Drama Education Research Articles

Curriculum violence in drama education

ABSTRACT This article examines a concept called ‘curriculum violence’ that offers a contribution to the field of curriculum studies, in deepening both teachers’ and scholars’ awareness of the ways in which our best intentions in the drama classroom may lead to potential harm for our students. We present two drama structures, both Canadian; the first by Carole Miller and Juliana Saxton and the second by Larry Swartz and Debbie Nyman. We then discuss what we view as a High risk issue; a new provincial curriculum to be implemented in Alberta, that we view as causing potential curriculum violence to students.

To Represent or Not to Represent: Choice or Excuse?

ABSTRACT This reflection considers the nuances of white theatre teacher/practitioners confronting race and racism in educational drama and theatre spaces. The author invites her white peers to reflect on theory and individual and collective praxis given discrete and shared identity markers. The author shares lessons learned through a variety of experiences, including as a guest at an arts-based youth programme focused on Indigenous identity reclamation.

특수교사의 교육연극 활용 수업역량 강화 프로그램 개발

The purpose of this study is to development a program for enhancing special teachers’ competency to use educational drama in Korean Language class; the design is based on basic processes including analysis, design, development, execution, and evaluation of the ADDIE model. In the analysis phase, factors of competency to use educational drama in Korean Language class were derived through a review of previous studies and literature; accordingly, the educational purpose and goal of the program were established. In addition, in order to reflect the needs of incumbent teachers, in-depth interviews were conducted with six incumbent special education teachers; this was then followed by a questionnaire survey of 109 incumbent special education teachers. By reflecting the needs of special education teachers collected through in the design phase, the educational purpose and goal of a program for enhancing competency to utilize educational drama in Korean Language class was clearly implemented based on the theoretical basis. In the development phase, the contents of education, teaching and learning methods, educational evaluation, and operation methods were decided; from this, a program plan was derived. The program plan was revised and supplemented twice through content validity review by 10 experts; based on this, a program plan for each two types of session number was developed. In the implementation phase, based on the program plan for each session numbers, programs of 15 sessions with 30 hours were administered for five special education teachers currently working for schools. In the evaluation phase, along with the changes that occurred after the implementation of the program plan, the self-evaluation was conducted during the process. This study confirmed the necessity of Korean Language classes using educational drama in the field of special education. Furthermore, based on this, this study presented a program model to comprehensively enhance the teaching competency of special education teachers.

VIRTUAL DRAMA PERFORMANCE: IS IT A NEED DUE TO PANDEMIC OR TECHNOLOGICAL ERA?

This study aims to address the needs of students in drama and drama performances in the Literature in ELT course. Since the occurrence of a national disaster, namely the spread of the covid-19 virus, the output of the Literature in ELT courses in the form of drama performances cannot be carried out due to the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. The solution offered through this research is to perform virtual drama performances. The data were obtained through the use of a questionnaire. The data were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The result of the need analysis showed that: 1) Literature in ELT course was important for the students, 2) students’ English proficiency was at the intermediate level, 3) students still had some difficulties in drama performance, 4) the topic was English legend, 5) there was a need of integrating drama with an online application, 6) students still sometimes learn Literature in ELT with technology. Due to the needs, it was necessary to develop virtual drama performance through online application because 55.5% of students thought that it would increase their knowledge and understanding of the topic in learning Literature in ELT course in university. When offering Literature in ELT course online, it can be noted that the necessary adjustments were made to the theater activities and the drama education program, and the Zoom digital platform was mostly utilized in the online classes.

고전극 교육 제재로서 우희의 의의와 교육 방안

Objectives The purpose of this study is to analyze the current status of classical drama education in literature education and to clarify the significance of U-hui as a subject of classical drama education.
 Methods To this end, the content related to theater history presented as educational content in the literature curriculum was examined diachronically. In addition, the educational content related to theater history covered in current literature textbooks was analyzed by dividing them into explanatory materials, work materials, and learning activities in the textbook history section. Based on the structure of the revised educational goal classification system, a method for generating knowledge according to the development of the learner's cognitive process was presented.
 Results The influence of the syllabus and the period of the 4th curriculum on classical theater education leads to fixed knowledge, and in textbooks, academic discourse on theater history in the past is reproduced or knowledge that has formed an issue is avoided. Accordingly, the content of education was organized around the theater and commoners in the late Joseon Dynasty.
 Conclusions In order to solve this problem, the current academic discourse related to Woohee should be included, and the cognitive process in which learners evaluate knowledge and create new knowledge should be used as an educational method. Taking U-hui as a subject of classical drama education enables a change from the educational content centered on the common people in the late Joseon Dynasty to encompassing various eras and enjoyment classes. In addition, the change in teaching and learning methods that utilize research historical issues has significance in helping learners maintain an open attitude toward knowledge of the history of literature.

Integrating Conflict Management Learning into the Curriculum

Abstract Teaching young people how to deal with conflict is rarely part of a school curriculum. Although, as social communities with humans of different ages, and levels of power and status, schools themselves are full of conflict, they are often reluctant for many reasons to acknowledge the fact, and more reluctant to give it an explicit profile by including the teaching of conflict management and transformation within the curriculum. Most conflict and bullying management in schools is reactive (i.e. after the fact), top-down (i.e. done to or with the participants by teachers and school leaders), and any training is extra-curricular. Cooling Conflict was a ten-year action research project in Australia, part of the international dracon project, investigating how drama can provide young people with the cognitive tools to resolve their own and other people’s conflicts, and to manage bullying for themselves. The program developed carefully structured drama pedagogy to give students knowledge and a vocabulary to understand the origins and structures of conflict, and to provide practice in the range of strategies available for resolving, managing or transforming conflict. The aim was to provide the students with autonomy and agency over this knowledge, and peer teaching became an important part of the program, which was (and still is) implemented in a wide range of educational settings internationally, formal and informal. From the outset and wherever possible, the program was deliberately integrated into standard curriculum time and programs, to embed the concept that conflict transformation and management can be learnt through experiential, integral learning. Over ten years, the project accumulated overwhelming evidence that, properly used, drama pedagogy is a valuable method for providing students with the tools they need to manage or transform their own conflicts, and themselves to take responsibility for assisting peers and younger students to do the same.

Learning patterns and risks in distance learning during the COVID-19 lockdown – the pupils’ perspective in drama pedagogy-based focus groups

In this study, primary school pupils have been surveyed using the methodology of drama pedagogy, focusing on two research questions: what the risks of online activities are and how children cope with these, and what the experiences of children with distance learning were. This study investigated both areas jointly from the pupils’ perspective. Three anonymous online focus groups were conducted with 16 Hungarian pupils (4 boys and 12 girls; age range: 11–15 years) in July 2020, who joined to the research on a voluntary basis and have been recruited from three rural counties with different socioeconomic backgrounds. Respondents unequivocally recounted that during the lockdown, they had spent a significant part of their time in front of a screen, mostly without adult supervision. Whilst most only experienced different forms of teasing, some cyberbullying instances bordered on criminal cases and required the involvement of parents. High exposure to such risks was experienced during the months when online learning mainly consisted of receiving assignments to work on, and most teachers were almost unavailable. Future research could compare the experiences of pupils and teachers, creating an online safe space for them where they could respond to each other’s perceptions, interpretations and opinions anonymously.

Creating Conditions for Chinese Kindergarten Teachers’ Professional Development in a Play-based Setting

ABSTRACT Although Chinese early childhood education policies have high expectations for kindergarten teachers’ play pedagogy, teaching and play are still discussed as a bifurcation in Chinese kindergartens’ daily practice. To support Chinese kindergarten teachers’ development of play pedagogy, this study conducted an educational experiment (EE) framed by cultural-historical theory. The study was conducted in a public kindergarten located in the northeast of China. Two teachers and 34 children (4-5 years) were involved in the study. The data were collected using the methods of digital video observation, interviews, and focus group discussions. The findings indicate that EE creates a new social situation that can motivate teachers’ development in ways of collaborative teaching. Moreover, the collective reflection and Conceptual PlayWorld (CPW) implementation within the EE amplified teachers’ play pedagogy development. We argue that the EE works as a source of teachers’ professional development (PD) and builds their identity as experts in creating playful learning environments in a Chinese cultural context.

Exploring the Construction of Curriculum System of Theater and Film Studies Based on ADDIE Model

Abstract In order to develop a first-class major in theater, film and television and achieve the goal of “cultivating artistic talents”, this paper believes that the development of the discipline should focus on “creativity” and “originality”. Therefore, a new understanding of the profession and theoretical innovation in academic research should be realized, and an educational system more in line with the essence of art education should be established. The research is based on the ADDIE model and the course “Theatre, Film and Television” as the carrier to explain the teaching design of Theatre, Film and Television professional courses. Procedures and methods in the five stages of analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation ensure local adaptation in the course design and development process and tailoring to the actual teaching and learning. We will build an ADDIE teaching design model for drama, film and television courses, and conduct systematic teaching design research and teaching case practice for drama, film and television courses to ensure the positive development of teaching quality. Through an operationalized guidance model in order to improve the standard of course design and enhance course system construction. More than 80% of the students expressed the hope that the ADDIE model could continue to be used in the teaching of drama and film.

The Bridge Between Students and Professions: Drama in Education

The purpose of this essay is to explore how Drama in Education in China can help students to develop their profession. ‘Drama in Education (DiE) first originated in Britain in the 1960s’, and it is ‘a theatrical art form of a pedagogical nature’. DiE uses drama as means and methods to achieve the educational aims of imparting knowledge and developing skills. This form of education developed in China in the late 20th century. In order to adapt to Chinese situation, scholars have studied and adapted it and put it into practice in drama workshops and courses. Huizhu Sun developed a new form of performance studies in China, 1999, known as social performance studies. ‘It includes Drama in Education, and professional training’. The paper therefore tries to explore the role of DiE as a bridge: connecting students to professions and exploring their creativity and possibilities in terms of this part. I will base on a study of DiE at eduwings kindergarten in Haidian District, Beijing, and focus mainly on a six-person drama programme. Part One explores the reasons for and need for professional development in DiE. Part Two goes on to use the theoretical research of Huizhu Sun to support the argument, analyse the cases and methods shown in social performance studies and explain how it has been applied with a simplified approach in eduwings kindergarten. In the final part of the essay, I claim that there are still obstacles to the creation of the bridge and analyse it in terms of some social roles.

Music, drama, and social development in Portuguese children.

Social competence plays a fundamental role in children's development, and in their functioning at school and in life. Social skills, as learned behaviors that allow children to positively interact with others, are important for success in both academic and peer-group settings. Children's participation in collective music and other arts education has been associated with the development of social skills. However, different measures and diverse programs adopted in various studies make it difficult to contrast study findings. Additionally, research with children from low-income families remains scarce. The aim of this study was to examine the role of music and drama education programs in primary schools on the development of social skills of Portuguese children from disadvantaged communities. Both programs were carefully designed with performing, creating, and listening activities, and were delivered by specialist and experienced teachers/performers, who used active and participatory teaching strategies. In our longitudinal design with pre- and post-evaluations, we used the Social Skills Rating System or SSRS-Teacher Form, adapted for the Portuguese population. Classroom teachers rated their students' social skills on a 3-point scale in three domains: Social skills (Cooperation, Assertion, Self-control), Behavioral problems (Externalizing problems, Internalizing problems, Hyperactivity) and, on a 5-point scale, Academic competence. Our findings suggest that participation in music and drama programs during one school year improved children's assertion and self-control, and cooperation in the drama group. Participation in the music and drama programs also appeared to serve as a protective factor by reducing externalizing, internalizing and behavioral problems. These findings are discussed in light of previous studies along with limitations and directions for future research.

Drama in Education to Enhance Tone Pronunciation and Communication Skills Intonation in Online Chinese Language as Foreign Language Class

Drama in Education to Enhance Tone Pronunciation and Communication Skills Intonation in Online Chinese Language as Foreign Language Class

Thinking with the hands: LEGO® Serious Play® a game-based tool to empower young migrants integrating

In recent years, various low-threshold and often creative methods and tools have been developed, considering the specific requirements of vulnerable persons to explore their identities, experiences, knowledge, opinions and needs. The idea of LEGO® Serious Play® is based on play pedagogy. Playing allows to distance oneself from everyday life by sliding into a world of imaginations, ideas and utopias while concurrently keeping the ties to reality (Heimlich, 2015). LEGO® Serious Play® uses metaphors to enable participants to express playfully their thoughts and ideas. As the building process with Lego bricks is physical and haptic, LEGO® Serious Play® is a low-threshold method to work with vulnerable groups (Cavaliero, 2017). The following article will concentrate on the use of LEGO® Serious Play® as creative exploration method and its possibilities and limitations when used to empower young migrants in vulnerable conditions in the Germany and Luxembourg in the H2020 research project MIMY.

Edu-Larp as Revision of Subject-Matter Knowledge

The paper presents theoretical foundations of the author's approach to the design of edu-larps. It is deliberately steering away from cross-disciplinary teaching, artistic education or soft skills training in order to advocate larps tailored to single school subjects, focused on integration and consolidation of curricular knowledge. Putting larp in the context of applied drama, or Drama in Education, the text argues that well-designed edu-larp is likely to be accepted by the average teacher, not just by dedicated and trained drama educators. The concept of print-and-play “larp for dummies” downplays the importance of preparation, acting and immersion, while emphasising the game-like structure of goals and conflicts: gameplay set to work alongside role-play. Therefore, the ideas and tools borrowed from video games and board games design can be useful in the creation of edu-role plays, breeding a form which might be called 'gamified drama'. The recommended function for edu-larps is final revision of a large textbook unit, an idea discussed on the example of high-school history classes. The suggested model for classrom larp is a negotiation game between conflicted but cooperating factions, divided into three stages: a) preparation of all factions separately; b) informal meeting of all factions shortly before the official talks; c) official negotiation session which is supposed to bring forward all major (textbook-based!) issues for public debate. The paper ends with a section on troubleshooting, i.e. an overview of risk factors frequently pointed in the discussion of game-based learning, with ideas of how to eliminate or minimise the risks through careful design. Referenced sources come from the fields of edu-larp, edu-drama, game-based learning, and general educational theory.

"Methods of professionalization in the performing arts - the high school model"

"The present article aims to map the historical route of the theater- education tandem starting from the period of ancient Greece until the moment of the institutionalization of theater education at the university level and then at the high school level. We analyze the issue of the professionalization of the staff in performance institutions, at the level of high school studies, from the perspective of eloquent models. Therefore, we have identified the main stages in creating a curriculum for the study of drama arts in specialized high schools. The economic importance that the performing arts industry acquires in England and especially in the United States determines the development of a specialized schooling network at the high school level. England is developing a whole procedure and methodology for professional attestation in the performing arts industry, even offering overspecialization niches in musical theater. In the United States, high schools specializing in the study of the performing arts offer four-year programs of integrated study for individual majors in theater, musical theater, or dance. In France, at the high scool level, there are study programs dedicated to performing arts, especially theater, but they cannot be compared to the magnitude of the phenomenon in the English or American world. The study highlighted the existence in a developed and complex configuration of some forms of professionalization in the field of performing arts at the level of high school education. The existence of these high schools is legislated by educational policies that encourage the early professional orientation of students. Serious professional and authentic knowledge of the field determines a documented motivation for a future course in in-depth study at the university level or a possible professional reconversion. At the same time, the extent of the phenomenon of development of high schools dedicated to the professionalization of teenagers in the field of performing arts is directly influenced by the economic factor and the extent of the entertainment industry in that area. As a consequence, the analysis of the three models of institutionalisation of education in drama presents the way in which theater education was first institutionalized at the level of university curricula so that to be introduced later on into the high school education system."

Impact of play-based learning on the development of children in mobile early childhood care and education centres

Play-based learning is a pedagogical approach that emphasises the use of play in promoting multiple areas of children’s development and learning. Free and guided play are two types of play-based learning that guide early learning. The children acquire concepts, skills, and attitudes that lay the foundation for lifelong learning through play pedagogies. Exposing learners to a rich vocabulary through reading, story-telling, and social interaction is key in play-based learning. This research aimed to explore the impact of play-based learning on the development of children in mobile Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) centres. Social constructivism theory was used to understand the impact of play-passed learning on children’s development in ECE. Using convenience sampling, the research followed an interpretive qualitative case study, and eight (8) practitioners were selected to participate. Data sources included practitioners’ interviews and the centres’ observations. Using the thematic approach, the findings revealed that the practitioners in rural areas had an insufficient understanding of teaching using play pedagogies. This had a negative impact on standard provisions for play pedagogies suited for young children, where appropriate suggestions are offered to the practitioners on the planning, implementation, and support of play practices within early learning. Furthermore, there is a shift in the early learning curricula incorporating advanced academic skills, a beneficial tool to aid children’s learning and development.

What Do Basic Education Teachers Participating in Creative Drama Instructor/Leadership Program Think About Creative Drama Method?

The main purpose of this research is to reveal how basic education teachers who educate students who are the subjects of the educational system participating in the Private Creative Drama Instructor/Leadership program make sense of the creative drama method and their experiences with this process. Data were collected through interviews and participant diaries. The interviews were made face to face with the teachers in a private room and were recorded with a voice recorder. The collected data were analyzed by inductive content analysis. Participants emphasized the strengths of using creative drama as a method at the end of the course. As a result of the interview, teachers stated that drama education and applications contribute to skills such as language, decision-making and expression skills and have a positive effect on personal development. It can be said that the data obtained in the interview and the data obtained in the participant diaries are consistent and support each other. In addition, the harmony of the group and the members of the group getting to know each other is very important in drama practice, but it is recommended that teachers and researchers who will practice drama should make the place where the practice will be held convenient and appropriate.

TÜRKİYE'DE DRAMA EĞİTİMİ İLE İLGİLİ YAPILAN LİSANSÜSTÜ TEZLERİN (YÜKSEK LİSANS) İNCELENMESİ

The aim of this study is to examine the postgraduate theses (master's) published in the field of drama education in Turkey. The research was conducted inductively as a document review. 342 postgraduate theses (master's) published between 2010-2022 and made available to access at the Higher Education Council (YÖK) national thesis center were included in the scope of the study. The sample of the study was determined by the criterion sampling method, which is one of the purposive sampling strategies. In order to examine the theses reached, the "Thesis Review Form" was developed by the researchers for the purpose of the study, including university, year, gender, study group, method and data collection tool. The data were analyzed in terms of frequency (f) values according to the categories in the graduate thesis review form prepared in Microsoft Excel. The findings obtained from the theses, full texts of which were reached, were compared in terms of similar and different results, and a common conclusion was revealed. As a result of the analysis, the findings were presented in tables in order to provide better understanding. The results obtained from the research are as follows: Gazi University (15.5%) ranks first among 70 universities that have published postgraduate theses (master's) in the field of drama education. The most postgraduate theses (master's) on drama education was written in 2019 (27.5%). Female researchers (74.6%) worked more in this field than male researchers. Quantitative research method (44.4%) is the most preferred research method in postgraduate theses (master's). Those who wrote thesis in the field of drama education preferred secondary school students (33.3%) more as the research group. Scale (26.9%) and achievement test (28%) are the most used data collection tools in research.

Developing of Drama Teaching Materials with Benime Assisted for High School Students

This research and development is to find out the product development process and feasibility, as well as to find out the effectiveness of the drama material development product using the Benime application for class XI students at SMA Negeri 1 Hamparan Perak. The process of developing drama material uses the Benime application in the form of audiovisual teaching materials using the stages of the R&D method by Borg and Gall with 8 research stages covering 1) potential and problems, 2) data collection, 3) product design, 4) design validation, 5) design revision, 6) small-scale trials, 7) product revisions, and 8) mass production. From the validation results obtained a score calculation from material experts of 82% very good "and media experts of 97% "very good". The results of the validation assessment of product feasibility have very good quality to use. one group pretest-posttest design 20 multiple-choice test questions. Data analysis used the Normalized Gain Test. The results showed that the total pretest score of all students was 1760 and the total posttest score of all students was 2485. The results were processed using the formula N-Gain and achieved a value of 0.58 with the interpretation of "Medium" this result there is a significant increase in student achievement by using Benime-based teaching materials in class XI students.

How similar is Hong Kong’s play-based learning pedagogy to Fröbel’s Spielpädagogik?

ABSTRACT Curriculum reforms in Hong Kong have put more emphasis on play pedagogy juxtaposed with teacher-directed academic learning. Against this background, this study investigated the nature of the play-based learning approach by reviewing Fröbel’s play pedagogy (Spielpädagogik) and comparing it with the policies and practices of the play-based curriculum in Hong Kong. Data collection consisted of observations, interviews, and analyses of curriculum documents. Based on Fröbel’s educational philosophy on Spielpädagogik, policy documents and the results of empirical studies were analyzed and critically compared. The findings showed that Hong Kong’s play-based learning curriculum had some elements in common with Fröbel’s Spielpädagogik; however, the child-initiative (Selbstbestimmung) aspect emphasized in Fröbel’s Spielpädagogik was not commonly observed in Hong Kong’s classrooms because of time constraints and other sociocultural factors. There were also similarities between Fröbel's “play care” (Spielpflege) and teachers’ roles in children’s play advocated by Hong Kong’s curriculum policies. Yet, comparatively, Fröbel’s play care gave clearer directions on teachers’ roles, particularly on how to use language to guide children’s play. The research findings provide clearer insights into how the play-based approach in Hong Kong should move forward, and suggestions for which direction other places advocate play-based approach should take.