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Education 3-13: International Journalof Primary, Elementary and Early YearsEducationPublication details, including instructions for authors andsubscription information:http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rett20
Using creative drama to facilitateprimary–secondary transitionDivya Jindal-Snape a , Elinor Vettraino b , Amanda Lowson c &Wilson McDuff ca School of Education, Social Work and Community Education,University of Dundee , Nethergate , Dundee , DD1 4HN , UKb Adam Smith College , St Brycedale Avenue, Kirkcaldy , Fife , KY11EX , UKc Dundee Rep, Tay Square , Dundee , DD1 1PB , UKPublished online: 06 May 2011.
To cite this article: Divya Jindal-Snape , Elinor Vettraino , Amanda Lowson & Wilson McDuff(2011) Using creative drama to facilitate primary–secondary transition, Education 3-13:International Journal of Primary, Elementary and Early Years Education, 39:4, 383-394, DOI:10.1080/03004271003727531
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03004271003727531
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Using creative drama to facilitate primary–secondary transition
Divya Jindal-Snapea*, Elinor Vettrainob, Amanda Lowsonc and Wilson McDuffc
aSchool of Education, Social Work and Community Education, University of Dundee,Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN, UK; bAdam Smith College, St Brycedale Avenue, Kirkcaldy,Fife, KY1 1EX, UK; cDundee Rep, Tay Square, Dundee, DD1 1PB, UK
(Received 9 September 2009; final version received 9 December 2009)
Primary–secondary transition can be a period of extreme anxiety for some children,with lowering of self-esteem and confidence. Creative drama has been reported toenhance self-esteem and confidence. This paper explores the possibility of usingdrama to facilitate successful transition. It focuses on secondary datasets from sixprimary schools in a local authority in Scotland (357 pupils and 12 teachers) toexplore the effectiveness of creative drama. It then reports data collected from fourdrama professionals to explore whether drama can be effective in facilitatingsuccessful transition and the reasons behind that. The data suggest that creativedrama can be used effectively in transitions due to its potential to empower pupils,to facilitate an understanding of emotional issues, to provide realistic scenarios witha degree of distance and a safe space to rehearse real life transitions.
Keywords: primary–secondary transition; creative drama; self-esteem; sharedexperience; resilience
The research on transition between primary and secondary schools shows that it is aperiod of anxiety for many children (Galton and Morrison 2000; Jindal-Snape andFoggie 2008), with substantial decline in self-esteem, academic motivation andachievement (Eccles and Midgley 1989; Wigfield et al. 1991). Transition constitutes a‘challenge of living’ (Mruk 1999); that is, a period where an individual’s sense ofworth and competence are particularly vulnerable (Jindal-Snape and Miller 2008).Most children do eventually manage the process successfully, which someresearchers have attributed to formalised procedures in schools related to transition(Hargreaves and Galton 2002; Jindal-Snape and Foggie 2008), whereas otherssuggest that it may be due to students remaining resilient and coping with change(Akos 2004; Jindal-Snape and Miller 2010). According to Newman and Blackburn(2002) positive child development is not simply about reducing or eliminating riskand promoting resilience, it is about the child having the ability to successfullymanage risk. Children with good social and emotional development are more likelyto be able to manage risk successfully (Jindal-Snape and Miller 2010). Severaltechniques have been used by schools to develop the social and emotionaldevelopment of children, one of them being drama (Jindal-Snape and Vettraino2007). However, not much has been reported about drama in the context ofprimary–secondary transition.
*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
Education 3–13
Vol. 39, No. 4, September 2011, 383–394
ISSN 0300-4279 print/ISSN 1475-7575 online
� 2011 ASPE
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03004271003727531
http://www.tandfonline.com
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Drama techniques have been used in school, clinical and community settingsto promote the social and emotional development of children for a number ofyears. In this paper we will focus on creative drama that is used as a means toconstruct a possible real life scenario but one in which the actors can de-personalise their actions and responses in the guise of ‘playing the character’. Thisis similar to Heathcote and Bolton’s (1995) aim of empowering the participants tolearn about the whole gamut of behaviours, attitudes, skills and knowledgerequired to operate within the particular focus field or area in society that she isworking on. Drama in this way can offer social play opportunities, where childrencould explore solutions to various social problems that were played out(Hampshire 1996; Slade 1998; Kempe 1991; Peter 2000a, 2000b, 2003; Baim,Brookes, and Mountford 2002). This gives them a chance of working throughproblems in order to offer solutions in dramatic form, making explicit the linkbetween the fictional situation in the drama represented and what the childrenthemselves experience (or might experience) in reality (Kempe 1991). Creativedrama, therefore, offers children the chance to explore themselves through thelives of fictional ‘others’ in a safe space that enables mistakes to be made andlearned from. In relation to the primary–secondary transition, drama is a perfecttesting ground.
What makes drama so important for children engaging in the (sometimestraumatic) experience of moving from primary to secondary education relates totheir need to truly understand the process of change and of how to manage thatprocess. This is similar to Boal’s (1995) ‘metaxis’; ‘. . . the state of belongingcompletely and simultaneously to two different, autonomous worlds; the image ofreality and the reality of the image’ (43). In metaxis, participants are able towatch their character engage with a situation and are also able to observethemselves as that character. By doing this, they understand how they (self-as-actor) would interact in a given scenario but also how others (self-as-character)might. In relation to transition, this deeper insight offers a greater understandingto children to help interpret situations, make appropriate behaviour choices toengage with those situations and learn from the successful outcomes of thosesituations.
Drama is also seen to enhance a child’s confidence and self-esteem (Jindal-Snape and Foggie 2008), enhance social and emotional development (Peter 2000a,2000b), develop self-advocacy (Schnapp and Olsen 2003), and as mentioned above,can provide him/her opportunities to explore issues related to transition thatmight be worrying him/her or might potentially be seen as a risk in a safe environ-ment, and can give him/her the chance to work through problematic situations andinteractions. All these can be important resilience-promoting factors duringprimary–secondary transition. Further, participation in extra-curricular activitieshas also been linked to the promotion of resilience (Akos 2006; Newman andBlackburn 2002).
However, no study to date has been published which considers the useof drama in this way. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to explore thepotential of using creative drama techniques to facilitate primary–secondarytransition. This study was conducted in Scotland, where children usually movefrom primary school to secondary school at the age of 12. In Scotland, a newCurriculum for Excellence represents the biggest educational reform since theintroduction of the 5–14 programme. This curriculum focuses on 3–18 years and
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aspires to bring different curricular areas closer with greater emphasis oncreativity (Learning Teaching Scotland n.d.).
Research objectives
. To analyse secondary datasets to explore the perception of pupils and teachersregarding the benefit of creative drama;
. To explore the perception of drama professionals regarding the benefit ofcreative drama during transition through primary data;
. To consider ways in which creative drama can lead to successful primary–secondary transition.
Methodology
We conducted a qualitative study to explore perceptions of professionals who hadfirst-hand experience of creative drama in the context of transition. A purposivesampling technique was used as it was important to collect data from professionalswho had used creative drama in this way. Data were collected from them through afocus group and an interview (n ¼ 4). Very open, exploratory questions were asked togenerate rich qualitative data (Sarantakos 2005). A focus group was used as the‘synergy of the group adds to the depth and insight’ (Anderson 1994, 241). Secondarydatasets were analysed to present the views of children (n ¼ 357) and their teachers(n ¼ 12) from six primary schools in a Local Education Authority (LEA). Thesecondary dataset was part of evaluation data collected by the institution of one of theauthors through questionnaires and interviews. All participants of a drama projectand their teachers were invited to participate in the evaluation.
The researchers abided by the University of Dundee, School of Education,Social Work and Community Education research guidelines. The participationwas voluntary and informed consent was obtained from all participants. Theparticipants were assured of anonymity and confidentiality. Thematic analysis wasundertaken to identify emerging themes. The primary and secondary data havebeen pulled together under themes. Please note that the secondary data from pupilsand teachers are more focused on drama and its effectiveness in a general way andthe drama professionals data focused on the use of drama for primary–secondarytransitions.
Results and discussion
Advantages of creative drama
Confidence
One of the themes that came up repeatedly for pupils and teachers was that the entireprocess of drama had made the pupils more confident. Seventy-one per cent of pupilssaid they had become more confident as a result of taking part in the dramaworkshops.
I learned to be more confident. (Pupil, Primary School B)
. . . to be more confident and to try more. (Pupil, Primary School A)
It had a big impact on confidence. It was good for me to sit back and watch. I found it areal eye opener to see those who took the lead and see the people I wouldn’t have
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expected to come forward and shape the sessions, answer questions and makesuggestions. (Teacher, Primary School B)
Drama professionals indicated that this might be due to the child being given moreautonomy.
It’s got a lot to do with being heard and finding a voice . . . unless we becomeconfident with our voice and who we are by what we say . . . If we don’t actuallyhave the opportunity to speak, to be heard, to be listened to and have thatreflected back to us as being important and then we often lose ourselves. (DramaProfessional 3)
Self-esteem
Participants also perceived that drama had an impact on the pupils’ self-esteem,including the feeling of self-worth and self-competence.
It just made me feel enjoyable and proud of myself. (Pupil, Primary School E)
Overall we are onto a winner. It’s really captivating the children who wouldn’t shine inlanguage and maths and some are definitely achieving. (Teacher, Primary School A)
Similar to the teachers and pupils, drama professionals reported that drama providespupils with opportunities to succeed and enhances their self-esteem. It was suggestedthat drama encourages children to take ownership of their own learning, feelings,ideas and thoughts.
We have heaps and heaps and heaps of evidence on the power of drama. I’ll start agroup and there will probably be you know 7 of the children that won’t even speak andare absolutely terrified . . . and then at the end of the process . . . I had one little girlrecently who is taking part in the main stage show and has a huge part singing, a hugescript to learn and she was a really underconfident little girl . . . last year. (DramaProfessional 1)
As mentioned earlier, lowering of confidence and self-esteem has been identifiedas a major issue during the transition process (Eccles and Midgley 1989; Wigfieldet al 1991; Jindal-Snape and Miller 2010). This function of drama in increasingconfidence and self-esteem would make it an important intervention strategy priorto, during, and after transition.
Freedom of expression
There was a view that creative drama had allowed the pupils the opportunity toexpress themselves freely. It was reported that pupils who were normally reluctant toexpress themselves seemed to find drama a medium through which they couldexpress themselves. This ‘freedom of expression’ is a commonly commented uponresult of drama engagement.
I learnt how to describe feelings by music (and drama). (Pupil, Primary School C)
I learned to cooperate and raise my voice. (Pupil, Primary School B)
They have developed good emotional communication through facial expressions andbody posture along with social skills and confidence. (Teacher, Primary School A)
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This is similar to Peter’s view (2000a, 2000b) that drama can be used to enhancepublic engagement.
Cooperation and socio-emotional development
Data from pupils suggested that they learned to work well in a group context andlearned important social and emotional skills.
I learned how to cooperate. (Pupil, Primary School D)
How to get along better with my class mates and work together. (Pupil, PrimarySchool A)
We learned how to compromise and get along with each other. (Pupil, PrimarySchool A)
Drama is a cooperative venture and that’s where it becomes more powerful andempowering sort of approach . . . when children and young people come to us and saywe don’t know the answer to this problem and we often say well we don’t know theanswer either . . . and we say it is in between us somewhere and if we pull our resourcestogether then we can move forward . . . (Drama Professional 3)
This is similar to Jindal-Snape and Vettraino (2007) who reported studies that hadindicated that drama had been useful in social and emotional development ofchildren and young people. Further, this aspect makes drama an effectiveintervention strategy as children with good social and emotional skills are reportedto have relatively successful transitions (Adeyemo 2005).
Drama techniques used in the context of transitions
Active participation by pupils
One drama professional gave an example of an artistic director going into primaryschools to do the groundwork regarding pupils’ worries, fears and anxieties. On thebasis of that they wrote a play which was performed by drama workers in severallocal primary schools.
They had to create their own Joe (a character) and what he liked or didn’t like, whatwere the dreams and hopes and the young people told them and the actors had to act.(Drama Professional 2)
This was done to provide children with opportunities to witness scenarios and toprovide a platform to identify with the characters and explore myths and rumours.The pupils had the chance to explore ‘hot seating’ and ask actors questions abouttheir situations. This also de-personalised the character for them. This technique notonly gave recognition to their fears and worries, it also led to active participation andownership which is seen to be essential by transition experts (Pietarinen, Soini, andPyhalto 2010).
Opportunities to reflect
Another example included the use of drama games to reflect back on negativebehaviour and how the others felt when they behaved in a particular manner.
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. . . worked with P7 boys . . . they had to devise their own games . . . and feedback was‘people aren’t listening to me’ . . . and we asked ‘how does that make you feel?’ (DramaProfessional 2)
This is similar to Thompson’s (1999) work on behavioural change highlightingsignificant issues relating to the way in which people learn behaviours. Heacknowledges that if behaviours can be learned, they can also be ‘un’ or ‘re’learned; he goes on to emphasise the importance of engaging in this learningthrough active means. Children working through transition periods need to begiven opportunities to reinforce positive behaviours that will help them in theirmove from primary to secondary and un-learn behaviours that will cause themdifficulties. Doing this through drama allows them to experience real lifesituations that hold anxiety for them, but in a way that is safe; contained in the‘as if’ world of dramatic action.
Specific techniques, such as Forum Theatre
Another example involved the use of specific techniques such as Forum Theatre (seeBoal 2003). Forum Theatre was used for
. . . enabling children to explore real life situations with a degree of distancethrough the creation of fictional characters. These fictional characters are then putinto situations that the children have identified as posing potential challenges forthem . . . so in the case of transition, it could be ‘what happens if I get bullied?’The children get a chance then to try out a range of possible solutions to theproblems they have identified. (Drama Professional 4)
The advantage of this technique is that children can try out scenarios in a safeenvironment.
The beauty of this technique (Forum Theatre) is that it offers a safe space in whichto rehearse for real life. It also offers the children a chance to see that they are notalone; many of their peers will be worrying about the same issues. I have used thistechnique extensively myself when working with my P7 classes and it has provedinvaluable as a way of opening the discussion about ‘how will I cope?’ (DramaProfessional 4)
Rationale for using creative drama for primary–secondary transitions
Confidence and self-esteem
One drama professional suggested that drama provides opportunities to succeed andtherefore enhances confidence and self-esteem.
Create a forum where children could succeed quickly . . . that drama in many wayscircumvents any kind of cognitive or intellectual or verbal messages that children gethung up with very easily . . . everything we plan is to allow children to succeed withit . . . play based exercises . . . succeed . . . open doors to other more challengingexercises . . . (Drama Professional 3)
Children and young people grow confident as a result of experiencing drama andconnecting it to their life as they go through primary and secondary. I think that ispretty much the nub of it. (Drama Professional 3)
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Shared experience
Drama is a shared and social experience. The sharing of concerns seemed to beseen as something that was important for the pupils in the drama process as seenabove. From the drama professionals’ point of view, the cooperative andcommunal aspect of dramatic processes was a crucial element of the transitionwork too.
. . . I think it’s the power of drama that we do create a level playing field . . . and alsobegin to discover voices we never knew existed, the children never knew theyhad . . . anecdotal evidence . . . very strong evidence and valuable though that in anyworkshop there is not a single person who doesn’t make the social emotionalmovement . . . (Drama Professional 3)
. . . the thing for me was that it was okay for people in the class to be saying that ‘but Iam really worried because of . . . ’ and other kids going ‘yeah, yeah . . . ’, for that to bean open and honest conversation. For it to be okay for a wee boy to feel that everybodyelse is feeling this as well. (Drama Professional 1)
Writers have often commented on the importance of the social aspect oflearning. Theorists such as Freire (1993) are exponents of the idea of socialconstructivism and, in Freire’s case, the concept of communication and dialogue,and in Boal’s (1995) the importance of a shared understanding when workingwith drama for change. This is fundamental to the development of transitionwork because children in this phase of their emotional and academic educationgain much more from their shared experiences and fears of moving to secondarythan they would from internalising their concerns. By sharing their worries, theydiscover that their peers feel the same or similar. This knowledge often gives themthe confidence to speak out about their own worries but, more importantly, it canhave an impact on the way that they behave in other areas of their lives, notlinked to educational transition.
Engagement with the representation of reality
One of the main benefits raised by drama professionals in relation to the use ofdrama in transition focused on the ability of participants to engage in action that wasnot reality but instead was a representation of reality (Boal 2000). One dramaprofessional stated the following:
By physically playing the part of someone who is going through the transition period,they are allowing themselves to think about their own worries or concerns about movingto secondary but without actually ‘owning’ them, in other words they don’t have to say‘yes, this is me and this is how I feel’. That’s really important because drama providesthat degree of distance that if you were, for example, talking to children about theirfeelings you wouldn’t be able to do. (Drama Professional 4)
There was acknowledgement of the safety in de-personalising the scenario and beingable to project one’s thoughts on characters.
I’ll tell you what’s good about drama. As soon as you ask children about what’s goingon in their head they won’t tell it. But when you create a character . . . then it becomes a
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lot easier . . . (then) there is no sense of exposure or vulnerability there . . . we’ve createda believable enough character where children from P7 to S1 face similar sort ofproblems – suddenly they are freed up . . . (Drama Professional 3)
Supportive and safe environment
When asked what made this difference the drama professionals said that it wasdue to
. . . a happy, safe environment . . . I do a lot of my work on team work, together andwith one another . . . you can take them right up there . . . very quickly actually, itdoesn’t take that long. (Drama Professional 1)
Even if you have the family support and you are loved . . . it’s so important to sit inwith your peers . . . peer educators. We did a workshop with peer educators and itwas great they were saying ‘oh this is great’, ‘this is what this girl needs’ . . . so itworked well and they could think of what to do with primary sevens. (DramaProfessional 1)
This safe environment and support from significant others can work as protectivefactors and lead to resilience to change and any challenges of transition (Newmanand Blackburn 2002).
Things to consider when using drama for transitions
Need for sensitivity and safety
However, similar to Learmonth (2002), the drama professionals in this studycautioned that educational drama, where the intention is a low level therapeuticintervention, needs to be carried out in a very well thought through and sensitiveway.
It needs to be done seriously. It’s important who does it . . . they might do it badly andexposing young people, getting them up . . . we structure everything we do, don’t we[other Drama Professionals agreed]. (Drama Professional 1)
It can be a dangerous place. On one hand we are creating freedom, at the same time weall need boundaries, parameters, all need to know when to stop and come back into theworld (reality) . . . I think it just has to be very carefully planned . . . and that childrenand young people can on that journey, grow as they go along . . . has to be underpinnedby what does it mean to be supportive, what does it mean to be respectful . . . we arealways marrying those two elements, so that it is safe for the children. (DramaProfessional 3)
The need for a ‘safe space/container’ for dramatic processes is not new to dramaand theatre practitioners or theorists. Many writers in the fields of educationaldrama, theatre, and dramatherapy (Cattanach 1996; Baldwin 2004; Jones 2008) havewritten about the importance of the dramatic space; the ‘as if’ mentioned before.Heathcote and Bolton’s (1995) use of techniques like Teacher-in-Role, Pupil-in-Roleand Mantle of the Expert, enables her to structure extremely ‘real’ dramaticexperiences that pull on all the senses and yet are very much contained in theaesthetic space that drama provides. Heathcote (2008) highlighted the fundamentalrequirement for good facilitation of that experience; a point raised by the dramaprofessionals involved in this study.
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There are some real issues about using drama in this very low level therapeutic way,the most obvious being the safety and ability of the facilitator. A good facilitatorcan make the drama session a worthwhile and tremendously enjoyable experience; abad facilitator can not only ruin a session but can leave children feeling veryvulnerable and unsure afterwards. Anyone facilitating drama of this kind needs to beextremely clear about what their objectives are. They are not there to ‘heal’ or ‘help’but instead are there to undertake some educational objectives; in Scotland theserelate very much to the children’s personal and social development. (DramaProfessional 4)
Facilitation skills
When asked if that meant that only skilled drama professionals could usethis, the participants said that teachers within the schools should be able todo it.
A teacher would have that anyway . . . what we were talking about [beingsupportive and make it safe for children] . . . There could be a CPD or train-ing for them in secondary and primary . . . we have done that with teacherssuccessfully . . . they have had no other training apart from us supporting them andadvising them on the process, and they are doing it [in the school]. (DramaProfessional 1)
I think both professions have a job here. Drama professionals or trained specialists arereally important as they can give a broader range of techniques and experiences tochildren and to teachers but, actually, teachers are perfectly placed to ensure that dramawork is a key part of the classroom experience and is embedded into a range of differentlearning experiences. Without teachers engaging in classroom drama it would bevirtually impossible to ensure any kind of sustainability, continuity and progression inchildren’s experience. (Drama Professional 4)
Although the drama professionals felt that such activity could be sustained byteachers being trained to do similar work with children during transitions, onedrama professional raised an issue regarding conflict of role.
There could be a conflict of role for teachers because on one hand teachers arethere . . . seen as the leader of the class in class time as it were, and then when you switchto drama you have a ‘non-leader’ head on . . . sometimes that can create, I have seenthat happen in some classes where children then become confused as to who is theteacher now. This morning you were the teacher and you knew exactly what was meantto happen and now you are the drama teacher and you don’t have the answers . . . Ithink teachers are worried about that. (Drama Professional 3)
When asked if this could be linked with the style of teaching of a particularindividual as compared to somebody who is always collaborative and participative inthe classroom, the drama professionals agreed that they were thinking of moretraditional styles of teaching. There was further discussion about how ‘A Curriculumfor Excellence’ in Scotland might encourage teachers to link drama and other similaractivities to the other areas of the curriculum.
We are very lucky in Scotland that drama is a key part of the primary curriculum, asubject in its own right. We are also very fortunate that the new curriculum framework[Curriculum for Excellence] holds the arts as central to engaging children’s creativityand offers a great deal of scope for teachers to work in cross curricular ways where theycan use drama as a vehicle for learning whilst also teaching the key skills. (DramaProfessional 4)
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Free-flowing but planned
Drama can often be the cause of anxiety amongst teaching professionals because ofthe misconception that it is a free and unstructured experience.
Many people think of drama as some form of free-flowing, unlimited adventure andwhilst I would absolutely agree that freedom to create and change the scope of thedrama has to be in place, the caution I would give is about entering into a dramawithout having an understanding of the structure that the work will take. A goodfacilitator will not know the outcome of their dramatic journey but will definitely knowthe main steps they want to take during it. (Drama Professional 4)
As can be seen in the results from the drama professionals, planning andorganisation of the drama process are a crucial aspect of success in learning.However, as can also be seen from the results, the importance of allowing childrenownership of their learning and incorporating flexibility in the teaching approachesenables the Freirian (1993) ideal of ‘authentic education’ to occur. An importantissue for teachers to consider is the way in which they approach the pupil–teacherdynamic.
Conclusions
This paper presents data from secondary datasets of pupils and teachers regardingthe advantage of creative drama, and primary data collected from dramaprofessionals regarding the advantage of creative drama specifically in the contextof primary–secondary transition. The research participants pointed out a number ofkey benefits of using drama, especially in the context of transitions; namely enablingand empowering pupils to have a sense of ownership in their learning, facilitating anunderstanding of the emotional aspect of transition and ways of dealing with anyemotional issues, providing realistic scenarios but with a degree of distance to enablepupils to deal with them in front of a group of people with the benefit of anonymity,and providing a safe space to rehearse for real life transitional contexts. It alsoprovides opportunities to succeed irrespective of the pupil’s academic ability andcreates a level playing field.
However, it was emphasised that whether drama is facilitated by dramaprofessionals or teachers, appropriate training is required and the facilitator shouldhave a clear understanding of his/her educational objectives and professionalboundaries. It is vital that the facilitator organises and structures the sessions to beable to provide the flexibility required to make it meaningful for the pupils.
Further, irrespective of whether teachers are facilitators or not, their participa-tion is essential to ensure the generalisation and maintenance of any dramaintervention effects to the classroom and/or the new school environment. This raisesquestions regarding curriculum design for initial teacher education and the emphasison creative approaches to working with children in non-academic curricularactivities.
The authors are aware that this research presents perceptual data of dramaprofessionals about the use of drama in transitions and does not provide anymeasurable evidence or data from the direct stakeholders of the transition process.Therefore, it is suggested that further data should be collected from pupils and theirteachers with particular focus on transitions. It is important that further research is
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conducted to capture the impact of drama intervention on successful primary–secondary transitions. The research with the pupils could follow an experimentaldesign, especially as drama related research has been criticised for not being rigorous(Jindal-Snape and Vettraino 2007). This might be further enhanced by the use ofstandardised tests, for example to measure the impact on self-esteem.
Similarly, in the area of transition research, very few studies gather longitudinaldata (Jindal-Snape 2010), especially in the context of interventions. Therefore, itwould be useful to gather longitudinal data over the primary–secondary transitionsto see the impact of creative drama clearly. It might be important to use a mix ofqualitative and quantitative design which can show any impact but also give aninsight into why there is an impact and whether it might be different for differentpupils depending on their context.
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