To be or have not been: Learning language tenses through drama

Much of the research regarding the effectiveness of drama as a teaching tool is evaluated using qualitative analysis. This collaborative action study applied quantitative research techniques to assess the usefulness of drama as a teaching tool. The aim was to discover what happens to children's understanding of verb tense when taught using drama methods versus traditional methods. The pupils assessed were all native Italian speakers and attended a private international school in Milan, Italy. Two classes from the same year group received instruction in the differing methods over a three week period. They were examined pre and post instruction and an analysis of the results is provided below. Data were collected and analysed using a two-tailed t-test for two independent samples with equal variance to examine whether either method was more effective. The researcher's hypothesis was that there would be no significant difference between the two methods. The results of the study concluded that teaching language tenses through drama was more effective than using traditional methods. The proposed null hypothesis was rejected.