A Study on the Application of Drama Pedagogy in Secondary School English Classes: Overview and Prospects

Main Article Content

Feng Hu
Hainan Normal University, School of Foreign Languages, Haikou, Hainan 57110, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.70267/iclpce.202501

Keywords

Drama Pedagogy, English teaching, secondary school student

Abstract

Over the past decade and a half, Drama Pedagogy has emerged as an innovative instructional approach in Chinese middle-school English classrooms. This paper reviews domestic studies published between 2007 and 2024, examining six key dimensions: Theoretical Foundation and Conceptual Definition, Comprehensive Qualities and Interdisciplinary Approaches, Language-Skill Development, Teaching Models and Innovation, Practical Application and Case Analysis, Effectiveness of Drama Pedagogy, and Implementation Status and Challenges. The synthesis reveals that Drama Pedagogy markedly enhances learner motivation, productive language use, cultural insight and higher-order thinking. Nevertheless, its uptake remains limited in rural schools and among certain teachers. Future research should explore deeper integration of Drama Pedagogy with digital technologies, refine curricular design, and expand teacher training to support wider and more sustainable implementation.

Abstract 0 | PDF Downloads 0

References

  • Cai, H. (2025a). Junior high school English drama teaching approach based on project-based learning. English on Campus, no. 1, pp. 12-14.
  • Cai, S. (2025b). Research on the Path of Using “Educational Drama” to Promote Ideological and Political Course Development in Rural Junior High School English. Test Questions and Research, no. 14, pp. 68-69+81.
  • Chen, D. (2019). Practice and reflection on core competencies in junior high school English drama teaching: a case study of Oxford English (Shanghai Edition) 9A U7 The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. English on Campus, no. 41, p. 78.
  • Chen, X. (2025). Drama teaching methodology in high school English reading instruction. Secondary School Curriculum Tutoring, no. 6, pp. 30-32.
  • Dong, Y. (2024). The Application of Drama in Education in Junior High School English Teaching. Master's Thesis, Northeast Petroleum University.
  • Feng, Y. (2024). Junior high school English drama teaching based on the “teaching–learning–assessment” integration: a case study of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. English Language Learning, no. 2, pp. 39-45.
  • Gu, H. and Luo, Y. (2023). A review of research on the application of educational drama in English teaching in China inthe last decade. Modern English, no. 16, pp. 28-31.
  • Han, Z. (2016). High school English drama teaching based on genre characteristics. Foreign Language Teaching in Schools, vol. 39, no. 4, pp. 36-40.
  • Hu, Z. and Yang, Y. (2025). The integration practice of drama teaching and information technology in high school English. English on Campus, no. 10, pp. 142-144.
  • Huang, L. (2023). Action research on teaching listening and speaking of junior high school students based on “murder mystery game” mode assisted by information technology. Master’s Thesis, Southwest University.
  • Jiang, J. (2023). A Study on the Problems and Strategies of Teaching English Drama Discourse in High School. Master's Thesis, Central South University.
  • Ke, M. (2019). A brief discussion on the benefits of drama in junior high school English teaching. English on Campus, no. 52, pp. 80-81.
  • Li, H. (2022). Exploring the integration of Chinese opera and English drama. New Curriculum Research, no. 12, pp. 16-18.
  • Li, J. (2024). A practical study on the application of English drama performance in high school English teaching. English on Campus, no. 36, pp. 91-93.
  • Li, M. and Liang, Q. (2023). Research on the teaching design of junior high school English drama based on project-based learning: Take “interpreting the Chinese story mulan in English” as an example. English Teachers, vol. 23, no. 18, pp. 183-187.
  • Liang, X. (2023). A practical study on the impact of English drama teaching on enhancing high school students’ pragmatic competence. Guangdong Education (Comprehensive Edition), no. 2, pp. 49-50.
  • Lu, X. (2024). A study of empowering junior high school English drama teaching with wisdom: English innovative quality targeted enhancement program. English Teachers, vol. 24, no. 21, pp. 174-179+187.
  • Lu, Y. and Qin, J. (2025). A review of research on drama in education from the perspective of English subject core competencies. The Guide of Science & Education, no. 1, pp. 61-64.
  • Min, L. (2023). Practice and exploration of junior high school English drama teaching from the perspective of project-based learning. English Teaching & Research Notes, no. 10, pp. 40-44.
  • Ning, X. (2023). Survey on drama in education applied in junior high school English teaching. Master's Thesis, East China Normal University.
  • Pan, Q. (2022). Junior high school English drama teaching based on multimodal experiences: a case study of “A Stormy Night” in an enrichment course. Teaching Monthly(Middle School Edition), no. 11, pp. 16-20.
  • Riffe, D., Lacy, S., Watson, B. R. and Lovejoy, J. (2010). Analyzing media messages: Using quantitative content analysis in research, London: Routledge.
  • Sun, M. and Zhang, Y. (2021). Practice of junior high school English drama teaching under the guidance of the output-driven approach. Teaching Monthly (Middle School Edition), no. 6, pp. 58-63.
  • Tang, X. (2019). The application of drama teaching in junior high school English classes. Shanxi Education, no. 11, pp. 14-15.
  • Wang, J. (2019a). The effect of integrating drama activities with English teaching in senior high school. Master’s Thesis, Shanghai Normal University.
  • Wang, Q. (2019b). On the cultivation of critical thinking in English drama teaching from the multimodal perspective. Education Teaching Forum, no. 32, pp. 207-208.
  • Wei, M. (2024). A Practical Study on Cultivating Junior High School Students' English Competence through Drama Teaching. Journal of Seeking Knowledge Guide, no. 24, pp. 95-97.
  • Wei, Q. (2023). A practical exploration of using educational drama to enhance rural high school students’ overall English proficiency. Exam weekly, no. 47, pp. 88-91.
  • Wu, Q. and Feng;, P. (2023). Integrating drama into English education:A review of drama: Based pedagogy for teaching English. Educational Linguistic Studies, no. 00, pp. 148-157.
  • Xu, Y. (2011). The application of drama in education to oral English teaching in high schools. Master's Thesis, Shanghai Normal University.
  • Yan, A. and Hou, Q. (2024). On the development, implementation and research of a school-based,interdisciplinary English curriculum: My fair lady. English Teachers, vol. 24, no. 17, pp. 141-147.
  • Yang, H. (2017). A study on the teaching model of English writing based on DIE in junior high school. Journal of Zunyi Normal College, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 126-129.
  • Yang, Y. (2019). Exploration and reflection on integrating educational drama into high school English teaching. English on Campus, no. 28, pp. 91-92.
  • Yao, G. (2017). A preliminary study on high school English drama teaching practice. Exam Weekly, no. 85, p. 116.
  • You, Y. (2018). High school English drama teaching based on the cultivation of thinking skills. Fujian Journal of Basic Education Research, no. 11, pp. 62-66.
  • Yuan, L. (2024). An Exploration of the Implementation of English Comprehensive Practice Activities in Junior High School Oriented to Core Competence--Take the Teaching of the Drama Mulan as an Example. English Teachers, vol. 24, no. 16, pp. 134-136.
  • Zhang, L. and Qu, C. e. (2020). Published. A brief discussion on English drama teaching under the framework of core English competencies. 2020 Seminar on Classroom Teaching Reform Based on Core Competencies, 2020 Beijing, China. National Research Center for Curriculum Reform in Basic Education, Ministry of Education, pp. 2742-2743.
  • Zhang, Y. (2024). Integrating educational drama into junior high school English whole-book reading instruction: a case study of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. English on Campus, no. 21, pp. 52-54.

Article Sidebar

PDF
Published
Nov 6, 2025
Conference Proceedings Volume
Vol. 7 (2025): Proceedings of the 2025 International Conference on Linguistics, Psychology and Creative Education (ICLPCE 2025)
Section
Articles
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Hu, Feng. “A Study on the Application of Drama Pedagogy in Secondary School English Classes: Overview and Prospects”. Exploring Science Academic Conference Series, vol. 7, Nov. 2025, pp. 1-11, https://doi.org/10.70267/iclpce.202501.

Similar Articles

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.