Research Methodologies for Drama Education


Book Description

Drama education has been lacking a research methodology. This much needed text provides models constructed by leading researchers in the field and presented at the International Drama in Education Research Institute Conference in 2004. Each chapter in this collection from across the Anglophone world describes a different research methodology. It explains how the methodology was applied to the practice and outlines how teachers and other researchers can employ it in their own contexts. Led by the editor's chapter on the context of research, the contributions include: The Process of Institute Research Stations by Philip Taylor The Reflective Practitioner by Jonothan Neelands Critical Ethnography by Kathleen Gallagher Narrative Inquiry by Bellarie Zatzman A case study by Joe Winston Performance Ethnography by Jane Bacon Post-structuralist Deconstruction by Ian McCormick Feminist Methodology by Sharon Grady The book will be essential reading for research students and teachers because it provides models and approaches that connect with the immediacy of their practice.




Drama and Education


Book Description

Drama and Education provides a practical, comprehensive guide to drama as a tool for teaching and learning. It is among the first practical drama and performance textbooks that address brain-based, neuroscientific research, making the argument that creativity is necessary in our lives, that embodied learning is natural and essential, and that contextual learning helps us find our place in society in relationship to other peoples and cultures. As well as a historical and theoretical overview of the field, it provides rationale and techniques for several specific methodologies: linear drama, process-oriented drama, drama for social justice, and performance art. Each approach is supplemented with sample lesson plans, activities, ideas for differentiation, and extensive bibliographies. The topics are discussed from five key angles: • Historical and theoretical foundations • Curricular applications • Practical toolkits for a range of classrooms and learning environments • Different strategies for lesson plans • Extension options for longer workshops. Alongside these core methods, the integration of other innovative forms—from performance art to Theatre of the Oppressed—into drama-based learning is explored, as well as the pragmatic concerns such as assessment, planning, and advocacy for arts learning and arts education partnerships. Drama and Education is the comprehensive textbook for teachers and students on Applied Theatre and Theatre and Education courses.




Drama Research Methods: Provocations of Practice


Book Description

At a time when universities demand immediate and quantifiable impacts of scholarship, the voices of research participants become secondary to impact factors and the volume of research produced. Moreover, what counts as research within the academy constrains practices and methods that may more authentically articulate the phenomena being studied. When external forces limit methodological practices, research innovation slows and homogenizes. This book aims to address the methodological, interpretive, ethical/procedural challenges and tensions within theatre-based research with a goal of elevating our field’s research practice and inquiry. Each chapter embraces various methodologies, positionalities and examples of mediation by inviting two or more leading researchers to interrogated each other’s work and, in so doing, highlighted current debates and practices in theatre-based research. Topics include: ethics, method, audience, purpose, mediation, form, aesthetics, voice, data generation, and research participants. Each chapter frames a critical dialogue between researchers that take multiple forms (dialogic interlude, research conversation, dramatic narrative, duologue, poetic exchange, etc.).




Key Concepts in Theatre/Drama Education


Book Description

Key Concepts in Theatre Drama Education provides the first comprehensive survey of contemporary research trends in theatre/drama education. It is an intriguing rainbow of thought, celebrating a journey across three fields of scholarship: theatre, education and modes of knowing. Hitherto no other collection of key concepts has been published in theatre /drama education. Fifty seven entries, written by sixty scholars from across the world aim to convey the zeitgeist of the field. The book’s key innovation lies in its method of writing, through collaborative networking, an open peer-review process, and meaning-making involving all contributors. Within the framework of key-concept entries, readers will find valuable judgments and the viewpoints of researchers from North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, New Zealand and Australia. The volume clearly shows that drama/theatre educators and researchers have created a language, with its own grammar and lucid syntax. The concepts outlined convey the current knowledge of scholars, highlighting what they consider significant. Entries cover interdependent topics on teaching and learning, aesthetics and ethics, curricula and history, culture and community, various populations and their needs, theatre for young people, digital technology, narrative and pedagogy, research methods, Shakespeare and Brecht, other various modes of theatre and the education of theatre teachers. It aims to serve as the standard reference book for theatre/drama education researchers, policymakers, practitioners and students around the world. A basic companion for researchers, students, and teachers, this sourcebook outlines the key concepts that make the field prominent in the sphere of Arts Education.




Science and Drama: Contemporary and Creative Approaches to Teaching and Learning


Book Description

This edited volume presents interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches to drama and science in education. Drawing on a solid basis of research, it offers theoretical backgrounds, showcases rich examples, and provides evidence of improved student learning and engagement. The chapters explore various connections between drama and science, including: students’ ability to engage with science through drama; dramatising STEM; mutuality and inter-relativity in drama and science; dramatic play-based outdoor activities; and creating embodied, aesthetic and affective learning experiences. The book illustrates how drama education draws upon contemporary issues and their complexity, intertwining with science education in promoting scientific literacy, creativity, and empathetic understandings needed to interpret and respond to the many challenges of our times. Findings throughout the book demonstrate how lessons learned from drama and science education can remain discrete yet when brought together, contribute to deeper, more engaged and transformative student learning.




The Routledge Companion to Drama in Education


Book Description

The Routledge Companion to Drama in Education is a comprehensive reference guide to this unique performance discipline, focusing on its process-oriented theatrical techniques, engagement of a broad spectrum of learners, its historical roots as a field of inquiry and its transdisciplinary pedagogical practices. The book approaches drama in education (DE) from a wide range of perspectives, from leading scholars to teaching artists and school educators who specialise in DE teaching. It presents the central disciplinary conversations around key issues, including best practice in DE, aesthetics and artistry in teaching, the histories of DE, ideologies in drama and education, and concerns around access, inclusivity and justice. Including reflections, lesson plans, programme designs, case studies and provocations from scholars, educators and community arts workers, this is the most robust and comprehensive resource for those interested in DE’s past, present and future.




Research-based Theatre


Book Description

Research-based Theatre aims to construct a theoretical analysis of the field and offer critical reflections on how the methodology can now be applied. The book shares twelve examples of contemporary research-based theatre scripts and commentaries, selected to represent different approaches that come from a variety of disciplinary areas.




Research Methods in Theatre and Performance


Book Description

How have theatre and performance research methods and methodologies engaged the expanding diversity of performing arts practices? How can students best combine performance/theatre research approaches in their projects? This book's 29 contributors provide




Creative Drama and Music Methods


Book Description

The third edition of this popular text uses music and drama to promote learning across the curriculum and with all types of learners. Based on arts integration standards, differentiated instruction techniques, and current research, Creative Drama and Music Methods provides the theory along with applications to help teachers build confidence in using the arts in their daily lesson plans. The text is filled with hands-on activities that guide pre-service and K-8th grade teachers in understanding that integrating drama and music is easy, fun, and vital to fostering a child's desire to explore, imagine, and learn. Examples are provided in each chapter, along with the purpose of the activity and tips for instruction. Rubin and Merrion provide activities that engage elementary and middle school students and range from simple stories and rhythmic activities to story dramatization and composition. All the activities can be comfortably incorporated into the classroom routine and place no additional burdens on the teacher. They are especially useful for educators with valid learning goals but limited experience in creative drama and music. Not typical for creative drama or music texts, Creative Drama and Music Methods takes a process approach to the two arts, placing primary significance on the learner's growth and development.




Researching Drama and Arts Education


Book Description

This volume examines the current major issues in research design for arts teachers. It aims to answer two key questions: how do researchers design their studies? What research methods are appropriate for specific investigative questions?