Can drama pedagogy improve communication skills (oracy) within 16+ students in alternative vocational education settings?

Duvall, Samantha (2025) Can drama pedagogy improve communication skills (oracy) within 16+ students in alternative vocational education settings? Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

Preview

PDF Download (3MB) | Preview

Abstract

This study looks at the importance of building oracy skills in post 16 alternative vocational education, using pedagogy that has been well-established in traditional drama teaching settings. The study is focused on a single local provision in Norfolk that delivers vocational courses for 16+. The study focuses on how drama pedagogy can be used with the current vocational program of delivery to improve the communication (oracy) skills of the students enrolled in the course units. The study also looks at the bigger picture in terms of combining different teaching approaches, working with staff and adapting programs of delivery to understand how we can raise students' aspirations, giving them a sense of readiness to move on to employment or appropriate work placements. The study uses a multifaceted approach of case study, observations, student interviews and fieldnotes to gain an in depth understanding how drama pedagogy can be used effectively in this area of education. Teaching methods of Process drama and the approaches of Dorothy Heathcote inform the theoretical framework of this study, alongside theories developed by Basil Bernstein.

The study finds that students did show improvement through participation, acquisition of new vocabulary and sustained dialogue demonstrating the best the results in the more practical units. Evidence showed students benefitted from the direct modelling of tasks and using professional language from their tutor. Observations found that students’ participation in role-play tasks helped some to develop confidence and leadership skills. A key finding that was not an original focus of the study was the learning space the study created. The fieldnotes often captured the informal conversations happening around the workshop and it was evident that additional conversational and social skills were also being developed during the period of this study.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Education and Lifelong Learning
Depositing User:	Kitty Laine
Date Deposited:	06 May 2026 15:58
Last Modified:	06 May 2026 15:58
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/102918
DOI:

Downloads

Actions (login required)

View Item