The diploma thesis deals with the educational influence of the subject of creative drama on psychosocial development of pupils with special learning difficulties (SLD) on 1st grade of Waldorf school. The work is focused mainly on the development of communication skills, respecting the boundaries, instructions and cooperation in the classroom using methods and techniques of drama education with pupils with SLD in 2nd half of 2nd grade and 1st half of 3rd class. The theoretical part defines the four basic parts of this diploma thesis psychosocial development of children of younger school age, special learning difficulties (SLD), accompanying phenomena and their influence on the psychosocial development of the child, characteristics of Waldorf school, methods and techniques of drama education. The practical part deals with the development of communication, cooperation, observance of rules, understanding of the topic and the ability of its interpretation of individuals and the whole group in the lessons of creative drama. In the lessons, we experienced key themes of the Waldorf School. The whole process is recorded and evaluated using record sheets from each lesson.

This master's thesis is to verify the use of methods and techniques of dramatic education in primary subject in the 2nd and 3rd year of elementary school and to find out the possibilities that the dramatic education brings. The thesis is divided into the theoretical and practical part. The theoretical part deals with topics related to the methods and techniques of drama education. In the practical part are described and compared classics hours of primary subject and hours primary subject with using elements of dramatic education. The methods of research are non-direct observation and questionnaire investigations.

This thesis focuses on the issue of using the RWCT programme as well as components of Drama in Education in Czech language and literature classes in primary schools, especially when working with artistic texts. The theoretical part depicts the new concept of education, key competencies, goals in primary education and the importance of reading literacy. It presents information about the programmes of Reading and Writing for Critical Thinking (RWCT) and Drama in Education along with their goals, contents and methods and working with artistic texts. It also defines their identical and different components. The practical part examines how to work with one text in different ways and observes how individual goals in school classes change when using different methods of RWCT and Drama in Education. It provides specific suggestions for school classes when working with texts, their processing and evaluating with regard to the methods and education goals used. Key words: General education programme for primary education, key competencies, Czech language and literature, reading literacy, RWCT, Drama in Education, working with text

Utilizing drama has long been an innovative and dynamic concept as a part of a communicative approach in English classrooms around the world. Teaching languages through drama offers many beneficial opportunities for learners. Nevertheless, traditional methods are still the widely held teaching structures across the globe, which results in an increase in the number of demotivated learners who often hate and fear to practice one of the challenging skills when learning a foreign language- speaking- as it is a productive language skill. Not only do the traditional methods bring negative emotional and psychological outcomes, but it also causes a gradual slowdown in the language acquisition process. The aim of this study was to exclude these problems and to provide a learner–centered atmosphere. This study is intended to gain insights, analyze and better understand the use of script-based and improvisational drama to develop oral proficiency by taking student motivation and attitudes into consideration. The study addressed the following questions: 1) What are learners’ motivations and attitudes toward developing speaking skills before the intervention and after the intervention?; 2) What unique roles do the script-based versus improvisational drama play in fostering learners’ development of oral proficiency?; 3) What are the participants’ reactions to script-based and improvisational drama instructional techniques before and after the intervention?; and 4) How do they make sense of their oral proficiency gains as they reflect on the experience of participating in the creative dramatic activity? In order to investigate these questions, 2 sessions of script-based and 2 sessions of improvisational drama, total of 4 sessions of drama intervention were offered to learners, and the researcher conducted interviews, video recordings, and field observations and notes throughout the intervention. Findings indicated that script-based and improvisational drama helped learners improve their oral proficiency, decrease their negative motivations, reduce their stress, anxiety and shyness levels, and increase their positive motivations. This study contributes to our understanding of the role of script-based and improvisational drama in language learning process.

Teachers have an undeniable influence on youth, on whose shoulders tomorrow rests. It is vital for teachers to be conscious of their role in both the local and global community in order to facilitate occasions for students to develop a sense of global consciousness. By imparting to students the desire to learn and to explore their interactions with things, people and experiences, and actively pursue knowledge, they develop critical literacy skills required to both acquire understanding and be(come) understood. Through this research study, the implications of applying David Diamond’s community drama work called Theatre for Living, as an effective and critical literacy practice to enhance social conciousness within a middle school, is assesssed. The program was implemented in a split grade 7/8 and grade 8 classroom in southwestern Ontario. The study exemplifies for educators a practical yet significant step for initializing and developing a broad sense of awareness in students; that is the sense of global consciousness.

University of Macau / Faculty of Education

Teachers have an undeniable influence on youth, on whose shoulders tomorrow rests. It is vital for teachers to be conscious of their role in both the local and global community in order to facilitate occasions for students to develop a sense of global consciousness. By imparting to students the desire to learn and to explore their interactions with things, people and experiences, and actively pursue knowledge, they develop critical literacy skills required to both acquire understanding and be(come) understood. Through this research study, the implications of applying David Diamond’s community drama work called Theatre for Living, as an effective and critical literacy practice to enhance social conciousness within a middle school, is assesssed. The program was implemented in a split grade 7/8 and grade 8 classroom in southwestern Ontario. The study exemplifies for educators a practical yet significant step for initializing and developing a broad sense of awareness in students; that is the sense of global consciousness.

Syftet med detta examensarbete var att undersöka användandet av drama som pedagogiskt verktyg i gymnasieskolans undervisning och elevers attityder till det. För att ta reda på detta användes en enkätundersökning bestående av kvalitativa och kvantitativa frågor på en gymnasieskola i Mellansverige. Resultatet från undersökningen visar att drama som pedagogiskt verktyg upplevs ha flera olika effekter för eleverna, både pedagogiskt som individuellt. Slutsatsen är således att drama inte bara är ett verktyg förbehållet läraren för att skapa en lustfylld undervisning utan drama är också ett betydelsefullt redskap som elever kan använda för sin sociala och emotionella utveckling.

Women experience abuse from their partners. Adolescent relationship abuse is the main focus of this study. The research intends to create awareness about the abuse of women, research adolescent attitudes and beliefs, challenge cultural norms that oppress women, convey assertive communication as a way out of an abusive situation. Educational theatre, aimed at the mental empowerment of the target audience, should offer a self-discovery to the audience,· and therefore, lead to a change of belief and attitude. The target audience should gain experience from a fictional situation and be prepared for a possible real life situation. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2001.

This study explores the interconnectedness of drama, spirituality and healing among an established group of black gay males in the Pietermaritzburg area who agreed to work with me towards self-empowerment through drama. It examines, through a synthesis of educational drama methodology, community theatre methodology and drama therapy methodology, an appropriate and contextual way to use drama as a means of educating (educational drama methodology), conscientising (community theatre methodology) and therapy (drama therapy methodology) to some of the dis-ease reported by members of this group. Drama and therapy are closely interwoven (Moreno, 1970) and it is possible to create a dramatic context within which both individual and community development can be enhanced. Boal (1995) observes that our personal and corporate identities are ordered by a variety of oppressive social systems. Similarly, Graham (1992) argues that these social systems organise our psyches and our behaviours into patterns of domination and subordination. There are many theorists and practitioners in the field of drama (educational drama, community theatre and drama therapy) who have researched, implemented and published dramatic techniques and methodologies, some of which are taught at various institutions and implemented with various groups of people. However, according to my knowledge, there are no drama practitioners who have focussed on using the medium of drama to bring about social change in the lives of black gay males in the Pietermaritzburg area. It is against this background that I undertook this experiential study which is primarily aimed at assisting black gay males to move away from personal and social alienation towards individual and communal integration. This study is structured into two parts. Part I develops a theoretical overview of sexuality, spirituality and drama. It argues, in Chapter One that the Church has had a history of intolerance and judgement towards gays and continues to repress them from a traditional, negative stance on homosexuality. In Chapter Two, the issue of femininity and masculinity is examined, arguing that traditional patriarchal, and heterosexual masculinity [and femininity] is a socially constructed behaviour which is similar to the way in which gay masculinity [and femininity] is constructed. Chapter Three investigates the educational, conscientising and therapeutic origins of drama, with an aim of implementing some of these dramatic methodologies with the drama group. Part II concentrates on the application of the theory discussed in Part I to the practice of drama as an educational, conscientising and therapeutic means with a black gay drama group. It provides an analysis of the exercises and improvisations in practice; observations, evaluations and conclusions based on the drama practise with this particular group. Chapter Four provides a detailed summary of thirty black gay male's profiles in the Pietermaritzburg area. This portrait of black gay males provides one with a clearer contextual understanding of these gays, especially in the areas of culture, spirituality, identity and sexuality. Chapter Five provides a detailed outline of a sequence of exercises and improvisations for each of the nine sessions, which were tailored to engage the drama group in productive educational, conscientising and therapeutic activities. These activities may also have applicability to other groups of gays (i.e. Indians, Coloureds, Whites and multi-racial / multi-cultural groups), and/or black, and/or male persons in other localities. Chapters Five, Six and Seven, focus respectively on my experiences of planning, implementing and evaluating the drama workshops and the various drama methodologies that were introduced in Chapter Three and employed by the participants. These chapters, especially Chapter 6, focus specifically on the participants' evaluation of the actual workshops. In conclusion, this study argues that drama, if contextrialised, can offer a unique educational, conscientising and therapeutic potential among black gay males that I worked with in the Pietermaritzburg area. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2000.