Pretending to Motivate How drama pedagogy enhances student motivation for learning

Abstract

Drama’s capacity to motivate students is frequently referred to in the literature, however it is seldom discussed in connection to motivation theories in psychology. This study aims to begin filling this gap by drawing on Self-Determination Theory (SDT), a psychological theory of human motivation. This research was based on a single case study of a drama teacher and his class. In order to gain a clear picture of drama pedagogy practices and their impact on student motivation, several methods were employed: in-class observations and video recording, teacher interviews, and student journals. Overlaying the data with SDT’s three core psychological needs of autonomy, competence and relatedness has shown drama pedagogy enhances student motivation by meeting these needs in multiple ways. These included providing students with choices within open-ended and complex tasks, which consequently provided students with opportunities to work in their own way. Another factor was the creation of a safe space which was enhanced by the fictional nature of drama. Working in fiction provided safety by distancing in order to protect students into emotion. There were also a number of drama pedagogy practices which align with the core psychological needs, however these were not identified by SDT as teacher practices that support the needs. Power relationships and the possibility for the teacher to challenge the traditional hierarchical teacher/student relationship was an important factor. This allowed students an increased sense of ownership, responsibility, and fostered a sense of co-artistry alongside the teacher. This was a key finding of this research. This thesis concludes that drama pedagogy, explored through the lens of SDT, does much to enhance student motivation for learning, including aspects which go beyond those currently recommended by SDT. These aspects have the capacity to enhance the recommendations SDT makes for classroom teachers.