The impact of drama on primary classroom pupils

Abstract

The aim of this dissertation was to investigate to what extent Drama lessons can help and impact pupils within a Primary classroom, by posing the question: 'Does Drama affect pupils' classroom behaviour?' The Drama programme consisted of ten Drama lessons delivered at a Church school to a Year 4 class which does not have Drama as a subject. Four pupils were selected, together with the help of the class teacher during the pre interview. The pupils chosen to be profiled included a child with a dyslexic profile, a shy and reserved child, an average pupil both academically and behaviour-wise, and a child with a profile of slight hyper-activity and uncooperative behaviour. The selected pupils as well as the rest of the pupils in class were observed throughout the project. Recordings of the four pupils were inserted within the pupil profiles drawn up by the researcher. The overall results showed that the majority of pupils improved their group skills, social skills, increased their confidence and participation in class, whilst having fun.