Bibliography: leaves 192-196. / This study analyses Role Play teaching techniques employed in Educational Drama and examines the possibility that the current practice of Role Play may actually obstruct the personal and collective empowerment of students, thereby limiting the educative potential of drama.

This study explores ways educational drama could function in the Ghanaian classroom, where a rigid teacher-centred approach is the norm and drama does not feature in the curriculum in any significant way. The research was practice-based and conducted through action research methodology. Through the execution of two major drama projects in Ghana, the author sought to determine ways in which educational drama could be introduced into the Ghanaian classroom to the benefit of the participating children and their teachers. The thesis identifies unique ways through which drama pedagogy can be introduced successfully in seemingly non-viable contexts. It provides critical reflections on teacher training requirements and how various drama games and strategies were used by participants. It also analyses the responses of participants who are accustomed to teacher-centred learning and rigid pedagogic methods. The study showed that, notwithstanding unfavourable classroom conditions for full drama lessons, if given appropriate training, teachers could use selected drama games and strategies to enhance teaching and learning. This will be of relevance to teachers in countries in which drama does not appear as a separate curriculum subject, as well as illustrating to others the strategies needed to allow non-drama specialists to include drama in their teaching approaches.

The thesis explores issues in the writing development of primary school children where drama was used as a teaching and learning pedagogy. It is based on a case study carried out in 2005-2006 in a Greek primary school Y4 class in Cyprus where the author was teaching and investigates the nature and relationship of the two processes when used together. The project involved twenty drama sessions (over six months), each followed by a writing task that stemmed from the contents and children’s participation in drama. The overall aim was to describe ‘what happens when drama is integrated in a writing classroom’. Informed by the Vygotskian theory of learning, it sought to investigate the impact of using drama on children’s: (a) attitudes and views towards writing, (b). engagement with writing tasks and (c) quality of writing. A qualitative case study methodology and multi-method approach to the design of the study were adopted on the basis of what can best investigate the issues raised by the research questions. Questionnaires, interviews, observations, writing samples, video recordings and researcher’s log were used to collect data throughout the year, before (Sept-Dec) and after (Jan-Jun) drama integration in writing lessons. The collected data were analysed by quantitative and qualitative methods. Findings indicated positive changes in children’s attitudes and views towards writing following the introduction of drama and progressively positive improvements in most children’s engagement in writing. Additionally, analysis of writing samples provided indications of positive contribution of drama towards children’s writing and insights into the interaction between drama and writing content. On a theoretical level, this thesis suggests that the concept of mediation is central in interpreting the interactive relationship between drama and writing. It also indicates the impact of drama as a sociocultural setting on children’s agency in their development as writers and raises questions for further research.

This work is a study about what the students in class 5D and their two teachers experience during eleven lessons in history when creative methods, especially drama is used. The purpose of the investigation is to find out how these 30 students and their two teachers experienced the educational process, and to relate their experiences to theories of creativity and to creative methods in education, to theories about drama in education, and also to relate these experiences to the aims described for history in LPO 94. It is also discussed whether this educational method is especially suitable when insight and empathy are asked for. Since this investigation deals with qualities, values and experiences the research method is qualitative. One of the two teachers has both participated in the teaching process and in the research process as a researcher. The investigation and the result are based on diaries that the students wrote during this period, video observations of these eleven lessons and the two teacher’s diaries. The result of the investigations is that both the students and the teachers experienced what was claimed in theory for creativity and creative methods. They also achieved what LPO 94 points out as an aim for the studies of history. The teachers and the students experienced that this method has both intellectual and emotional qualities, and that drama in education gives a possibility to achieve self-awareness, to explore attitudes and values, to gain insight, empathy and understanding.

Thesis (MDram)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Research has shown that children are not reading books for their enjoyment anymore. Also, children living in unfavourable socio-economic circumstances are raised without any book culture. The absence of a love for reading and low levels of literacy cause children to have problems to read in order to learn. In this small-scale empirical research project with an experimental group of eighteen Grade 3 learners from a poor socio-economic community and school in the Northern Cape, the researcher sought to determine whether drama could be used as a pedagogic aid to increase the learners' joy in reading. Thus different drama methodologies were utilised over a period of three years (from Grade 3 to Grade 5), primarily to inspire learners to enjoy books and reading. The research results have shown that in the experimental group reading levels gradually improved, library membership increased, most members of the group began to read on their own and a change to a positive self-image was reported. The control group in the same school also showed an improvement in their reading levels, but not to the same extent as was noted in the experimental group. It was apparent that the dramatisation of stories as a methodology had had a significant positive impact of the lives of the experimental group. Although this was a pilot study, there is a strong indication that the results can be utilised for further research. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Navorsing het bewys dat leerders leesweerstandig geword het. Leerders uit veral ongunstige ekonomiese omstandighede word boonop nie met boeke omring wat 'n gesonde leeskultuur kan aanwakker nie. Hierdie swak leeskultuur, tesame met lae geletterdheidsvlakke, veroorsaak dat kinders probleme ervaar met lees om te leer. In hierdie kleinskaalse empiriese studie met 'n steekproef van 'n eksperimentele groep van agtien graad 3-leerders uit 'n lae sosio-ekonomiese gemeenskap in die Noord-Kaap, het die navorser drama as 'n pedagogiese hulpmiddel gebruik om vas te stel of dit kon bydra om die leerders te motiveer om leeslief te raak. Dramatisering met behulp van verskeie tegnieke en metodes is benut om die kinders te motiveer om lees te geniet en self te lees. Die resultate van hierdie empiriese studie oor 'n tydperk van drie jaar (van graad 3 tot graad 5) het getoon dat daar 'n verbetering in die meeste leerders se leesvlakke was, biblioteeklidmaatskap het toegeneem, selflees is by die meeste bewerkstellig en die selfbeeld van die kinders is in sommige gevalle verbeter. Hierdie resultate is vergelyk met 'n kontrolegroep in dieselfde skool, wie se leesvlakke wel ook oor die tydperk verbeter het, maar nie in dieselfde mate as die eksperimentele groep nie. Dit was duidelik dat die spesifieke metodes met betrekking tot voorlesing en gedramatiseerde spel van stories vir die eksperimentele groep 'n verskil gemaak het. Alhoewel hierdie slegs 'n loodsstudie was, is daar sterk aanduiding dat die resultate vir verdere navorsing gebruik kan word.

According to the curriculum for primary schools, pre-school and after-school Lgr11 says that students should experience different feelings and moods using different forms of expression including drama (Lgr11 2011:10). The purpose of this study was to examine how educational drama is used in three elementary schools and for what purpose in teaching. The aim was also to examine the four teachers' perceptions of what educational drama means to them.I have used a qualitative approach with interviews and contacted four teachers from three different schools to get different information for my study. Three of them were educated teachers and one of them was an actor.  The information provided in the interviews was analyzed using educational drama theory and previous research. The interviews with the teachers and the actor showed the use of different methods of educational drama in education. It turned out that the teachers even if they have different views on educational drama significance they are using the same methods which are contained in the work of educational drama. The most dominant purpose of using educational drama proved to be the personality development perspective and the students´ learning development. The purpose of this perspective is that the students through various role plays to develop awareness, self-reflection and learning to work in groups. Through my study I found out that the educators are using educational drama in the teaching: To produce a theater performance and play it in front of an audience In order to resolve conflicts in the teaching and As a tool in the order instruction to teach something to the students.  My conclusion is that educational drama is used in education for personal development and as a tool in the regular curriculum.

This study investigates what value educational drama is given in the current national curricula for the compulsory school in Sweden, Lgr 11 and how that relates to a similar study of the four previous curricula. The background to the study presents Mia Marie F. Sternudds disseratiton Dramapedagogik som demokratisk fostran? and uses the four perspectives on educational drama and the analysis of four earlier national curricula, Lgr 62, Lgr 69, Lgr 80 and Lpo 94. The four perspectives are presented along with other definitions of educational drama in Sweden to form the base of analysis in this study; the drama-imperative. The background also presents different epistemological views as a way to show how educational drama relates to a more progressive view on knowledge than traditional education in school. Ivan Illich’s Deschooling Society serves as a counter-weight to traditional education in the background. The results show that all four perspectives of educational drama can be found in Lgr 11, but in varying strength, the discussion suggests that it means that Lgr 11 is open for educational drama but does not explicitly suggest so. This also relates to Sternudds findings which show a movement towards a more progressive epistemological view in the curricula but without necessarily relating this to educational drama. / Studien undersöker vilket värde dramapedagogik ges i den nuvarande läroplanen för grundskolan, Lgr 11 och hur det relaterar till en liknande studie av de fyra tidigare läroplanerina. Bakgrunden presenterar Mia Marie F. Sternudds avhandling Dramapedagogik som demokratisk fostran? och använder de fyra dramapedagogiska perspektiven på dramapedagogik samt analysen av de tidigare läroplanerna; Lgr 62, Lgr 69, Lgr 80 och Lpo 94. De fyra perspektiven tillsammans med andra svenska dramapedagogik-definitioner formar tillsammans analysmetoden för studien: Drama-imperativ. Bakgrunden presenterar också olika epistemologiska skolor för att placera in dramapedagogik i en mer progressiv kunskapstradition i relation till en mer traditionell kunskapssyn. Ivan Illichs Deschooling Society Deschooling Society bildar i studien motviktspunkt till den traditionell utbildning. Resultaten visar att alla fyra dramapedagogiska perspektiv går att finna i Lgr 11 men i varierande styrka. Diskussionen argumenterar för att Lgr 11 är öppet för dramapedagogik men utan att explicit skriva fram just dramapedagogiken. Resultatet relaterar till Sternudds resultat och visar på en utveckling mot en mer progressiv kunskapssyn i läroplanen som dock inte nödvändigtvis är relaterad till dramapedagogik.

This dissertation gives a back-ground presenting what Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and pedagogical drama is, and it presents research on drama-use in ESD. The aim of the study is to explore drama as a tool in adult learning for sustainable development, in a Western context. The assumption is made that drama does have a potential as a tool in learning for sustainable development, and the question of how is raised. The study has a qualitative approach and by interviewing five drama teachers it explores possibilities and difficulties with using drama in ESD and what makes drama useful in ESD. Phenomenography has been used as the method to analyse the phenomenon Drama teachers’ perceptions of drama in adult learning for sustainable development. The result shows both possibilities and difficulties with using drama in ESD and four categories of description are presented: Conditions for Drama, where sufficent time, skills of the leader, ethical awareness and voluntary participation are described as prerequisites for drama. The category Meet is about creating a group climate that is the basis of all drama work. The category Learn is about acquiring knowledge, becoming motivated and equipped to act for sustainable development. Drama is helpful here as it is action-oriented, fun and evokes emotions that can lead on to reflection and motivation.  Create is the last category, where focus is on a deeper understanding of yourself as an actor in a larger context. Drama is described as a tool to become a co-creator of something new and focus is on a larger societal change, rather than individual behavioural change for sustainable development. Transformative learning is presented as a theoretical framework and the results show that the learning discribed in the category Create can be seen as transformative. / Uppsatsens bakgrund ger en sammanfattning av vad lärande för hållbar utveckling (LHU) respektive dramapedagogik är, samt exempel på studier kring dramaanvändning i LHU. Studiens syfte är att undersöka drama som verktyg i vuxnas lärandeprocesser kring hållbar utveckling i en västerländsk kontext. I studien görs antagandet att drama är ett användbart verktyg för detta och ställer forskningsfrågorna: Vad gör dramapedagogik användbart som verktyg i vuxnas lärande för hållbar utveckling? samt Vilka möjligheter och svårigheter finns det med att använda drama som del vuxnas i lärande för hållbar utveckling? Studien har en kvalitativ ansats och undersöker genom intervjuer med fem dramapedagoger vilka möjligheter och svårigheter det finns med drama som verktyg i LHU samt vad som gör drama användbart i LHU. Analysmetoden fenomenografi används för att undersöka fenomenet Dramapedagogers uppfattningar om drama som verktyg i vuxnas lärande för hållbar utveckling. Resultatet, som visar på både möjligheter och svårigheter med drama i LHU, presenteras i studiens utfallsrum med fyra beskrivningkategorier: Förutsättningar för drama, där tillräckligt med tid, kompetens hos ledaren, etisk medvetenhet och frivillighet för deltagarna beskrivs som förutsättningar för drama. Beskrivningskategorin Mötas handlar om att skapa det goda gruppklimat som är centralt i allt dramaarbete. I kategorin Lära sätts lärandet i centrum, här handlar det om att inhämta kunskap och bli motiverad och rustad att agera för hållbar utveckling. Skapa är den sista kategorin där kunskapen tas vidare till en djupare förståelse av sig själv som aktör i ett större sammanhang och förmågan att bli skapande utifrån detta. Transformativt lärande presenteras som en teoretisk ram och resultatet visar att i kategorin Skapa sker ett transformativt lärande.

This essay is built upon the subject of drama. Its purpose was to examine if drama was a good and important educational method to/for children, and if drama is enhancing childrens self-esteem and self-confidence. By reviewing the results from literature and interviews, my intention was to compare the results, in order to find out what the views of the literature and respondents on drama was. I used qualitative interviewing, to find out what the teachers had to say about drama, and I used literature that was relevant to the purpose of the essay. I took a deeper look at the meaning of educational drama and pedagogical drama was, and also the meaning of self-esteem and self-confidence, in order to connect it with the results from the literature and the interviews.   After studying the literature and the interviews, I could see coherence, and therefore compile a result.  Both literature and the interviewed teachers considers drama to be a good and important method within the educational school and that drama positively has got a strengthening effect on childrens self-esteem and self-confidence. However, it was also clear, that in order to use drama as a method to enhance and strengthen childrens self-esteem and self-confidence, one would need to use the method for a long period of time. / Uppsatsen är uppbyggd på ämnet drama. Syftet med denna uppsats var att jag ville undersöka om drama är en bra och viktig undervisningsmetod för barn, samt om drama har en stärkande effekt på deras självkänsla och självförtroende.  Med hjälp av resultat från en litteraturgenomgång och en intervjustudie var min tanke att kunna jämföra dessa, för att sedan se vad respondenterna och litteraturen anser om drama.  Jag använde mig av en kvalitativ intervju, för att få reda på hur pedagoger såg på ämnet drama. Litteratur valde jag utifrån det som var relevant till mitt syfte. Jag gick även djupare in på vad pedagogiskt drama var, vad just begreppen självkänsla och självförtroende betyder och vad läroplanerna säger om drama, för att jag sedan skulle kunna koppla ihop dessa med litteraturen och intervjuerna. Efter att ha läst igenom och jämfört vad litteraturen och intervjuerna sagt, kunde jag se en likhet mellan dem.   Det visade sig att litteraturgenomgången och intervjustudien gav för handen att drama är en bra och viktig metod i skolans undervisning och något som används ofta ute i våra skolor. Att drama har en stärkande effekt på barns självkänsla och självförtroende var något som de anser sig tro på. Dock menade de även att en förutsättning för att använda drama som metod för att utveckla barns självkänsla och självförtroende, är att man arbetar med det under en längre tid.

Mitt intresse för hur pedagogiskt drama används i förskolan för att främja barns utveckling och lärande har avgjort studiens innehåll. Mitt syfte med studien är att undersöka hur pedagoger använder pedagogiskt drama i förskolan som ett meningsfullt verktyg. Jag vill också veta hur pedagogiskt drama kan främja barns utveckling och lärande samt empatiska förmågor och undersöka hur pedagoger i förskolan kan använda pedagogiskt drama som ett lustfullt lärande. Jag har utgått från ett sociokulturellt perspektiv med fokus på när lärandet sker i ett samspel.Min studie grundar sig på kvalitativa intervjuer med tre verksamma förskollärare som arbetar på samma avdelning. De tre intervjuande pedagogerna är alla överens om att pedagogiskt drama är ett lustfyllt lärande både för barn och pedagoger. Det bidrar till ett gemensamt lärande där glädjen är i fokus. Studien visade att pedagogiskt drama är ett bra verktyg att använda för att främja barns utveckling och lärande samt empatiska förmågor. Min studie visar att pedagogiskt drama bidrar till ett socialt samspel och ett gemensamt lärande för deltagarna. / My interest in how educational drama is used in preschool to promote children's development and learning has brought the study content. My purpose with this study is to examine how teachers use educational drama in preschool as a meaningful tool. I also want to know how educational drama can promote children's development and learning and empathic abilities and to examine how teachers in preschool can use educational drama as a pleasurable learning.   My study is based on qualitative interviews with three active preschool teachers who work in the same department. The three interviewed teachers all agree that educational drama is an enjoyable learning for children and educators. It contributes to a shared learning where the joy is in focus. The study showed that educational drama is a good tool to promote children's development and learning and empathic abilities.   I started from a sociocultural perspective with focus on when learning occurs in interaction. My study shows that educational drama contributes to social interaction and joint learning for the participants.