Examining how L2MSS motivation and international posture manifest in a drama-based pedagogical course at a private university in China

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Drama-based pedagogy (DBP) has been proposed as a way to enhance learner engagement, performance, and motivation, particularly in contexts where opportunities to practice English are limited, such as the context of this study: a small, private college in a second-tier Chinese city. This study employed a mixed methods concurrent case study design to investigate DBP’s benefits, challenges, and relationship to motivation. Quantitative data were collected through a motivational questionnaire based on the second language motivational self system (L2MSS) and international posture (IP) models, administered to 31 participants after a semester-long DBP course. Qualitative data were gathered through student self-reflections and interviews to gain a multidimensional understanding of the DBP course from the participants’ perspectives. Analysis revealed several benefits, including communicative practice, language improvement, and increased confidence, alongside challenges related to affect, performance, and preparation. Unexpectedly, the qualitative data uncovered participants’ understandings that seemed to misalign with certain assumptions underpinning the L2MSS and IP models. Learnings from this study not only prompt the need to reconsider the epistemologies underpinning the L2MSS and IP models, but also illuminate ways to adjust DBP to improve the communication and motivation of learners in various EFL contexts.