Challenge of the Empty Space. Group Factors as a Part of Drama Education

Problem Statement:1) How do structural factors of a group appear in drama teaching? 2) How do structural factors of a group influence the progression and functionality of a drama lesson? Purpose of Study: The aim of this preliminary case study is to build a model that could help teacher students to increase their theoretical knowledge of the structural factors that influence drama lessons. The group's structural factors were chosen as the target of the theoretical study due to the social nature of drama teaching. Research Methods: In this study, the research material contained two of ten videotaped drama lessons held by class teacher trainees in Viikkís Teacher Training School of the University of Helsinki in Finland. The set of data used in this study was collected from March 2011 to April 2011. The material used in this article included one lesson each from the 1st and 2nd grade classes. The research team coded the video recordings that formed the basis of the analysis. Findings: Based on the findings from the video analysis, students’ group roles and their infraction have a crucial impact on the success of the lesson. The consideration of group roles seems to have a direct connection to all the other structural factors of the group, trainee teacher communication and the success of the lesson. In this study, the success of the lesson means pupils’ active participation in drama action. Teachers’ remedial actions during drama lessons were aligned with the consideration of group roles. Conclusions: Drama requires the physical and mental involvement of the pupils and the teacher, but at the same time, the pupils are also physically and mentally involved in the social group of the class. The teacher using drama needs to be able to facilitate the working dynamics of both kinds of groups in empty space. There has to be simultaneous recognition and facilitation. Becoming a teacher using drama in education requires skills and knowledge of drama and group dynamics.