Becoming a process drama practitioner: An exploratory study of higher education language teachers in Japan

Research in language learning indicates that process drama (PD), an educational approach where students and teachers work in and out of role to explore themes and issues, can be well suited to the Japanese higher education (HE) context. Despite the benefits highlighted in the literature, PD remains a niche approach to language teaching and learning, with a limited number of practitioners in Japan. This study seeks to uncover language teachers’ experiences of becoming Process Drama Practitioners (PDPs) and using and sharing PD as an English language teaching approach in Japanese HE. Data were collected via in-depth interviews with six experienced PDPs. The findings indicate that prior positive experiences with drama was an encouraging factor of the adoption and self-directed initial use of PD in their teaching practices. Positive student outcomes and feedback were primary motivators for continued use of PD. Experiences of sharing PD led to a perceived need to distinguish PD from theatre-based approaches and establish connections to familiar approaches to language teaching.

Process drama in Chinese education: Possibilities and challenges in governmental policy papers and the curriculum of moral education

The article explores the potential of applying process drama in moral education in Chinese schools. By conducting a thematic review of the current national curriculum and policy documents from both historical and contemporary perspectives, the interconnection between the role of art and moral cultivation in China is discussed. Through an analysis of the national curriculum, the article suggests that applying process drama in school education can contribute to learning in the curriculum areas of both aesthetic and moral education. However, the existing commingling of concepts and definitions influences the actual drama practices in China. Consequently, a discussion of terminology is brought in, as well as an argument for the need to include drama as a discrete subject in schools, in addition to its function as a method for educational purposes. A process drama sample from the author’s drama praxis is included. The overall aim of the article is to contribute to an extended understanding of educational drama and theatre in a Chinese context and to gain new insights into possibilities and challenges for the future implementation of drama in education in China.

Process drama in the classroom

This paper reports on a study of the use of process drama in an international primary school in the Netherlands. The research investigated the extent to which using process drama could develop participation for advanced EAL learners. In addition, we sought to understand pupils’ perspectives. Using a qualitative methodology, we undertook a case study approach focusing on six advanced EAL learner pupils (9-10-year-olds). We implemented the process drama approach during a series of nine science lessons. We collated and analysed Video recording of lessons, the class teacher’s written observations, a research journal, two interviews and a focus group with the case study participants using an arts-based framework of participation, previously employed by Pérez-Moreno (2018). We deployed embodied research methods. The findings suggest that using process drama as a teaching methodology increased participation, but not immediately. In addition, pupils who had not previously spoken out in lessons began to volunteer their ideas. All case study pupils reported that they considered that their participation increased.

Using process drama to explore the causes of dental anxiety in primary-school children

Background Drama and role play can be unlisted as methods to allow children to view problems from a range of different perspectives that may differ from their own experience. Application of drama technique to assess the cause of dental fear and anxiety in a school setting is novel. Aim The aim of this study was to engage primary school children in the core investigation via participatory arts methodologies, namely, process drama to gain understanding of the causes of dental anxiety. Design Sixty-three children, aged 7–10 years from three primary schools participated in this study. A 90-min drama workshop was carried in each school. The children were encouraged to identify the causes of dental anxiety using key concepts from process drama. The sessions were audio-recorded and transcribed. Results Four key concepts emerged: (1) fear of the unknown; (2) unpleasant sensory experience; (3) society’s perception and portrayal of the dentist; and (4) learnt negative associations with the dentist. Within each four key concepts, two sub-themes were identified. Conclusions Role-playing and use of drama are a novel application and can reveal a considerable amount of information from the child’s perspective on the cause of dental fear and anxiety.