Developing EFL Preservice Teachers' Oral Communicative Competence and Autonomy Utilizing Literature Circles and Process Drama Design

Developing EFL Preservice Teachers' Oral Communicative Competence and Autonomy Utilizing Literature Circles and Process Drama Design | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Developing EFL Preservice Teachers' Oral Communicative Competence and Autonomy Utilizing Literature Circles and Process Drama Design Nesma Nasr, Bahaa Eldin El-Sayed El-Naggar This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4653708/v2 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 2 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Show more versions Abstract This research investigated the impact of literature circles and process drama design on developing EFL preservice teachers’ oral communicative competence, strategic and sociolinguistic competence, and autonomy. Employing a quasi-experimental one-group pretest-posttest design with 32 junior EFL preservice teachers, the study revealed significant improvements post-intervention. Data were collected using a communicative competence test and rubric, and a learner autonomy scale. Paired sample t-tests in SPSS indicated a significant difference at the 0.01 level in mean scores favoring post-intervention, highlighting enhanced levels of both communicative competence learner autonomy. The intervention fostered a shift from teacher-centered to student-centered approaches, providing opportunities for independent learning and collaborative discussions. During the literature circles phase, students took on roles such as discussion director, literary luminary, connector, and summarizer, which developed autonomy. Participants monitored their learning, interacted in groups, exchanged roles, and evaluated the learning process through literature circles’ evaluative forms. This phase also enhanced strategic competence, enabling students to speak without hesitation using paraphrasing, description, antonyms, and synonyms. In the process drama phase, students' sociolinguistic competence improved as they engaged in performing role-playing, story dramatization, improvisation, human slideshow, and tableaux after reading stories. These activities facilitated oral engagement and reflection, resulting in improved expression characterized by continuous, confident, and appropriately intoned speech. The findings underscored the positive effect of the design on teaching English literature novels, emphasizing student-centered and collaborative methods while prioritizing learning processes over outcomes. This research significantly contributed to developing active, orally competent, and autonomous EFL learners. Literature circles process drama oral communicative competence (OCC) strategic competence sociolinguistic competence learner autonomy EFL learners preservice teachers English literature. Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Supplementary Files Tables.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 2 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Show more versions Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4653708","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":331168938,"identity":"763facf2-470b-4f72-b73b-0c79cbc1c9c8","order_by":0,"name":"Nesma Nasr","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA80lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYHADxvYPH4AUGzvxWpjbGGeAtDATr4W9jZkHrJWAOnP29qcbfu6ws+uffbDtsc2vbfJ8zAyMHz7m4NZi2XPG7GbvmeTkGecS241z+24btjEzMEvO3IZbi8GNHLYbvG3MyQxnGBukc3tuMwK1sDHz4tNy//mzm3/b6pPlQVose27bE9Zyg8HsNm/bYTuDM4xt0gw/bicS1nImx+y2bNvxBMMzjM2GvQ23k9uYGZvx++X48Wc337ZV28udYX/44Mef27bz25sPfviIRwsMJDaASMY2MNlAWD0Q2EOoP0QpHgWjYBSMghEGAEvPVYgj9R3sAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Zagazig University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Nesma","middleName":"","lastName":"Nasr","suffix":""},{"id":331168939,"identity":"e622d225-9b73-4889-8f57-b5835c67fcd3","order_by":1,"name":"Bahaa Eldin El-Sayed El-Naggar","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Zagazig University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Bahaa","middleName":"Eldin El-Sayed","lastName":"El-Naggar","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-06-28 09:38:26","currentVersionCode":2,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":false,"vertebrateSubjects":false,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":false,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false,"humanSubjectConsent":false,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4653708/v2","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4653708/v2","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":84507973,"identity":"2ad8ff91-2558-45fb-91f7-2611928d15df","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-12 19:26:45","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":536677,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"ManuscriptforAsianJournal.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4653708/v2_covered_70a9d9bc-0583-4fc1-895a-0b4611e7f473.pdf"},{"id":84507482,"identity":"82042a90-ade8-4907-9727-5eb0257ab4ef","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-12 19:10:42","extension":"docx","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":16435,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Tables.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4653708/v2/dc062020b8bb42cb3f174f50.docx"}],"financialInterests":"The authors declare no competing interests.","formattedTitle":"Developing EFL Preservice Teachers' Oral Communicative Competence and Autonomy Utilizing Literature Circles and Process Drama Design","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":true,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Literature circles, process drama, oral communicative competence (OCC), strategic competence, sociolinguistic competence, learner autonomy, EFL learners, preservice teachers, English literature.","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4653708/v2","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4653708/v2","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThis research investigated the impact of literature circles and process drama design on developing EFL preservice teachers\u0026rsquo; oral communicative competence, strategic and sociolinguistic competence, and autonomy. Employing a quasi-experimental one-group pretest-posttest design with 32 junior EFL preservice teachers, the study revealed significant improvements post-intervention. Data were collected using a communicative competence test and rubric, and a learner autonomy scale. Paired sample t-tests in SPSS indicated a significant difference at the 0.01 level in mean scores favoring post-intervention, highlighting enhanced levels of both communicative competence learner autonomy. The intervention fostered a shift from teacher-centered to student-centered approaches, providing opportunities for independent learning and collaborative discussions. During the literature circles phase, students took on roles such as discussion director, literary luminary, connector, and summarizer, which developed autonomy. Participants monitored their learning, interacted in groups, exchanged roles, and evaluated the learning process through literature circles\u0026rsquo; evaluative forms. 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