fluency, despite some challenges. Overall, RT shows promise as an engaging activity for the listening/speaking classroom, warranting further exploration.

Degree

MA

College and Department

Humanities; Linguistics

Rights

https://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/

Date Submitted

2024-04-26

Document Type

Thesis

Handle

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/etd13587

Keywords

Readers Theater, ESL, EFL, Pronunciation Skills, Fluency, Intelligibility, comprehensibility

Language

english

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