ERIC Number: ED355576
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1993-Feb
Pages: 77
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: ISBN-0-88881-221-3
ISSN: ISSN-0316-8786
EISSN: N/A
Writing in Imagined Contexts: Research into Drama-Influenced Writing. No. 202.
Neelands, Jonothan; And Others
A study explored the effect of drama on the writing development of adolescents in four Toronto (Canada) schools over a 6-month period using a naturalistic observation methodology. The range of schools and student groupings included: a grade 10 drama class in a collegiate institute; a grade 12/O.A.C. drama class in a technical-commercial school; and two grade 8 classes. Teachers were encouraged to plan opportunities for student writing as an intrinsic element in the students' drama work, and to focus on writing assignments and topics integral to the development of a drama theme. Data included teacher and student journals; video and audio recordings of classroom work; and video and audio recordings of post-work interviews including students and teachers. Results indicated that: (1) there was a small but significant increase in students' already fairly positive writing attitudes; (2) students at all levels of ability responded positively to the relationship between drama and writing; (3) a majority of students agreed that integrated writing and drama were mutually reinforcing; (4) the drama and writing activities provided many students with enhanced empathy and understanding for a broad range of people; and (5) student writing tended to concentrate on personal and reflective writing. Findings suggest a very high degree of articulateness and awareness of the processes of learning and teaching among the teachers and students involved. Two tables of data are included. (Contains 74 references.) (RS)
Descriptors: Adolescents, Drama, Foreign Countries, Instructional Effectiveness, Naturalistic Observation, Secondary Education, Writing Attitudes, Writing (Composition), Writing Research
Toronto Board of Education, Research Department, 155 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5T 1P6 ($5).
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Toronto Board of Education (Ontario). Research Dept.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A