The clinical diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder (APA, 2013) include difficulties with social communication and social cognition. Decades of autism research have been devoted to developing and implementing social skills training programs, some of which include drama as an instructional strategy. This dissertation project set out to contribute to that body of research, creating and testing a social skills program that used drama based on fictional stories to provide examples of social behaviour choices. The critical analysis of the research findings, using ethnographic methodology and the dual lenses of weak central coherence theory (Frith, 2003) and context-blindness theory (Vermeulen, 2012), extends the clinical, medical model of autism to create a por[trait of authentic, forthright individuals who are concerned with issues of social justice, who learn by making analogies to build context, whose conversation is associative and collaborative, and who stepped into the fictional worlds of the story-dramas and into the minds of the characters with empathy and commitment. The Story Wheel curriculum is built on Northrop Frye’s archetypal literary theory (Anatomy of Criticism, 1957) using the dramatic conventions approach of applied drama (Neelands & Goode, Structuring Drama Work, 2015) as a pedagogical strategy. Each of the four archetypes – romance, tragedy, irony, and comedy – are represented by three workshops based on Western literature, chosen to align with the culture and knowledge base of the participants, for a total of twelve drama workshops in the research project. This dissertation includes the curriculum outline, the literary choices, and recommendations for drama practitioners to create a successful and inclusive experience for their autistic participants. / Graduate

My graduation theses are comparing the drama education at basic and art schools in different towns and regions. The first part is dealing with different approaches to drama education from the aspect of different authors. The second part is about comparing drama education at basic schools and art schools. A questioner that reveals different approaches at different schools for both children and teachers and is added.

The diploma thesis deals with the application of Japanese fairy tales in drama education lessons at Primary school. The goal of the thesis is to consider the suitability of Japanese fairy tales in the drama education lessons. The thesis is devided into the theoretical and practical part. The first chapter of the theoretical part I deal with a brief theory of fairytales. The second chapter is about Japanese fairy tales. The classification of Japanese fairy tales is described and there are also some examples. The third chapter is about fairy tales in the drama education. The practical part serves to verify the goals of the diploma thesis. Four Japanese fairy tales, in which drama education methods and techniques were used, are processed and reflected. All the lessons were realised at Primary school.

This arts-based research study is an examination of the influence of drama education on the development of high school students. Five recent graduates were interviewed (including the researcher) about their high school drama experiences. All participants had been selected for this study because they have been impacted as a result of their time in/with drama. Culminating in a script, the research takes the form of an arts-based playwriting inquiry, shaped by A/r/tography and rhizomatic influences, making use of Barone and Eisner’s five phase creative process. Adhering to an Aristotelean story arc outlined by Martini, metaphor in the four-scene play is used to explore and subsequently communicate concepts. In so doing, the researcher offers an expanded audience a renewed perspective on the impact that drama education has on the development of high school learners and invites viewers to consider drama’s impact on adolescent learners. Four main concepts were examined in the analysis: initiation, transition, habits of mind and, interdependency and it was found that these are central to all participants’ development. It was also found that learning contained within these four concepts, as experienced through drama education, has the potential to impact and equip students for life beyond high school. The process based, holistic learning central to drama education allowed participants to recognize and succinctly denote areas in their lives that were, and continue to be impacted by the dramatic experiences they took part in. / May 2017

The integration of drama education in the primary education is one of the frequently discussed topics in the contemporary education. This diploma thesis deals mainly with the use of drama as a supplementary teaching method for the work with literary texts. The main aim is to compare the efficiency of literary education that uses standard educatory methods with the education that uses methods and techniques of drama education. The theoretical part deals especially with the terms personality of a child of lower school age, literacy and drama education. The practical part emphasizes the strong impact that own experience have on children readers and therefore underlines the efficiency and applicability of drama methods and techniques not only in the literary education, but in other subjects as well. It also contains the used methodic and results of the research based on questionnaires which were used for recording and tracking of the memorized information.The focus group for the research consists of pupils of lower school age.

My thesis is focused on prevention of bullying using dramatic-educational methods. The theoretical part is the base for the practical part. It allows a deeper insight into this topic. Thanks to the practical part, we can deeper understand the essence of the concept of bullying. Moreover, revealing the main features and forms will can better reveal it in the future. It shows who creates it, who is the actor of bullying. Also who leads it for what reasons and causes. It also deals with the consequences of bullying. Further, the theoretical part deals with diagnostics and prevention of bullying. We should not forget to name the chapter which brings us closer to the "environment" of dramatic education because it forms a base for the practical part. Another basis of the work is the creation of the project which is aimed at implementation of structured drama that is focused on prevention of bullying using methods of dramatic education. Another part of the practical part is a questionnaire which represents teacher's points of view on used methods of dramatic education as an effective prevention of bullying. In the end, we can find out which pitfalls as well as advantages brought this project I have made and how did it went. KEYWORDS bullying, prevention, drama education, methods of drama education,...

The thesis is divided into several chapters. Through the first to third chapter, it is possible to get acquainted with the concepts of drama education, methods of drama education, theater and core competencies. There is also a comparison of the desired outcomes of core competencies and objectives of drama education. The fourth chapter consists original research that relates to the specified research problem, namely contribution of selected methods of drama education for the development of core competencies of children.

The diploma thesis on the topic "Application of dramatics education to project based education" is dedicated to various strategies towards interconnection of dramatics education and project based education, which are assessed in scope of benefits of these strategies for pupils. The methods are shown on three practical examples. The theoretical part of the diploma thesis deals with the term dramatics education; it defines its principles and goals and classifies the methods it uses. Furthermore it describes possibilities of the methods and their use in individual education fields and in cross-sectional topics of the Framework Education Program for the First Section of Elementary Education. Then the diploma thesis discusses basic characteristics of project education and defines different possibilities how to interconnect dramatics education and project education. The practical part is based on the principles of teachers' action research. It comes with a comprehensive description of three projects which were integrated into a low-class schools' education. Various methods of dramatics education were included in all different ways. The results of the research are summarized in the reflection of realized projects and they are further analysed and evaluated with respect to the beneficial aspects for pupils...

This research investigates drama teaching practice in New Zealand primary and secondary schools, through a case-based qualitative inquiry into the practice of six experienced drama teachers. The study reveals that whilst drama education is couched within the Arts learning area of the national curriculum, the educational philosophy enacted by participants encompasses a broad vision for drama education, which extends learning beyond a technical knowledge of theatre and theatre-making towards the domains of social and personal meaning-making and emancipatory knowledge. Explored through the lenses of Artist and Co-artist, the study identifies the socio-cultural nature of the practice of these teachers. Teachers’ artistry is revealed through creative use of drama tools and processes to create aesthetically-rich learning experiences. The significance of relational pedagogy to teaching and learning in these drama classrooms is also examined within the study. Teachers’ accounts reveal the ways they seek to develop interpersonal relationships with and between students, and establish ensemble-based approaches to learning in drama. As co-artists, participants employ pedagogies that empower students to actively participate in a community of drama practice, intentionally developing students’ capacities for collaboration, creativity and critical thinking, while discovering and developing their artistic-aesthetic capabilities. These teachers share power with students through acts of negotiation, creating dialogic learning opportunities in order to develop student agency as artists and citizens. Attempts to navigate tensions that arise due to increased performativity pressures on teachers and to avoid prescriptive and technocratic delivery of drama curriculum are also explored. In-depth interviews were conducted with participants to discover the complexities of their teaching practice, the philosophy of drama education they hold, and the decisions they make in curriculum content and pedagogy. Observations of classroom practice were also undertaken, along with an analysis of planning documents and an interview with their students. The study provides six rich case studies of drama practice in New Zealand schools, contributing to local and international understandings of enacted drama education within school settings. Implications for educational policy, curriculum design, classroom practice and teacher education arise from this investigation.

The thesis is divided into two blocks - the theoretical part and the empirical part. The first chapter of the theoretical part deals with pre-school education in general, with the educational mission of kindergartens in compliance with the FEP PSE, with pre- school age specifics, with a kindergarten teacher and his/her professional competences. The second and the third chapters deal with drama education in a kindergarten and with competences of pre-school teachers in drama teaching. In the empirical part I explore the approach to drama education in pre-school education in Jindřichův Hradec and preparedness of local teachers in the field of competences in drama teaching. The research has shown that most teachers consider drama education one of the most important elements of pre-school education. They have social and personality competences, among which they include empathy, understanding, tolerance, patience and ability to develop positive relations among children. However hardly anyone is concerned with theory.