Going to “The Land of Drama”: Behavior management techniques in a kindergarten sociodramatic play residency

ABSTRACT This study examined the impact of educational drama on behavior management techniques used by Teaching Artists (TA’s) during a guided sociodramatic play residency. Four TA’s, two males and two females, teaching a total of eight Kindergarten classrooms were observed on videotape to see how they managed student behavior during the first lesson and the last lesson of a guided sociodramatic play residency. Four categories were coded for: no management, directive management, supportive management, and mixed management. There was a statistically significant difference reduction in the amount of directive behavior management employed by the TA’s between Lessons 1 and 13. The preliminary results indicate that further empirical study be done on the direct of effects of educational drama on self-regulation development in children. This may reflect an increase in children’s self-regulation over time, perhaps as a function of the sociodramatic play activities. Direct, experimental examination of children’s behavioral change during drama residencies are warranted. As the need for teamwork skills and effective communication is vital in school, self-regulated behavior is imperative for academic achievement and social competency, and educational drama may have an impact on gaining these skills.