EFL teachers’ selection of drama activities for teaching speaking in primary schools: Evidence from Vinh Linh, Quang Tri province

Abstract

This study investigates EFL primary school teachers’ selection of drama activities for teaching speaking in the context of the 2018 General Education English Curriculum. The study involved 12 EFL teachers from nine primary schools in Vinh Linh, Quang Tri province, all of whom taught Grade 3 using the Global Success 3 textbook. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and 24 classroom observations, with two lessons observed for each teacher. Interview and observation data were analyzed thematically, while descriptive frequencies were used to summarize patterns in teachers’ selection or use of nine drama activity types. The findings indicate that teachers generally viewed drama as a practical and engaging approach to promoting pupils’ participation and opportunities for communicative language use. Role-play was the most consistently selected activity (12/12 teachers, 100%), followed by drama/language games, mime, and frozen image building (10/12 each, 83%). More demanding activities, including improvisation, Readers’ Theatre, skits, and scriptwriting, were selected less often. The findings suggest that teachers’ choices were shaped not only by perceived pedagogical value but also by lesson objectives, preparation demands, learner proficiency, available time, and contextual conditions. The study highlights the importance of professional development that helps teachers select, scaffold, and adapt drama activities to the affordances and constraints of primary EFL classrooms.