Investigating the Influence of Dramatic Arts on Young Children’s Social and Academic Development An evaluation study of the Jack and the Beanstalk Residency
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Provided to Blue Apple Players Report prepared by Kathryn F Whitmore, PhD kathryn.whitmore@louisville.edu Early Childhood Research Center University of Louisville ECRC Research Team Kathryn F Whitmore, PhD Lori A Norton-Meier, PhD Mikkaka Hardaway, MA LaTiffanie Jackson, MA July 7, 2013
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Investigating the Influence of Dramatic Arts on Young Children’s Social and Academic Development This evaluation of the Blue Apple Players’ (BAP) Jack and the Beanstalk (Jack) residency curriculum at Oldham County Preschool (OCP) occurred from January – June 2013. It was a collaborative effort between the Early Childhood Research Center (ECRC) at the University of Louisville (UL) and the BAP, to examine the effectiveness of the BAP Jack residency program for young children. The evaluation is: a) an assessment of current practice for the benefit of the teaching artists, educational director, and executive director related to program improvement, b) an assessment of potential learning outcomes for children and teachers as relevant to an outside audience, and c) pilot data collection and analysis procedures for future studies about how and why to include creative drama in early childhood curriculum. THEORETICAL SUPPORT FOR DRAMA EDUCATION IN EARLY CHILDHOOD Widely accepted developmental theory supports play as the primary means for children to learn, not only cognitively, but holistically, including social and emotional learning. Vygotsky (1978) defined the essence of the value of play when he said that in play children are “a head taller” than themselves. Piaget (1951) believed play strengthens children’s abilities to think abstractly, and Bruner (1983) knew play to be deeply related to children’s development of thought and language. These fundamental understandings are the bedrock of the “developmentally appropriate” practices that have been advocated for by international early childhood experts for decades, including the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Copple & Bredekamp (2009) identify that “[p]lay is an important vehicle for developing self-regulation, cognition, and social competence” (p. 14). Contemporary research on play not only recognizes its value for literacy development, as traditionally defined, but as a new literacy (Wohlwend, 2011) and essential for learning skills in the 21st century, such as those related to digital literacy, dispositions of social justice and equality, and multiple intelligences. Research convincingly indicates that creative dramatics improves children’s learning (Caterall, 2009; Mages, 2008), even though current local and national demands on time for accountability and high stakes testing make drama education absent in most early childhood curriculum. Research Design and Methods In this descriptive qualitative study, five research methods were used to document and evaluate the Jack Residency as related to young children’s social and academic development: analysis of the written curriculum, family survey, ethnographic observations, interview (individual and focus group), and analysis of children’s drawing samples.
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1. Review of written curriculum document. The review determined learning goals in the Jack residency and how they align with the Kentucky Early Childhood Standards and NAEYC developmentally appropriate guidelines. 2. Parent survey. Likert-scale and open-ended survey questions documented families’ knowledge about BAP and perspectives from those who returned the instrument. 3. Ethnographic observations. Researchers conducted 33 60-90 minute observations in 3 classrooms to record thick descriptions of naturally occurring play and the pedagogical and drama techniques of the BAP teaching artists. Evidence of joy, language, storytelling, play, and problem solving as related to children’s learning was documented and analyzed. 4. Interviews. Pre- and post-residency interviews were conducted with 8 OCP teachers to document their comfort with drama education, and their descriptions of effects of the residency on children’s learning and their future teaching decisions. The BAP teaching artists were a focus group to understand goals, intentions, and challenges with the Jack residency. 5. Drawing samples. The BAP teaching artists asked all children to draw about their “favorite moment in Jack’s world” or “what I liked best about Jack & the Beanstalk.” 235 children’s drawings and verbatim dictation were scanned for analysis. Open coding procedures (Merriam, 2009) on the qualitative analysis program called Dedoose.com guided a thematic analysis and the “a-e-i-o-u approach” to program evaluation (Kemis & Walker, 2000) focused attention on accountability, effectiveness, impact, organizational context, and unanticipated outcomes. FINDINGS The results of the analysis indicate that the BAP Jack residency, and the manner in which it is shared with young children, accomplish many critical elements of early learning and preparation for kindergarten that are are consistent with the Kentucky Early Childhood Standards and the NAEYC guidelines for developmentally appropriate practice. The themes discussed here are (a) Movement within pretend increases engagement and joy; (b) Rituals increase comfort and thereby enable risktaking and self-efficacy, and (c) The world of story and navigating real to pretend and back to real supports development of imagination, early literacy, and social emotional learning. Recommendations include opportunities for teacher professional development and further study, including clinical quantitative and longitudinal designs. Movement within pretend increases engagement and joy When children were engaged in the Jack curriculum, they were joyful. Their faces lit up, they giggled and laughed, their eyes widened, and they often expressed their delight with words and sounds. Moments of joy and engagement intersected with movement and pretend as part of storytelling. Haley drew a highly engaging moment when the children hid in a closet to escape the stomping, scary giant. The joy is evident in the colors Haley
3 selected, in the way her drawing fills the page, in the smiles on the characters’ (her classmates’) faces, and in her use of a dialogue bubble to indicate the music of the silver harp. Even the giant is smiling!
In moments of engagement and joy, children were also moving – moving to a different location in the classroom, moving their bodies in specific ways (tiptoeing, crouching down, huddling) and lowering or raising their voices to accomplish something in the plot, be it to escape a castle and rescue a silver harp, or to not wake a snoring giant. Often children’s movements, like pantomiming milking a cow, climbing up and down the beanstalk, and dancing in a rainstorm were accompanied by related language, whether that was a chant or song led by the BAP teaching artists, or children’s own expressions. In these moments, virtually every child (100%) actively participated with their bodies and brains, according to their abilities. Moreover, the teachers became so much a part of the action in these moments that they forgot their initial discomfort with “drama.” Rituals increase comfort and thereby enable risktaking and self-efficacy Over the 10-week Jack residency the children showed tremendous change in their participation in routines, which became the rituals of the special community that developed in each classroom. Rituals are important for all members of communities, from early childhood through adulthood. Rituals increase predictability and enable the comfort that enables taking a risk, which is essential to learning. Six routines became predictable rituals for the children and teachers during the Jack residency. They provided the predictability and safety for children (and teachers) to engage more actively over time. They supported children’s social and emotional development – a necessity for academic achievement and learning. And they were engaging because they involved movement and language. All observers and teachers noted the importance and visibility of the change in children’s engagement during the most frequent ritual, The Name Game. Children with special needs made tremendous growth as they became active participants in this ritual,
4 surprising their teachers and the researchers with leaps of verbal and physical development. 100% of teachers noted numerous developments in the children’s self-efficacy, or beliefs in their abilities to influence events that affect their lives, which is essential for motivation to learn, perform accomplishments, and develop emotional well being (Bandura, 1994). One representative teacher said, “I had a lot of kids improve on just being able to say their name. Say it with, you know, empowerment. I know that’s not the right word, but they were proud of their name. The ones that are very quiet in the classroom were projecting their voice.” Social emotional development is increasingly viewed as essentially related to school readiness (Epstein, 2000). The first guiding principle of the Kentucky Early Childhood Standards is: “Social-emotional experiences and relationships are the foundation for child development” (p. 5). Clearly, the Jack residency contributes effectively to this early childhood education goal. The world of story and navigating real to pretend and back to real supports development of imagination, early literacy, and social emotional learning Four of the six rituals that led children to be engaged were related to moving from the real classroom to Jack’s pretend world. The BAP teaching artists helped the children identify the world of pretend by accompanying the syllables in pre-tend with two claps, putting on pretend costumes, and inviting the children to close their eyes as they were “narrated” into the story world. A “morning stretch” confirmed the transition. The power of pretend, especially when accentuated by movement, was noted by a BAP teaching artist who described a boy who initially hid “behind a teacher when it [was] his turn to say his name. But when we [went] into the world of pretend he [didn’t] have to be that person and …the entire time when they were entering the castle, when they were going into the closet … he was right on his heels and answering questions and wanting to be a part of the group. … it was the most amazing thing to see him free himself in this new world that he’s found.” The Jack residency asked children to be the story, as opposed to listen to the story. Narrative is a primary vehicle for exploring new and familiar ideas and fundamental to early literacy development. Interactive dramatic play brings the content “out of the book” and creates a liminal “third space” (Stevenson & Deasy, 2005) in which children can be someone new. The Jack curriculum provided children the time and practice needed in early learning classrooms. OCP teachers indicated that they specifically valued how BAP teaching artists demonstrated techniques to “go into the world of pretend.” Early childhood educators understand the essential nature of imagination and pretend play on young children’s learning. Paley (1990), an early childhood teacher who is an acclaimed author about play is emphatic that children “do not pretend to be storytellers; they are storytellers. It is their intuitive approach to all occasions. It is the way they think” (p. 17). As evidence, 46 children literally put themselves into the world of
5 Jack/pretend in their drawings – as well as their personal dog, house, family or friends on occasion. One child added creatively to the story, “Me and Jack found money trapped in a force field.” The AEIOU evaluation questions Accountability – Does the Jack residency do what it says it is going to do and are the activities related to the goals and objectives of the residency completed? The Jack residency in action clearly matches, and more often exceeds the written curriculum and the stated intentions of the teaching artists. Appendix A articulates the connections between the KY Early Learning Standards and the Jack Residency. The academic benefits range from gross motor development (evident in marching, clapping, climbing, and stomping); to language play that develops oral language and sense of story; to practicing strategies that are essential to proficient reading (prediction, inference, retelling, sequencing, and cause and effect); and many more. Effectiveness – How well does the Jack residency meet the objectives of supporting the social, emotional, cognitive and language development of the children? There were numerous positive outcomes related to social, emotional, cognitive, and language development for the children. The strongest benefit, however, was in the children’s joyful enthusiasm, perhaps conveyed most eloquently by four-year old Mateo who exclaimed with sparkling eyes, “I’m so excited my head’s going to blow off” as he waited one morning for the teaching artists to arrive. Additional research is needed to clinically document the children’s individual and collective learning. Impact – What is the impact of the Jack residency on individual and group attitudes and behavior, and on institutional change (such as teacher practice outside the BAP residency)? Self-initiated play. Children’s self-initiated imaginative free play related to the Jack residency. Five-year olds made magic beans cake in the sand table, a 3-year old used blocks to retell the relationship between the giant (“big dude”) and Jack (“little dude”), and a multi-age group used finger puppets to collaboratively retell the story. Risk-taking. There were visible increases in all observed children’s willingness to take risks and participate. These increases were particularly noticeable during the rituals that were part of the Jack residency. Teacher practice. 100% of teachers were emphatically positive about the BAP experience for their students. All teachers participated and expressed desire for more time with the BAP at OCP. Parents and home connections. Parents were enthusiastic and positive about the program. Parents believed their children learned: “telling and listening to stories,” “to be expressive and imaginative,” “how to pretend play,” “to be more imaginative,” “to be more expressive,” and to “visualize,” among many responses.
6 Organizational context – What structures, policies, or events affect the BAP? What facilitated the residency or constitute a barrier? The support and commitment from the BAP administrative team and the OCP administrators and staff clearly facilitated the positive outcomes of the residency. The BAP administration observed and expressed the values of the program regularly to the teaching artists and numerous visitors. The OCP principal and staff welcomed the BAP teaching artists and the UL researchers and clearly exalted the goals of the residency. Unanticipated outcomes – Are there any unanticipated outcomes that are not planned for or expected from BAP experience? One unanticipated outcome was the visible increased benefit to children with special needs in the OCP classrooms. The BAP teaching artists entered the residency with the expectation that all children would participate in their own ways and at their own developmental levels. They accepted all types of participation, including language that wasn’t discernable, responses that didn’t make sense, and varied physical responses to movement and activities. They looked children in the eyes, smiled with exuberance, and were genuinely thrilled with a range of ways that children engaged. As a result, children participated in a range of ways, often exceeding the types of communication and participation that their teachers observed previous to the Jack residency. RECOMMENDATIONS The following recommendations are made as a result of the evaluation: 1. Capitalize on the value of movement and engaging bodies as part of pretend and problem solving, to maximize the benefits for thinking and language development, and to increase joy! Copple and Bredekamp say, “Preschoolers are extremely physical creatures – constantly moving, running, and jumping. They react joyfully to opportunities for dancing, creative movement, [and] physical dramatic play” (2009, p. 113-114). Movement + language + pretend = learning. This area is full of potential for research that leads to deeper theoretical understanding about learning in drama education. 2. Increase teacher involvement with professional development to explore classroom extensions of the Jack residency. Teachers’ engagement varied according to their previous experiences with drama education and their comfort levels. Profound effects will occur if teaching artists and classroom teachers collaboratively plan and assess in a teacher research study group. This is a critical area for future research and evaluation. 3. Additional resources are needed for evaluations that follow up on these findings and recommendations. Clinical and quantitative analysis of individual children’s learning, including longitudinal research as the children move into kindergarten and to grade 3, is called for to document the effects of the BAP experience on academic achievement.
7 SUMMARY The Blue Apple Players Jack and the Beanstalk Residency at the Oldham County Preschool provided children with a wealth of positive early childhood experiences known to be effective and developmentally appropriate for preschool children. These experiences contribute to the education of the whole child; provide particular support for social emotional, cognitive and language development; and are grounded in the essential elements of early learning: play, imagination and story. These practices contribute to an early childhood preschool experience that prepares children for kindergarten. REFERENCES Bandura, A. (1994). Self� efficacy. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Bruner, J. (1983). Play, thought, and language. Peabody Journal of Education, 60(3), 6069. Catterall, J. S. (2009). Doing well and doing good by doing art: The effects of education in the visual and performing arts on the achievements and values of young adults. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. Epstein, A. (2000). Me, you, us: Social-emotional learning in preschool. MI: Highscope Press. Kemis, M., & Walker, D. A. (2000). The aeiou approach to program evaluation. Black Issues Book Review, 35, 42. Kentucky Early Childhood Standards (2008). State Department of Education. Mages, W.K. (2008). Does creative drama promote language development in early childhood? A review of the methods and measures employed in the empirical literature. Review of Educational Research, (78) 1, 124-152. Merriam, S. B. (1998). Qualitative research and case study applications in education. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Paley, V. G. (1991). The boy who would be a helicopter. Cambridge: Harvard University. Stevenson, L. M., & Deasy, R. (2005). Third space: When learning matters (pp. 10-11). Washington, DC: Arts Education Partnership. Vygotsky, L.V. (1978). Mind in society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Wohlwend, K. E. (2011). Playing their way into literacies: Reading, writing, and belonging in the early childhood classroom. New York: Teachers College Press.
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APPENDIX A: Jack Residency and Kentucky Early Childhood Standards Representative Kentucky Early Childhood Standards accomplished during the Jack Residency (examples could be provided): Arts and Humanities Standard 1: Participates and shows interest in a variety of visual art, dance, music, and drama experiences. Benchmark 1.3: Develops skills in and appreciation of music. Uses fingerplays and/or songs to experiment with beat and time. Benchmark 1.4: Develops skills in and appreciation of drama. Uses a variety of actions or sounds to explore drama. Performs simple elements of drama (e.g. audience, actors, stage, etc.). Attends and responds to drama performed by other individuals and/or cultures. English/Language Arts Standard 1: Demonstrates general skills and strategies of the communication process. Benchmark 1.2: Uses language (verbal, signed, symbolic) for a variety of purposes. Responds meaningfully in conversations and discussions with peers and adults. Uses words, signs, and/or symbols to effectively express feelings and thoughts, describe experiences, interact with others, and/or communicate needs. Adjusts expressive techniques (pitch, intonation, pace) for a variety of purposes. English/Language Arts Standard 2: Demonstrates general skills and strategies of the listening and observing processes. Benchmark 2.1: Engages in active listening in a variety of situations. Attends to adult or peer who is speaking/signing. Follows simple directions. Gains information through listening experiences. Uses listening to interpret and apply meaning. Benchmark 2.2: Observes to gain information and understanding. Makes comparisons through everyday experiences and play. Makes predictions concerning everyday experiences and play. Draws conclusions from everyday experiences and play. English/Language Arts Standard 3: Demonstrates general skills and strategies of the reading process. Benchmark 3.4: Discriminates separate syllables in words. Demonstrates emergent phonemic/phonological awareness. Benchmark 3.6: Tells and retells a story. Acts out main events of a familiar story. Uses prior experience to help make sense of stories.
9 Retells a story including many details and draws connections between story events. Health/Mental Wellness Standard 1: Demonstrates health/metal wellness in individual and cooperative social environments. Benchmark 1.2: Shows social cooperation. Works in small group situations with teacher support. Can identify feelings, likes and dislikes, but may not be able to explain why. Benchmark 1.3: Applies social problem solving skills. Uses simple strategies to appropriately solve problems by self and within a group. Uses multiple strategies to solve problems. Provides simple but acceptable reasons for ideas in solving problems. Health/Mental Wellness Standard 1: Demonstrates health/metal wellness in individual and cooperative social environments. Benchmark 1.4: Shows a sense of purpose (future-hopefulness) Demonstrates self-confidence through interactions. Math Standard 1: Demonstrates general skills and uses concepts of mathematics. Benchmark 1.1: Demonstrates an understanding of numbers and counting. Imitates rote counting using the names of the numbers. Counts in sequence to 5 and beyond. Physical Education Standard 1: Demonstrates basic gross and fine motor development. Benchmark 1.1: Performs a variety of locomotor skills with control and balance. Climbs, jumps, and/or hops with increased coordination, balance, and control. Social Studies Standard 1: Demonstrates basic understanding of the world in which he/she lives. Benchmark 1.2: Uses environmental clues and tools to understand surroundings. Recognizes the beginning and end of an event. Recalls information about the immediate past. Describes or represents a limited series of events in the correct sequence. Makes predictions about what may occur. Distinguishes through demonstration and/or description characteristics of the environment.