Work

“When Brian Acted His Way Out of a Wet Paper Bag”: The Transformational Qualities of Drama Education

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This study utilised Mezirow’s Transformative Learning framework to explore drama teachers’ and pre-service drama teachers’ perceptions of transformation in the drama space. The research specifically examined three core questions: 1. Who are transformed? 2. What is transformed? 3. How does transformation happen? Adopting a phenomenological qualitative approach, we analysed interview data from eight drama teachers and 22 pre-service drama teachers in Western Australia. Findings indicate that participation in school-based drama activities fosters transformations (and perceptions of transformation) in self-confidence, personal values, and willingness to take creative risks. Beyond teaching performance skills, drama cultivates deeper understandings of self and others, offering enduring benefits that reach far beyond the classroom. This research makes explicit the taken-for-granted assumptions of drama as a transformative experience.

Source: Australian Journal of Education

DOI: 10.1177/00049441251390647

Authors: Christina Gray, Robin Pascoe

Institutions: Edith Cowan University, Murdoch University

Language: English

Topic: Creative Drama in Education

Subfield: Visual Arts and Performing Arts

Field: Arts and Humanities

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Quality education

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,650