The Effect of Active Education Based on Poetry Reading, Picture Reading, and Dramatization on the Speaking Skills of Fourth Grade Elementary School Students

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Associate Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract
Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of active education based on poetry reading, picture reading, and dramatization on strengthening the speaking skills of fourth grade elementary school students.
Method: This study was applied in terms of purpose and quasi-experimental in terms of method with a pre-test-post-test design and a control group. The statistical population included all fourth grade male students in Nazarabad city in the academic year 2024-2025 Sampling was conducted using the convenience method and two selected classes, each containing 20 people, were randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. The research instrument included a researcher-made speaking skill checklist with twenty questions, whose validity was confirmed by 5 experts and its reliability, using Cronbach's alpha, was calculated as .87. The experimental group underwent active education based on poetry reading, picture reading, and demonstration during 10 sessions of 60 minutes. Examples of activities included performing poetry while observing the tone and rhythm, analyzing and retelling images based on “seeing, thinking, and saying,” and performing short plays to enhance public speaking and speech coherence.
Results: Data were analyzed using univariate analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) in SPSS software. The findings showed that active education based on these three activities significantly improved the performance of students in the experimental group in all components of speaking skill, including coherent speaking, public speaking, speaking appropriate to the context and audience, observing tone and rhythm, and understanding visual messages.

Data were analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) in SPSS. The findings revealed that active learning based on these three approaches significantly improved the students’ performance in all components of speaking skills, including coherent speech, public speaking, context- and audience-appropriate communication, tone and rhythm, and comprehension of visual messages. These results highlight that active and interactive teaching methods are effective tools for empowering students’ oral communication skills.

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