Date of Award

1-1-2000

Document Type

Thesis

Publisher

Edith Cowan University

Degree Name

Master of Education

Faculty

Faculty of Community Services, Education and Social Sciences

First Supervisor

Tarquam McKenna

Abstract

This research is an investigation into the implementation of drama in early childhood education conducted in one Perth metropolitan primary school, over a three-week period. The six drama lessons were taught by the researcher/practitioner in a Pre-primary and a Year One class. These students were chosen for their limited exposure to the Drama in Education experience. The expectation was of a less conditioned response both in their conduct and expression within the drama environment. The lessons were captured on video and transcribed, then analysed utilising an ethnomethodological methodology. The responses of these children were recorded in an attempt to disclose how a group of young children share knowledge during a drama class, and examine the social conventions, articulating the features of common rule-usage and assumed communication. The discourse also examines the complex and at times ambiguous nature of drama and the need to articulate and to analyse practices, to unravel how drama is constructed and perceived. The practice of drama in the early childhood classroom highlights the role and relationship of the practitioner and the children. The study offers insights into the foundation issues within drama in education that are a product of the historical, cultural and social domains of knowledge and affect the implementation of drama in the early childhood. This research provides information on drama in education within the pre-primary school setting. It would be of interest to any teacher or researcher who wishes to gain a deeper understanding of the issues that surround drama in early childhood years, and provides insights into the interactions of the participants.

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