Theatrical Role-Play: A Study on its Impact on Life Skills of Secondary Education Students
Description
Performing arts curricula, specifically theatrical role-play, have aided in enhancing life skills of secondary education students throughout the past. This continues
to be the case in the present education climate. However, the performing arts are still not
viewed by some education policymakers at a level that helps those programs flourish and
thereby be accessible to students. Despite the empirical evidence of life skill
enhancement, both academically and socially, that can be applied in an interdisciplinary
manner and to life outside of the school setting, the arts are often not considered as
important as core content areas. These programs are subject to elimination to a greater
extent compared to other education programs. This action research study sought to
examine the ways in which high school theatre programs impact life skills, defined in this
study by both academic and social contexts, learned by secondary education students.
The innovation intervention consisted of theatrical role-play applied in an
interdisciplinary manner. The innovation occurred over the course of two weeks in a
senior English class at a southwest public high school. The likelihood of the English
teacher using theatrical role-play in future lesson plans was also studied. The action
research utilized a mixed-methods approach with a theoretical framework consisting of
Experiential Learning Theory (ELT) and Academic Risk-Taking (ART). Results
indicated assertions related to the enhancement of the social skills of empathy and public
speaking in student participants, as well as the English teacher planning on utilizing the
innovation in future lesson planning. The academic skill of text analysis was possibly
affected, however results were inconclusive.
Date Created
The date the item was original created (prior to any relationship with the ASU Digital Repositories.)
2023
Agent
- Author (aut): McCandless, Timothy Michael
- Thesis advisor (ths): Henriksen, Danah
- Committee member: McAvoy, Mary
- Committee member: Olsen, Nicola
- Committee member: Wendt, Jill
- Publisher (pbl): Arizona State University