AI-Augmented Reader’s Theater for Authentic Oral Performance and Cultural Identity in Primary EFL Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26877/eternal.v17i2.4015Keywords:
generative artificial intelligence, Reader’s Theater, oral performance, cultural identity, place-based learning, primary EFLAbstract
This mixed-methods classroom study examined preliminary changes associated with an AI-Augmented Reader’s Theater (AI-RT) model designed to connect English oral performance with learners’ local cultural identity. A quasi-experimental one-group pretest–posttest design was implemented with 64 Grade 5 students (26 boys and 38 girls; approximately 11 years old) in an Intensive English Program at Wat Sra Kaew School, Thailand. The six-week intervention comprised four two-hour sessions per week (48 instructional hours). In groups of four, students developed a four-scene local-culture script, rehearsed orally with ChatGPT, revised their delivery through three to four practice cycles, performed the script, and reflected on the experience. Data were obtained from an analytic oral-performance rubric, a 12-item confidence and cultural-identity questionnaire, and written reflections. The total oral-performance mean increased from 11.80 to 20.25 out of 24. A paired-samples test indicated a significant mean gain of 8.45, t(63) = 9.85, p < .001, 95% CI [6.74, 10.16], with a large standardized paired effect, Cohen’s dz = 1.23. The largest descriptive gains concerned cultural meaning, expressive delivery, and speaking confidence. Questionnaire construct means also increased for confidence (2.85 to 4.20) and cultural identity (2.90 to 4.30). Reflections suggested that repeated, low-pressure AI rehearsal supported willingness to speak, while local stories about Wat Sra Kaew and the Thao Suranari (Ya Mo) monument gave students culturally meaningful content to represent in English. Because the study used one intact cohort without a comparison group, the findings should be interpreted as promising classroom-based evidence rather than definitive causal proof. The study demonstrates how place-based content, performance pedagogy, and guided generative-AI use can be integrated to support meaningful oral participation in primary EFL education.References
Aljohani, N. J. (2026). ChatGPT in language learning: A systematic review of opportunities and challenges. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021). Thematic analysis: A practical guide. SAGE.Canale, M., & Swain, M. (1980). Theoretical bases of communicative approaches to second language teaching and testing. Applied Linguistics, 1(1), 1–47. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/I.1.1
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Council of Europe. (2020). Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment—Companion volume. Council of Europe Publishing.Darvin, R., & Norton, B. (2015). Identity and a model of investment in applied linguistics. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 35, 36–56. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0267190514000191
Darvin, R., & Norton, B. (2023). Investment and motivation in language learning: What's the difference?. Language teaching, 56(1), 29-40.
Dewaele, J.-M., & MacIntyre, P. D. (2014). The two faces of Janus? Anxiety and enjoyment in the foreign language classroom. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 4(2), 237–274. https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2014.4.2.5
Graham, S. (2023). Teaching listening and speaking in EFL contexts. Language Teaching Research, 27(2), 245–260. Gruenewald, D. A. (2003). The best of both worlds: A critical pedagogy of place. Educational Researcher, 32(4), 3–12. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X032004003
Huang, J., Hew, K. F., & Fryer, L. (2023). Chatbots for language learning: A systematic review. Educational Technology Research and Development, 71, 1–24 Kaewsrinuam, W., & Weawchimplee, W. (2025). Implementing Reader’s Theater using fairy tales to promote reading fluency of 5th graders. Research and Development Institute Journal of Chaiyaphum Rajabhat University, 7(2), 200–213. https://so10.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/rdicpru/article/view/2307
Jauhiainen, J. S., & Guerra, A. G. (2023). Generative AI and ChatGPT in school children’s education: Evidence from a school lesson. Sustainability, 15(18), 14025. Kohnke, L., Moorhouse, B. L., & Zou, D. (2023). ChatGPT for language teaching and learning. TESOL Journal, 14(1).
Kohnke, L., Moorhouse, B. L., & Zou, D. (2023). Exploring generative artificial intelligence preparedness among university language instructors: A case study. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 5, 100156. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2023.100156
Lakens, D. (2013). Calculating and reporting effect sizes to facilitate cumulative science: A practical primer for t-tests and ANOVAs. Frontiers in Psychology, 4, 863. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00863
Lo, C. C., Liu, G. Z., & Wang, T. I. (2021). The effect of Readers Theater on EFL seventh-graders’ English reading and listening comprehension. SAGE Open, 11(3).https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440211038388
Long, M. H. (1996). The role of the linguistic environment in second language acquisition. In W. C. Ritchie & T. K. Bhatia (Eds.), Handbook of second language acquisition (pp. 413–468). Academic Press.
MacIntyre, P. D., Clément, R., Dörnyei, Z., & Noels, K. A. (1998). Conceptualizing willingness to communicate in a L2: A situational model of L2 confidence and affiliation. The Modern Language Journal, 82(4), 545–562. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.1998.tb05543.x
Norton, B. (2013). Identity and language learning: Extending the conversation (2nd ed.). Multilingual Matters.
Richards, J. C. (2006). Communicative language teaching today. Cambridge University Press.
Richards, J. C. (2022). Communicative language teaching today. Cambridge University Press.Rini, D. I. P., & Maruf, N. (2026). Exploring The Effect And Learners’experiences Of Human-Ai Collaborative Speaking Practice Among Indonesian Efl Learners. Indonesian EFL Journal, 12(2), 417-428.
Saud, I. W., & Rahman, Y. (2019). Integrating local cultural animated video as a media in English language learning to promote students’ character in elementary school. Eternal: English Teaching Journal, 10(2).
Shadish, W. R., Cook, T. D., & Campbell, D. T. (2002). Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for generalized causal inference. Houghton Mifflin.
Smith, G. A., & Sobel, D. (2010). Place- and community-based education in schools. Routledge.
Somerville, M. (2010). A place pedagogy for “global contemporaneity.” Educational Philosophy and Theory, 42(3), 326–344.
UNESCO. (2023). Guidance for generative AI in education and research. UNESCO. Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press.
Yemini, M., Engel, L., & Ben Simon, A. (2025). Place-based education–a systematic review of literature. Educational Review, 77(2), 640-660.
Young, C., & Rasinski, T. (2009). Implementing Readers Theatre as an approach to classroom fluency instruction. The Reading Teacher, 63(1), 4–13.
Young, C., & Rasinski, T. (2021). Reader’s theater and reading fluency. The Reading Teacher, 74(5), 1–10.
