Drama as a means of improving the advocacy skills on non-English-speaking-background students

Chamkaur Gill, Bond University

Abstract

This paper will discuss the problems facing overseas-Asian students who study law in Western universities and will deal with how drama can help improve their English-language oral-communication skills. A profile of the average student belonging to a high-context, relational culture will be provided with the aim of showing why such a student needs full-on immersion in oral English. An attempt will be made to suggest that the activities and materials employed by instructors using such a strategy can help lower students’ affective barriers and increase their confidence, motivation and spontaneity when speaking, while improving their non-verbal skills. The writer’s personal experiences will be mentioned in passing.