DRAWING DIALOGUES: INVESTIGATING THE ROLE OF CHILD ART NARRATIVES IN FOSTERING ENGLISH COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE
Keywords:
English Language Acquisition, Communicative Competence, Early Childhood Education, Art Integration in Language Learning, Child Narratives, Multimodal Pedagogy, Constructivist Approaches, Visual Literacy, Neuroeducation, Storytelling in ELT, Creative Methodologies, EFL Young Learners, Drawing-Based Learning, Language and Art Pedagogy, Inclusive Education Practices.Abstract
This study explores the intersection of visual arts and early English language education through the lens of recent pedagogical research. Specifically, it investigates how child-generated artwork—paired with narrative creation and storytelling—can foster communicative competence in English among young learners. By allowing children to visually express their thoughts and then verbalize or write narratives based on their drawings, teachers can tap into a natural, imaginative space that enhances vocabulary acquisition, sentence structure development, and confidence in oral communication. The research draws on theories from neuroeducation, multimodal learning, and constructivist pedagogy, highlighting how art serves not only as a creative outlet but as a bridge to deeper linguistic engagement. Findings suggest that incorporating structured art-based storytelling into language lessons can significantly improve motivation, fluency, and retention in early English learners.
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