Investigating the affordances of drama therapy for addressing problematic behavior in a grade R classroom

Abstract

In 2011, under the terms of White Paper 6, the South African Department of Basic Education adopted the principles of inclusive education, where learners were no longer to be segregated in terms of their abilities. Although largely accepted as an ideal practice, the implementation of White Paper 6 has been problematic. One of the key stressors, as identified by teachers in previous studies, is that of learner behaviour. This research, with its specific focus on behavioural difficulties, investigated the affordances of an integrated drama therapy intervention as a way of supporting inclusivity in a Grade R classroom. The intervention focused on using drama therapy to support the individual showing problematic behaviour; it investigated coping strategies for the class and considered the implications of the intervention for the schooling system as a whole. The researcher used practitioner based research as she worked with individual children and the class as a group in a drama therapy practice. This research attempted to understand the affordances of using a drama therapy practice to address the psychosocial challenges of realising inclusion in South African pre-schools.