The Effectiveness of Role Play Strategy in Teaching Vocabulary

---

The Effectiveness of Role Play Strategy in 
Teaching Vocabulary 
Thuraya A. Alabsi 
Department of Curricula and Instruction, Taibah University, Madinah, Saudi Arabia 
 
Abstract—Vocabulary is a key element of students' understanding and communicative ability in any language. 
However Saudi students of English are observed to face many difficulties with vocabulary, which have been 
attributed to the widespread use of traditional methods focusing on memorization and rote learning. Role-play 
potentially offers an enjoyable way to encourage students to use vocabulary appropriately in simulated 
authentic situations. In a quasi-experimental study in a girls' secondary school in Al-Madinah, pre and post-
test comparisons were made of vocabulary test achievement between two first year classes. One (experimented) 
taught two units of their English course book through role play, the other (control) taught by traditional 
methods. T –test revealed no significant difference in vocabulary proficiency in the pre-test; however, in the 
post-test, the mean score of the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the control. The 
evidence supports the beneficial effect of incorporating role-play in EFL teaching. 
 
Index Terms—vocabulary, role-play, EFL, teaching methods, communicative approach 
 
I.
I
NTRODUCTION
Vocabulary is considered the key element of students' understanding and successful communication with other 
people whether in L1 or L2. No comprehension is possible, either in one's native language or in a foreign language, 
without understanding vocabulary (Laufer, 1997). Learning vocabulary is very important in EFL, but knowing 
vocabulary is not enough; what matters is using it in various situational contexts (Lajooee & Barimani, 2013). Therefore, 
teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Saudi Arabia try to familiarize students with words and their 
meanings, derivational patterns, grammatical and social usage, through using various strategies, activities, and drills to 
enable them to use vocabulary appropriately and effectively in real situations. 
Role-play is a well-known strategy that helps students to familiarize themselves with new social environments. 
Shankar, Piryani, Singh, and Karki indicate that "Role plays early in the course can expose students to different 
situations they are likely to face in their future career" (Shankar et al, 2012). Moreover, role plays are considered as 
simulating more authentic situations for EFL learners. The results of a descriptive study done by Sadeghi & Sharifi 
(2013) showed by comparing different pre- and post-teaching activities, that participants had higher vocabulary 
achievement in the role play activities. 
According to the above overview of role-play and vocabulary learning, the current study focuses on the role play 
technique in teaching vocabulary to Saudi female students in secondary school.