THE TEACHER/ARTIST: A QUALITATIVE STUDY ON LANGUAGE TEACHERS USING PROCESS DRAMA IN L2 DIDACTIC CONTEXTS

Abstract

This research focuses on teachers of English and Italian as L2 adopting process drama pedagogy in their teaching practices. Numerous studies have analyzed the positive effects of process drama on students’ language learning, particularly with regard to the acquisition of intercultural awareness and communication skills, the improvement of learner autonomy, and the lowering of language anxiety. Yet, there appears to be a paucity of data-based research studies analyzing the effects of process drama on teachers, the challenges encountered during the training and the implementation of such approach in class, as well as a lack of knowledge about the factors that may induce L2 teachers to learn and then apply the process drama pedagogy in their teaching practices. After outlining the definitions and the main features of process drama, an overview of existing studies proving its benefits on students is provided. The theoretical discourse is then funneled into the teacher/artist’s perspective, given its centrality in the students’ learning outcomes. In order to achieve the primary objective of this basic qualitative research, i.e. to contribute to a greater understanding of this professional figure, data were collected through semi-structured online written interviews. The results confirmed the initial hypothesis according to which there are certain characteristics whereby teachers are more inclined to use a performative approach for language teaching within their didactic routines.