DU-PS-01-Wang

Title:
‘Behind the Mask’ Approaching the Complexity of Hidden Emotions Through Drama – A Reflective Practitioner Case Study Based in a Year Seven Setting in a UK Secondary School

Presenters:
Di Wang, PhD Student, School of Education, Durham University
Email: di.wang@durham.ac.uk

Abstract:
This research studies how drama as pedagogy can create opportunities to support the exploration of hidden emotions for Year Seven students in the British context. To respond to the research inquiry, a reflective practitioner case study methodology was adopted. Specifically, a drama workshop was conducted in the setting of a secondary school in the UK with a group of Year Seven students. The data in this study came from reflections in and on pedagogical actions, the focus groups with the participants, and interviews with the research assistants who attended the workshop. The findings indicate the compelling capability of drama to allow the students to explore hidden emotions openly and achieve relevantly diverse and deep interpretations of the self and the other. Furthermore, certain limitations of the drama devising and some methodological dilemmas intertwined with the drama practice are highlighted. Pedagogical implications for potential future studies are discussed.

Keywords:
Drama pedagogy; young people; explorations into hidden emotions; the self and the other; British context