Pretexts: Igniter Materials of Dramatic Elsewhere in EFL Classrooms

Abstract

This chapter reports an action research study that aims to transform the existing classroom ecology of a college-level English as a foreign language (EFL) speaking course in Turkey. Accordingly, process drama, a form of drama-in-education that is based on spontaneity and open communication, was used. In process drama, pretexts are key materials to maintain and sustain the make-believe. A pretext can be a text, a piece of music, or a package of items that signify dramatic elements that support learners to create the dramatic elsewhere and initiate the process drama. In the current study, a four-week-long process drama initiated with a compound pretext, i.e., a package of multiple meaningful items (Somers, Contemp Theatr Rev 12:97–111, 2002), was implemented in the author’s own class. In light of the classroom ecology perspective (van Lier, Utbildning & Demokrati 13:79–103, 2004), the findings suggest that effective use of pretexts can mediate drama-oriented language instruction and transform the ecology into one elevating student-student, student-teacher, and student-content engagement. Crucially, the author argues that process drama should make its way into EFL speaking class syllabi, but careful design of the pretext material is of critical importance.