ISSN-e: 2960-8015Vol. 4 -No. 3
16 - 31
07 - 2026
Original article. Vol. 4 - No. 3, pp. 16 - 31.July, 2026. E-ISSN: 2960-8015
Puppets in Language Learning: Supporting English Vocabulary
Acquisition in Young Learners Through Motivation and
Interaction
Títeres en el aprendizaje de idiomas: Apoyo a la adquisición de vocabulario
en inglés en estudiantes jóvenes mediante la motivación y la interacción
Mauro David Villacrés Benalcázar
1*
, Hamilton Ismael Quezada Guerrero
2
,
Paola Vanessa Santamaría Velásquez
3
, Hilda Gabriela Portilla Torres
4
1 Universidad de Investigación de Tecnología Experimental Yachay;
mvillacres@yachaytech.edu.ec. Urcuquí, Ecuador.
2 Universidad de Investigación de Tecnología Experimental Yachay;
hquezada@yachaytech.edu.ec. Urcuquí, Ecuador.
3 Universidad de Investigación de Tecnología Experimental Yachay;
psantamaria@yachaytech.edu.ec. Urcuquí, Ecuador.
3 Universidad de Investigación de Tecnología Experimental Yachay;
gportilla@yachaytech.edu.ec. Urcuquí, Ecuador.
¿Como citar?
Villacrés Benalcázar, M. D. ., Quezada Guerrero, H. I. ., Santamaría Velásquez, P. V. ., & Por-
tilla Torres, H. G. . (2026). Títeres en el aprendizaje de idiomas: Apoyo a la adquisición de
vocabulario en inglés en estudiantes jóvenes mediante la motivación y la interacción. Revista
Multidisciplinaria Investigación Contemporánea, 4(3). 16-31. https://doi.org/10.58995/redlic.
rmic.v4.n3.a196
Received: 05-02-2026
Accepted: 30-03-2026
Published: 01-07-2026
Editor’s note
REDLIC remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional
claims in published messages and institutional
ailiations.
Editorial
Red Editorial Latinoamericana de Investigación
Contemporánea (REDLIC)
www.editorialredlic.com
Sources of funding
The project was funded by the US Embassy in colla-
boration with the Universidad Nacional de Educación
and Universidad Yachay Tech.
Conicts of interest:
There are no conicts of interest.
This is an open-access article, licensed under
Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0) de Atribución 4.0
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https://doi.org/10.58995/redlic.rmic.v4.n3.a196
Revista multidisciplinaria
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Villacrés et al. Puppets in Language Learning: Supporting English Vocabulary Acquisition
07 - 2026
Resumen
Los títeres constituyen una estrategia didáctica innovadora para promover la motivación, la
participación y el aprendizaje del vocabulario en inglés, especialmente en zonas rurales donde los
recursos son limitados. Por lo tanto, este estudio busca analizar su contribución al fortalecimiento
de la comprensión y retención léxica mediante actividades lúdicas que promueven la comunicación
en el aula. Mediante un enfoque mixto y un diseño preexperimental, se implementaron sesiones
integradas al currículo que incluyeron teatro, cuentos interactivos, juegos de rol y canciones.
Mediante encuestas y listas de vericación de observación, se recopiló y analizó información
mediante estadística descriptiva. Los resultados muestran una alta aceptación de la estrategia
utilizada en este estudio, evidenciando mayor interés, atención y persistencia durante las
actividades, así como una percepción positiva del aprendizaje de nuevas palabras. Se concluye
que el uso de títeres es un recurso accesible y ecaz para potenciar el aprendizaje del inglés, y se
recomienda complementarlo con dinámicas cooperativas que promuevan una participación más
equilibrada para asegurar la retención del vocabulario.
Palabras clave: aprendizaje; vocabulario; estrategias educativas; títeres.
Abstract
Puppets constitute an innovative didactic strategy to promote motivation, participation, and
English vocabulary learning, especially in rural areas where the resources are limited. Therefore,
this study aims to analyze their contribution to strengthening lexical comprehension and
retention through playful activities that promote communication in the classroom; through a
mixed-methods pre-experimental design involving 27 students aged 6–7, combining Likert-scale
surveys and structured observation checklists to assess motivation, participation, and interaction,
curriculum-integrated sessions were implemented that included theater, interactive stories, role-
playing games, and songs. Using surveys and observation checklists, information was collected
and analyzed through descriptive statistics. The results show high acceptance of the strategy
used in this study, evidencing greater interest, attention, and persistence during the activities,
as well as a positive perception of learning new words. It is concluded that the use of puppets
is an accessible and eective resource to enhance English learning, and it is recommended to
complement it with cooperative dynamics that promote more balanced participation to ensure
vocabulary retention.
Keywords: learning; vocabulary; educational strategies, puppetry.
1. Introduction
English is one of the most widely spoken
languages worldwide; therefore, it is
necessary to introduce its teaching at all
educational levels (Lucero et al., 2023). In
the process of learning a second language,
vocabulary is an essential component;
the successful communication for
learners when using English as a second
language hinges in part on the mastery
of vocabulary (Daidone & Darcy, 2021).
If students do not possess a suicient
number of words in their vocabulary, then
they are less able to communicate their
thoughts and ideas and/or understand
what is being communicated to them in
English; thus, the improvement of the
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teaching of vocabulary in second language
acquisition is vital in educational settings,
particularly those that present special
challenges to language learners.
To inspire and improve student
vocabulary acquisition, teachers have
used innovative instructional strategies
over recent years, including the
incorporation of puppets as a fun and
interactive teaching tool. Since they are
animated objects controlled by either the
teacher or the student, puppet shows
focus on children and engage them in a
fun and participatory way (Timmins &
King, 2024). There are many international
studies (including Khasanah and Burhan
(2022) conducted in Indonesia) that have
concluded that puppet performances in
language classes help to attract younger
children’s attention, reduce boredom, and
encourage their active participation.
In general terms, the literature agrees
that puppets increase students’ motivation,
attention, and involvement during the
learning process (Kröger & Nupponen,
2019). In addition, this instructional
resource allows children to learn through
play in an environment dierent from the
traditional one; therefore, it is indicated
that the use of puppets usually generates a
pleasant learning environment, increasing
children’s interest and reducing their
anxiety levels, which in turn improves
their willingness to participate and
learn (Férez & Coyle, 2023). In this way,
puppets can serve as mediators between
the teacher and the student, facilitating
communication and allowing even the
shyest students to express themselves
without fear of making mistakes.
Various empirical studies support
the eectiveness of puppets as a tool to
promote learning, especially because
they allow the creation of interactive
and emotionally safe environments for
children. In Norway, Gyllstad et al. (2025)
show that foreign language development
in young children is strengthened
when learning takes place in highly
interactive, motivating, and emotionally
safe environments, which encourage
spontaneous participation and reduce
anxiety. Likewise, Rahmi et al. (2020)
found that students who expanded their
linguistic repertoire through puppets
improved their lexical mastery; they
also concluded that children enjoyed the
playful experience by gaining condence
to use English spontaneously.
In particular, Widiastuty et al. (2024)
report that a nger-puppet storytelling
program achieved notable results, since
students became more active in class,
expanded their linguistic repertoire, and
improved their mastery of the words
learned. In addition, they showed an
increase in their interest in learning English
due to how attractive and entertaining
they found the puppet performances.
Meanwhile, in another pre-experimental
study, Brilianti and Sugirin (2024)
conrmed that the use of puppet images
as support for storytelling produced
a notable improvement in elementary
students’ learning after the intervention.
The rise in vocabulary usage shows
that when using puppets in an activity
involving storytelling, children learned
and retained words more eectively in a
foreign language.
The use of puppets had a positive
eect on children when learning new
vocabulary, as well as on improving
many other skills, such as linguistic
and socioemotional skills. For example,
Ramasari and Virgia (2019) conducted a
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study using hand and glove puppets with
secondary school students to teach them
how to speak English, and they concluded
that the students who participated in
the puppet-aided activity scored higher
on oral prociency tests than students
in the control group sound. Therefore,
from these results, there is quantitative
evidence to suggest that puppet-aided
instruction is protable in developing
oral prociency in English as a second
language. Consequently, they support the
idea that using puppets is an important
educational technique for teaching all
aspects of the English language.
Nonetheless, in the context of each
country, there are specic issues that
warrant this current research eort. In
Ecuador, teaching English as a foreign
language in rural areas presents an even
greater challenge due to limited access
to pedagogy and educators with expert
knowledge; in one such example from
Cotopaxi province, insuicient resources
for instructional materials, a lack of
qualied instructors in English, limited
motivation from students, and school
facilities not conducive to language
acquisition were determined to be some
of the main challenges representing this
area (Lucero et al., 2023).
Many teachers cite barriers such
as excessive numbers of students in
classrooms, limited integration of
technology, little parental support, and
insuicient teacher training as being
obstacles that impede the development
of innovative methods for teaching
communication in English, despite
nationwide curricular reform (Alvarez et
al., 2025). In this scenario, it is necessary to
explore creative and low-cost pedagogical
strategies that can revitalize English
learning in rural settings with limited
resources.
Along the same lines, a recent
Ecuadorian study implemented creative
strategies with digital puppets in the
eighth year of basic education, obtaining
statistically signicant improvements
not only in students’ oral expression
but also in formal aspects of language;
students showed progress in grammar,
pronunciation, and interactive
communication (Escalante & Galora,
2023). In addition, by using puppets, a
component of play and storytelling that
is close to students’ reality is introduced,
which can increase the relevance and
meaningfulness of English language
learning in their daily lives (Soto et
al., 2025). In summary, addressing the
problem of retaining new English words
in Ecuadorian rural schools through a
puppet-based intervention responds to
the need to make learning more enjoyable,
motivating, and eective given local
circumstances.
This study proposes to analyze the use
of puppets as an instructional strategy to
promote motivation, participation, and
interaction in English learning among 6-
to 7-year-old students in a rural school.
Specically, it seeks to identify the level
of motivation generated by puppets in
vocabulary learning, describe the degree
of student participation and interaction
during puppet sessions, and explore
students’ perceptions of the use of puppets
as support for language teaching.
This research is important both
theoretically and practically. On the one
hand, it provides local evidence of using
playful methods to teach English as a
Foreign Language (EFL), and the ndings
could help teachers use dierent teaching
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methods that involve students in the
activity and improve their experience.
This study contributes to the existing
literature by providing context-specic
evidence from rural Ecuador, where
limited resources require innovative and
accessible pedagogical strategies such as
puppet-based instruction.
2. Methodology
The methodology of the study was crea-
ted according to the methodology propo-
sed by Hernández and Mendoza (2018),
which outlines a systematic and rigorous
way of performing scientic studies.
The research methodology is a
mixed-methods design, based on
combining qualitative techniques
through observation of the classroom
with quantitative methodology through
the survey of students’ perceptions and
observations of their behavior during
the implementation of a pedagogical
intervention in the classroom. This type of
research is descriptive and applied because
it describes students’ perceptions and
behaviors in response to implementing an
instructional strategy in the classroom.
This study was a simple educational
medicine trial without a comparison group
to evaluate how the implementation of a
new teaching method impacts students’
motivation, involvement, and interaction
as they learn English vocabulary.
The subjects were students who
attend a public primary school in a
rural village in San Blas - Urcuquí. The
sample of subjects consisted of 27 male
and female participants between the
ages of 6 and 7 years obtained through
convenience sampling from those who
t into the case study category and who
had easy access to the rural community.
Parents were provided with written
consent forms, which were signed prior
to their child participating in the study.
School administrators were also provided
with credentials for all researchers and
were asked to provide consent for each
student participant in the study, as per
local regulations, ethical standards, and
condentiality between researchers and
participants.
For one bimester of the regular
school year, an instructional intervention
took place. An instructional puppet
program was developed to implement
the intervention as part of the regular
curriculum, since it integrated their
planned activities with the units already
developed by the teachers by adjusting
both the puppet stories and situations to
the relevant classroom materials. In total,
ve interventions were conducted within
the normal class schedule, and each
session applied varied playful strategies
such as puppet theater plays, interactive
storytelling, role-playing games, and
songs, seeking to reinforce the target
words in meaningful contexts.
The inclusion criteria considered
students enrolled in the institution, aged
between six and seven years, who had
signed consent from their legal guardians
and who regularly attended the planned
sessions. In turn, those students who did
not have corresponding authorization
or whose recurrent absences prevented
their continuous participation during the
intervention period were excluded.
Data collection was conducted using
a variety of methods to triangulate and
provide a more complete understanding
of the eects of the intervention. Likert-
scale surveys were given to students
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regarding their motivation, enjoyment,
and interest in learning vocabulary using
puppets. Classroom observation sheets
and a checklist guide with eld notes were
also utilized to track the students’ level
of engagement and emotional responses
during the intervention sessions. Together,
both the Likert-scale data (descriptive
quantitative) and observations yielded
important insights into the students’ levels
of engagement/emotional response,
which were ultimately used to describe
the eectiveness of the intervention. The
survey consisted of Likert-scale items
adapted for young learners, administered
orally with teacher guidance, while
observation checklists were completed
during each session to systematically
record engagement and interaction.
As for limitations, it is important to
point out that being a case study of one
institution does not oer ndings that
may be generalized across the broader
educational system. In addition to looking
at the ethical considerations mentioned
above concerning informed consent,
it should also be noted that children
participated voluntarily in puppetry
activities, and their privacy was protected
through anonymity when reporting the
data collected.
To conclude this part of the study,
the research methodology utilized a
combination of descriptive qualitative
and quantitative techniques to provide an
overall understanding of the phenomenon
under investigation by including student
perceptions and behaviors observed
throughout the pedagogical intervention.
Quantitative data were analyzed using
descriptive statistics (frequencies
and percentages), while qualitative
observations were coded thematically to
identify patterns in student engagement
and interaction. The methodological
design employs strategies adopted
from both global and local studies
as components of the methodology
to provide consistency and promote
discussion of ndings in accordance with
previous research literature.
2. Results and discussion
This section presents the results
collected from the survey conducted
with the participants as well as from the
observational tools developed to assess
the participants during their time in the
classroom. These data were analyzed in
an objective and logical way, so the impact
of the use of puppets was documented
based upon the use of them as a teaching
tool to support learning.
These ndings align with previous
studies (e.g., Khasanah & Burhan, 2022;
Widiastuty et al., 2024), which highlight
the role of puppets in increasing
motivation and vocabulary acquisition;
however, unlike prior research, this study
contextualizes these eects within rural
Ecuadorian classrooms.
Results of the survey administered to
the students
The survey about the use of puppets
was administered to twenty-seven
students who participated in this study
to assess their opinions of puppets as an
instructional strategy.
Did you like the puppets that we used
in class?
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Table 1
Level of liking of the puppets used in class.
Response Frequency (n) Percentage (%)
I like them a lot 27 100%
It is ne 0 0%
I do not like them 0 0%
Total 27 100%
Every student surveyed responded
positively about the puppets being a
valuable resource; they found them to
be engaging and fun. This is relevant
because it promotes a positive learning
environment for children aged 6 to 7 years.
Therefore, puppets are an appropriate
strategy to strengthen English language
learning.
Did you learn new words in English
with the puppets?
Table 2
Learning new vocabulary through puppets.
Response Frequency (n) Percentage (%)
A lot 27 100%
Some 0 0%
None 0 0%
Total 27 100%
The results show that the use of puppets
generated a motivating and participatory
environment for learning English
vocabulary. In addition, most students
stated that the strategy helped them
understand and remember new words,
demonstrating a positive perception of
learning and a greater willingness to
participate in the proposed activities.
Did you have fun in the classes with
the puppets?
Table 3
Students’ perception of enjoyment in classes with puppets.
Response Frequency (n) Percentage (%)
A lot 27 100%
Some 0 0%
None 0 0%
Total 27 100%
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The results show that the students had
fun in the classes where puppets were
used, demonstrating a positive experience.
Enjoyment in learning promotes attention
and improves willingness to participate
in the proposed activities. In addition, it
reduces shyness and stimulates interaction
in the classroom.
Was it easy to understand the words in
English with the help of the puppets?
Table 4
Students’ perception of the ease of understanding words in English through puppets.
Response Frequency (n) Percentage (%)
A lot 20 74.1%
Some 6 22.2%
None 1 3.7%
Total 27 100%
Based on the combination of context
and visual support provided by the puppet
characters to facilitate comprehension
through associations of the visual and the
word (word), we found almost all students
reported using the puppet resources as
a successful means of understanding
English vocabulary. A small percentage
of students indicated that they preferred
other means, and thus some students may
benet from further support.
The results shown in Table 4 suggest
that visual scaolding provided by
puppets facilitates lexical comprehension,
which is consistent with multimodal
learning theories that emphasize the
integration of visual and linguistic input.
Would you like to use puppets again in
other English classes?
Table 5
Students’ interest in using puppets again in future English classes.
Response Frequency (n) Percentage (%)
A lot 26 96.3%
Some 1 3.7%
None 0 0%
Total 27 100%
The results reect a high level of interest
in using puppets again in future classes,
which demonstrates that the strategy was
meaningful for the students. Overall, the
resource will continue to be applied and
may be sustainably integrated into English
literacy pedagogy. In addition, the desire
to repeat the experience suggests that
students perceive the strategy as useful
and motivating.
Did the puppets help you speak more
in English?
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Table 6
Students’ perception of the help provided by puppets to speak more in English.
Response Frequency (n) Percentage (%)
A lot 27 100%
Some 0 0%
None 0 0%
Total 27 100%
The results obtained show that the
students perceived that the puppets
helped them speak more in English
during the activities. This suggests that
the use of this resource may have fostered
a more comfortable and motivating
environment, facilitating children’s oral
participation. In addition, interaction
with puppets generated a playful and fun
setting that promoted spontaneous use
of the language. Therefore, the strategy
contributed to strengthening students’
willingness to communicate orally in
English.
Did you like the stories or games with
the puppets?
Table 7
Students’ preference for stories or games developed with puppets.
Response Frequency (n) Percentage (%)
I like them a lot 27 100%
It is ne 0 0%
I do not like them 0 0%
Total 27 100%
The results show that the stories and
games with puppets were fully accepted
by the students in this type of activity. This
indicates that these dynamics facilitate
learning by maintaining children’s interest
and attention. In addition, integrating
vocabulary into games and stories allows
for a more meaningful understanding of
the content.
Did the puppets make the class more
fun?
Table 8
Students’ perception of the level of enjoyment generated by puppets in class.
Response Frequency (n) Percentage (%)
I like them a lot 27 100%
It is ne 0 0%
I do not like them 0 0%
Total 27 100%
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The results show that the puppets
contributed to making the class more
enjoyable, which promotes a positive
learning environment. This aspect is
important because enjoyment increases
motivation and improves willingness
to participate in activities. In addition, a
dynamic class makes it easier for students
to become involved without fear of
making mistakes.
Did you feel happy when we played
with the puppets?
Table 9
Students’ perception of emotional well-being during puppet activities.
Response Frequency (n) Percentage (%)
A lot 26 96.3%
Some 1 3.7%
None 0 0%
Total 27 100%
The data indicates that the pupils had
a positive emotional experience while
engaging in the puppet activities, thus
validating their enjoyment and well-
being within the classroom environment.
This increased well-being leads to
enhanced motivation and readiness to
engage in learning, especially for young
children. Also, having positive emotional
engagement can enhance student
participation and interaction with the
language.
Would you like there to be dierent
puppets in the classes?
Table 10
Students’ interest in incorporating a variety of puppets in English classes.
Response Frequency (n) Percentage (%)
A lot 27 100%
Some 0 0%
None 0 0%
Total 27 100%
The results show that the students want
to have dierent puppets in the classes,
which reects enthusiasm and motivation
to continue with the strategy. The interest
in puppet resources demonstrates how
the addition of options will allow you
to maintain interest and help keep the
sessions alive. Using alternate characters
opens up possibilities for working with
various types of vocabulary and dierent
types of communication opportunities.
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Draw or write something you liked
about the puppets
Students’ comments clearly show they
liked the puppets because they had fun and
played during the class. This is apparent in
the drawings and positive comments made
by the students. Additionally, many kids
drew pictures of the dierent characters
or scenes involving the puppets. This
shows they were very interested in using
this visual tool. Overall, this question
supports the nding that using puppets
provides students with a powerful source
of motivation and an enjoyable learning
experience.
Results from the observation checklist.
The results of the student’s participation
level, student’s engagement level, and
student’s interaction level will be found in
this section based on calculating the data
collected from the observation checklist
used on the student while participating in
the dierent lessons using the puppets as
an added resource to enhance the learning
process. The observation checklist used
for this learning experience organized
the data collected during each lesson by
the type of indicator established for the
checklist, allowing for a summary (group)
of the results achieved by the group.
Table 11
Level of participation, engagement, and interaction observed during the use of puppets.
Dimension Indicator Low Medium High
Participation Attention 0 0 5
Response to stimuli 0 1 4
Contribution 3 2 0
Engagement Motivation 0 0 5
Persistence 0 0 5
Interaction with the material 0 3 2
Interaction Interaction with classmates 2 3 0
Interaction with the puppets 0 1 4
Interaction with the teacher 0 5 0
Note. The values represent how many observations were found for each indicator at each of the three levels
(Low, Medium and High).
The values represent how many obser-
vations were found for each indicator at
each of the three levels (Low, Medium and
High).
The level of engagement demonstrated
during the lifting of puppets was
measured in the high level of focus and
engagement with stimuli, which indicates
that the students-maintained focus
and had positive reactions during the
activities involving puppets. However,
with respect to contributions, there were
more observations with low and medium
participation levels. This indicates that not
every student contributes equally on an
ongoing basis even though they appear to
be engaged, and this means that it will be
necessary to develop more strategies for
allowing all students to have opportunities
to provide verbal participation during
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Villacrés et al. Puppets in Language Learning: Supporting English Vocabulary Acquisition
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these activities. Overall, there was a high
level of positive participation in general,
but there are dierent participation levels
in the contributions.
Based on research, engagement
levels are high, indicating strong levels
of motivation and persistence towards
activities that took place with puppets and
an overall positive attitude and continuity
in relation to these activities. However,
it appears that student interactions with
materials were most often at a moderate
level, indicating that some participants
may need additional time or guidance
before they can be fully engaged with
the puppet as a resource for their play.
This demonstrates that this strategy was
eective in “capturing” the interest of the
group in creating engagements; thus, it
was a successful resource for sustaining
motivation within the classroom.
According to the interaction dimension
of the activity, most students demonstrated
medium levels of interaction with both
their classmates and teachers. These results
indicate that students maintained a constant
but moderate amount of communication
during the activity. The level of interaction
with the puppets was high within most of
the videos recorded, which suggests this
resource was appealing to the students
and aided in their participation. However,
it seems as though the fact that the level
of interaction with the teacher remained
within the range of mediums depicts that
the teacher regularly provided guidance
and was a signicant factor throughout the
course of the students’ activities.
Based on the results obtained, it can
be inferred that the use of puppets is an
eicient means of helping children from
ages 6-7 learn new vocabulary in English
by providing them with motivation and
creating a playful atmosphere to enhance
their ability to focus on and take part in
the educational process. This nding
correlates to other studies demonstrating
that children’s learning and retention
of new information occur more easily
when they can interact with both visual
and dynamic resources such as puppets
(Khasanah & Burhan, 2022). More recent
studies have suggested that the use of
puppets will create a positive emotional
environment for children, thereby helping
them gain condence in using their new
language (Chee Luen et al., 2023).
However, according to observations
made during the course of teaching, there
is evidence that while students appear to
be motivated and attentive to the media
they are using, their levels of involvement
with one another and the amount of peer
feedback provided may not all be the same
(Luen, 2021) and match similar ndings in
other studies. In addition, to ensure that
every student has an equal opportunity
to participate and an open channel of
communication between all students and
teachers, each of the resources used must
be accompanied by teacher involvement
(Luen, 2021). Therefore, using puppets
in the classroom has been found to be
an eective and innovative method
of assisting students in developing
vocabulary through engagement in low-
cost, easily accessible materials; improving
the quality of learning at the time of study,
while also allowing for greater interaction
between students and teacher.
These results reinforce ndings
from Chee Luen et al. (2023) regarding
emotional engagement, while also
highlighting dierences in peer interaction
levels, suggesting the need for structured
cooperative strategies.
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3. Conclusions
The conclusions of the research suggest
that puppet use in instruction assists
with the learning of English vocabulary
by children between the ages of 6 and 7,
since both were found to have high levels
of motivation and acceptance throughout
this project. The positive perception
students had of the puppets is also
supported through the level of attention
and persistence demonstrated during
the recording of data on the observation
checklist. This provides evidence that this
teaching tool will help create a learning
environment conducive to learning.
The conclusion from the study is that
puppets are an important teaching aid
in rural school settings, as they foster
participation and enable students to
build vocabulary by using a mixture of
movement and visual activities. This
puppet teaching strategy also maintained
student interest and motivation;
therefore, it can be concluded that early
childhood EFL instruction is enhanced
when interactive and motivational
methodologies are used as teaching
strategies.
The analysis of the children’s response
to the puppet activity was based on the
group level of attention and motivation,
which were observed to be high. However,
when examining the level of contribution
& interaction from each child, it was noted
that the level of interaction & contribution
from the students varied greatly; therefore,
additional pedagogical strategies to
enhance the equitable contribution &
interaction amongst students should
be implemented. To accomplish this, it
is suggested that cooperative learning
strategies and guided roles be integrated
into the puppet teaching strategy to allow
for more regular participation by all the
students during the puppetry-based
lessons.
In conclusion, puppet use supports
the educational experience as well as the
socio-emotional well-being of students
by providing positive experiences,
decreasing observed shyness, and
increasing students’ condence in their
ability to engage with others, which
ultimately makes utilizing puppets a
versatile and inexpensive method for
teachers to include in their plans while
improving how they teach language at
the beginning and elementary levels.
Overall, the ndings suggest that while
puppets signicantly enhance motivation
and vocabulary learning, structured
interaction strategies are necessary to
ensure equitable participation among
students.
4. Authors’ contribution
MD: Literature review, data collection,
conclusions, and article nal revision.
HQ: Data collection, results analysis,
discussion.
PS: Literature review, data collection,
discussion.
GP: Data collection, results analysis,
discussion.
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Copyright (c) 2026. Mauro David Villacrés Benalcázar, Hamilton Ismael Quezada
Guerrero, Paola Vanessa Santamaría Velásquez, Hilda Gabriela Portilla Torres.
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