What Do the Children Say? The Importance of Student Voice

Abstract

The literature on drama in education reveals many claims regarding what students learn, and the value of role drama, at all stages of schooling. However, while there is a substantial and well-evidenced body of literature in this area, there are few studies that present the voices of those who are perhaps most directly affected by these claims—the students. This article reports on two studies which addressed this issue by listening to the opinions of students in regard to their own learning. Both studies were conducted in classrooms where students were undertaking various forms of role drama. This article compares and contrasts the findings from both studies, and notes that some surprising similarities emerged, in terms of what students said about their learning. Most importantly, this article demonstrates that students are capable of reflecting upon their learning in meaningful ways, and that opening up the 'conversation' about learning in drama to include the voices of our students not only adds another perspective, but also ensures that this conversation remains relevant.