Verbal and Non-verbal Use of Language Utilized by Iraqi Media Students in Drama Lessons

Abstract

This research paper aimed at showing the importance of utilizing different shapes of non -verbal communication prompts which are pertinent to teaching drama at the Faculty of Communication and Mass Media in Iraq along with the verbal mode. This study, which is a quasi-experimental one, was applied on 50 undergraduate students studying drama at the Faculty of Communication and Mass Media in Iraq in two sections (A and B) where section A represented the experimental group, and the other section, section B, was the control group. Prior to the implementation, students were used to having a mere verbal communication in their drama classes as a norm; however, and after implementing different forms of non-verbal cues in these classes to the experimental group (section A), the administered questionnaire that was filled by the experimental group students, showed how engaged students had been in drama classes which had a positive influence on their achievement. In addition to that, interviews with the university instructor, that taught both sections, and the English language coordinator were conducted and depicted how necessary it is to use both verbal and non-verbal communication to provide an academic achievement when it comes to drama studying. Hence, having a blend between both modes of communication in drama classes is highly prominent in order to have a finer fathoming of the material and thus improving students’ performance.