This study aims to determine a primary school teacher's observations and experiences regarding in-service training on drama method within the framework of collaborative action research model. The first author was invited to offer a 120-hour Drama Course upon request of the teachers in a primary school. In the 14th week, the action research process…

Experience is a necessary component and complement for the intellectual and academic study of drama, and consciousness-expanding alternatives to the classroom are viable alternatives, representing conceptual organizations positive in value. Festivity and celebration can serve a dual prupose: to expand consciousness of the literary period outside…

This study explores early childhood teacher practices regarding the use of dramatic play in Kindergarten to Year 2 (K-2) classrooms. Four early childhood teachers working in Kindergarten participated in the study. Two of these teachers rarely used dramatic play. They were interviewed to explore their perceptions of the importance of dramatic play,…

The process by which preschoolers construct cohesive oral text was studied in dramatic and constructive play settings. Four preschoolers, two boys and two girls ranging in age from 51 to 60 months, were videotaped for 30 minutes in their preschool classrooms. It was found that players in both contexts of play repeated introductory utterances to…

Improvisation can show teachers ways to use the senses to make ideas, emotions, or any academic lesson stick with a child. By using improvisational techniques, the teacher asks the student to play--to be active and to discover. For example, there are games to help the child to concentrate, verbalize, touch and make contact with other children, and…

Effects of dramatic play on children's narrative competence were investigated among 36 second-graders. Children were read a familiar folktale and then "played" the story, discussed it, or drew a picture about it. They were then asked to retell the story either to an informed or to a naive listener. It was hypothesized that (1) more…

Beginning with an extensive overview of theories, this paper proposes an integrative perspective on play. Early theories, which were proposed in the last half of the 19th century, included the surplus energy theory, the recapitulation theory, the instinct-practice theory, and the relaxation theory. More recent theories of play include Freud's and…

The role of play in the learning and development of young children has long been recognized by researchers and early childhood educators. Although research indicates that play does provide a context that supports and facilitates literacy learning, most research has focused on preschool or kindergarten children. The purpose of this study was to…

War play is play with a toy that initiates violence or play that involves the imitation of war. War play can involve: (1) the use of toys based on television cartoon shows to imitate the action in the cartoons; (2) play with replicas of war paraphernalia or manipulatives shaped into guns; and (3) dramatic play. The negative effects on children…

Storytelling is a shared experience between the teller and the listeners. The two basic concerns of the storyteller are to choose good stories and to make the telling interesting and exciting. Selection of a story should be based on the criteria of good plot and characters, an authentic setting, appropriate dialog, and appeal to the listerners'…

Dramatic play provides children an excellent way to express their feelings and perceptions of the world that surrounds them. It is also an alternative way for researchers and teachers to capture, understand, and interpret children's voices because of the difficulties that children have in expressing ideas through oral and written language. While…

This study on the effect of participation in field trips as a literacy intervention in play investigated how preschool children incorporated the literacy behaviors emphasized during the field trips into their play activities. Authentic literacy materials were included in two dramatic play centers before and after 15 children participated in…

Often the way one communicates ethical choices is conditioned by the dynamics of the communication process more than by a well-developed "ethical system." Sociodrama is an excellent method of teaching both ethics and communication skills. The technique can be used for playing out any real-life situation, but unlike much actual life experience, it…

Guidelines and examples for using dramatization to teach elementary German are presented. Dramatization can be used productively as an aid to learning even at the very beginning of a course or in an academic environment that is hostile to innovation. In order to learn an utterance in a foreign language, the students must be able to project their…

The process by which preschoolers generate cohesive oral text was investigated in two fields of discourse: social dramatic and constructive play. Four preschoolers, 2 boys and 2 girls, ranging in age from 51 to 60 months were observed and videotaped in their regular preschool classroom on 2 successive days during free play periods. Each child was…