Descriptive qualitative study exploring teachers using drama-based instruction to promote engagement

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this qualitative, descriptive study is to explore how teachers describe the process of creating lesson plans that use drama-based instruction (DBI) in the classroom to engage students as well as how they describe their experience using DBI in the classroom to engage students. Fourteen teachers located in the state of Florida participated in this study. Vygotsky's zone of proximal development (ZPD) provided the theoretical framework for this study. Semi-structured individual interviews and two focus group discussions were the three data sources. The results revealed that DBI promotes student engagement, and all 21 participants have implemented lesson plans using DBI in their classrooms within the current or the last academic school year prior to COVID and have been teaching for a minimum of one year at the middle school level.Twelve themes were generated 1. Before teachers create a DBI lesson plan, they reflect on their earlier teaching strategies;2. Teachers use their exposure to drama to create a DBI lesson;3. Teachers engage school administrators' to plan DBI lessons;4. Teachers use different strategies to create DBI lesson plans;5. Teachers revisit prior DBI challenges before implementing new lesson plans;6. Teachers use data from their experience using DBI;7. Teachers acknowledge that they need training to create DBI lesson plans;8. Teachers describe their experience of successful and failed attempts with DBI;9. Teachers describe students' behaviors and attitudes towards DBI;10. Teachers describe the most frequently used DBI components;11. Teachers describe the benefits they experience with DBI;12. Teachers describe the school's perception of DBI in the classroom. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)