To Act, Or Not To Act? Drama In The Classroom Lauren E. Duerson ED-7202 Spring 2012

Table of Contents Statement of the Problem…. Slide 3 Literature Review… Slide 4 Hypothesis… Slide 6 Participants/ Instruments… Slide 7 Research Design… Slide 8 Threats To Validity… Slide 9 Proposed Data/ Procedure… Slide 11 Results for Pre Test/ Post Test… Slide 12 Correlations… Slide 13 Data Dispersion… Slide 16 Discussion and Implementation… Slide 17 References… Slide 18

Statement of the Problem Economic recessions create widespread budget cutbacks that greatly effect the public school system. As a result, job retention and hiring consists of multi-subject and special needs teachers verses those who specialize in the arts such as drama. No Child Left Behind Act legislation has created a focus on math and literacy achievement in the United States of America with a goal of general and mass achievement by 2014. Testing is the determining factor in student and teacher success. Therefore teachers and administrators are forced to teach to the test with a focus placed on math, science, and literacy. This means that social studies and the arts are not covered in classrooms in the same detail as the other subjects, if at all.

Review Of Literature The Pros Drama improves the cognitive ability to remember, therefore, by acting in a story or history’s dramatization, children retain and understand more of the story’s concepts and content. (George. 2000) Drama improves personal self-confidence for teachers and students. Drama improves social skills between peers and creates communication with teachers and students. Drama can improve physical and emotional abilities through expression and movement. (George. 2000) Drama encourages children to question material, create images, determine the importance of details found in the texts, and encourages further inference and synthesis of reading. (Rosler. 2008) The arts, such as drama allow children to participate through movement, which is crucial for non-native speaker participation. (Ulbricht. 2011)

Review Of Literature The Cons No Child Left Behind Act counts three subjects as ‘core’ subjects, therefore there is no balance between the arts and tested curriculums. Tested subjects always win attention over non-tested. (Chapman. 2005) Instructional time is taken away from the subjects that students are tested on when teacher focus on social studies and the arts. If test scores drop in other tested curriculum areas, teachers are scrutinized. (Wills. 2007) Some teachers are uncomfortable or unfamiliar with the arts processes, curriculum, and standards, therefore they do not wish to teach learning through dramatic practices. (Stanfa, O Shea. 1998) Dramatic presentation and implementation (as well as action research) in the classroom can take more preparation than other subjects of the curriculum. (Sanders. 2006)

Hypothesis By integrating dramatic role- playing activities within social studies lessons over a six- week period of time to twenty-four students at Public School X in Brooklyn, New York, students will increase test scores in the social sciences curriculum.

Participants/ Instruments One group of 24 non- randomly assigned students, with no controlled group from P.S. X in Brooklyn New York. Pre Test And Post Test Six total tests (completed twice) based upon lesson administered. Student Surveys- Determines attitudes of self as a student. Identifies hours spent each week completing Social Studies homework. Determines attitudes of importance of learning the material.

Research Design Pre-Experimental Design One group of 24 non-randomly assigned students, with no controlled group. This experimental design may also be referenced as the One-Group Pre-test/ Post-test Design. Symbolic Design: OXO The single group of participants (O) will be pre-tested before being given the treatment (X), and a post-tested (O) in order to determine the experiment’s success.

Threats To Internal Validity History: Unforeseen schedule changes/ student or teacher absences. Maturation: Six weeks of exposure, possible growth. Testing/Pre-test Sensitization: Pre-test offers a glimpse of what to look for during lesson. Instrumentation: Tools created by researcher, possible bias based upon student knowledge. Mortality: Student absences/ Guardian requests student no longer participates. Differential Selection of Subjects: Drama not offered at school, does not take place in the homes. Selection-Maturation Interaction: Student maturity and growth differs. Generalizable Conditions: Student interest in dramatic arts will vary.

Threats To External Validity Pre-test Treatment: Pre-test given, students may try to memorize information. Specificity of Variables: Researcher did not influence gender selection, social studies lessons vary on type of dramatic role-play that can be implemented. Experimenter Effects: Researcher previously worked with experimental group (students), biased questions could be created.

Proposed Data/ Procedure Pre-test and Post-test: Teacher administers a pre-test at the beginning of the lesson. Teacher will then administer the lesson, and give the children the same test as a post-test to see what knowledge has been obtained through the lesson. Student Survey: Teacher gives each student the same survey which looks at personal opinions, student habits, and student demographic data.

Results: Pre-test and Post-test Scores

Results: Correlation Of Post-test Averages To Personal Opinion Of NY Historical Importance .rxy= - 0.1507

Results: Correlation Of Post-test Averages To Hours Studied Per Week (Social Studies) .rxy= - 0.2917

Results: Correlation Of Post-test Averages To Personal Attitude Of Work Ethics and Intelligence .rxy= - 0.1889

Data Dispersion Post Test Scores Mean: 8.01 Mode: 8 Standard Deviation: .96 45% is within one deviation (+/-) 83% is within two deviations (+/-)

Discussion And Implications The action research study shows that students scores will increase from the pre test average to the post test average after the students have participated in dramatic role-playing activities. There is no correlation between the pre test and post test scores and the students attitudes towards learning history, their self-image as a student, and the hours dedicated towards homework each week in the social studies curriculum. Further research is needed: To determine if the post test results would remain the same from exposure to dramatic role-play weeks after the original treatment is administered. If increasing the length of the study would change results. Smaller group sizes would change the post test scores.

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