Abstract:
New educational directives have an effect on the practice of teachers in schools. The introduction of an Australian Curriculum and subsequent changes to the Arts curriculum, provided the impetus to investigate Year 1 teachers’ perspectives of, and practices in drama, and ascertain teachers’ knowledge and preparedness for curriculum implementation. A mixed methods design was selected, as this approach provided an authentic representation of participant voices through two phases. A questionnaire in the first phase collected data from a wide range of participants about drama practice, perspectives and supporting and inhibiting factors. This information also provided the context for the subsequent semi-structured interviews. Participants for the semi-structured interviews involved purposeful sampling and included teachers in government and independent schools, in addition to two drama specialists who provided a valuable contrast in the examination of the complexities of teachers’ drama practice. The study found that the teachers’ use of drama was variable. Whilst teachers valued and used drama, lack of time and knowledge were primary impediments to the use of drama and existing perspectives about drama affected the decision to teach drama. Teachers’ lack of knowledge restricted their drama practice and consequently this resulted in limited drama experiences for their students. The potential of the subject as an exploratory and creative mode of learning was not entirely understood; this is significant because creative learning supports the formation of new ideas and development of skills in problem solving (Baldwin, 2012; Bird, Donelan, Freebody, O’Toole & Sinclair, 2012). Whilst the new Arts curriculum offers the opportunity for engagement with all arts forms, including drama (ACARA, 2014), teacher concerns of a crowded curriculum and a lack of training result in its marginalisation. Future directions are discussed including the support necessary support for teachers to effectively plan, teach and assess drama.