Assessing the Impact of the Readers’ Theatre Program on Low-achieving Students: An Inclusive Evaluation Approach

Abstract

English education should not only focus on listening, speaking, reading, and writing but also emphasize the application of English in real-life situations, linking it to students' life experiences. However, low-achieving students often lag in English literacy, pronunciation, and reading comprehension and lack learning motivation, even giving up engaging in classroom activities and becoming "guests" in the classroom. An inclusive evaluation emphasizes diversity and inclusiveness in program evaluation and concerns marginalized and underserved groups. This study supports the spirit of inclusive evaluation that concerns disadvantaged and underserved groups' rights and interests. Accordingly, this study investigates the impact of the readers' theater program (RTP) on low-achieving students' spoken English fluency, reading comprehension ability, and English learning attitudes. The participants comprised 20 fifth graders: Seven high-achieving students, seven middle-achieving students, and six low-achieving students. The study was conducted over 12 weeks. The study collected data using three instruments: The English oral reading fluency test (pronunciation correctness, reading speed, and expression), the English reading comprehension ability test, and the English learning attitude scale. Descriptive statistics and paired samples t-tests were used to analyze the pre-test and post-test data. The findings of this study indicated that the RTP effectively improves the English oral reading fluency and reading comprehension ability of low-achieving students and enhances their positive learning attitudes through interaction with peers. The reasons contributing to RTP can significantly improve low-achieving students' English learning might be the relaxed learning atmosphere, group cooperation, and the impact of positive feedback.