Author Identifier (ORCID)
Christina Gray: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8464-1961
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.
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
1-1-2025
Publication Title
Australian Journal of Education
Publisher
Sage
School
School of Education
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Comments
Gray, C., & Pascoe, R. (2025). “When Brian acted his way out of a wet paper bag”: The transformational qualities of drama education. Australian Journal of Education. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/00049441251390647