Design and Evaluation of a Dramatization Programme to improve Self-esteem
Author(s):
Sara Fernández Aguayo (presenting / submitting) Margarita Pino Juste
Conference:
ECER 2014
Network:
05. Children and Youth at Risk and Urban Education
Format:
Paper

Session Information

05 SES 11, Children and Youth at Risk and Urban Education

Paper Session

Time:
2014-09-04
17:15-18:45
Room:
B017 Anfiteatro
Chair:
Ruth Leitch

Contribution

The subject matter of this study comes up when faced with the need to offer an educational alternative to teenagers at risk of social exclusion. This alternative should facilitate the adoption of tools to deal with their reality and to enable them to be able to be part of society. In our work, we consider self-esteem as a basic tool.

Several researchers maintain that self-esteem is not innate but acquired and is in constant change from childhood to old age. However, it is at the beginning of the adolescence when young people start to develop their personality and it is, therefore, very necessary to develop a healthy self-esteem (Ortega, Mínguez y Rodes, 2000; Polaino, 2000; Alcántara, 1990; Rojas, 2007; Branden, 1995; Naranjo, 2007; Rodríguez y Caño, 2012).

We agree with Branden (1995) that self-esteem is a basic human need, essential to be happy. Self-esteem is not just what we are, but also what we have and project into the future (Ortega, Mínguez y Rodes, 2000; Branden, 1995). A child with high self-esteem does not only accept or value himself/herself, but also projects himself/herself into the future with aims, bettering himself/herself and being happy. The child who is self-confident will trust his/her ideas and appreciate the products of his/her mind (Branden, 1995; Rodríguez y Caño, 2012; Ortega, Mínguez y Rodes, 2000; Alcántara, 1990; Melcón y Melcón, 1991).

Dramatization, understood as theatre for educational purposes where the process rather than the result becomes more important, seeks to develop from the action the capacities of those involved so that they find and boost their self-expression in connection with others and the world (Onieva, 2011, p.232), get to know themselves and accept themselves and the others (Onieva, 2011; Nuñez y Navarro, 2007). It provides a specific place where to represent the abstract (Núñez y Navarro, 2007; Gomes, 2010) and allows to relate to different issues without the need for them to experience them directly (Gomes y Pino, 2012). Through games, participants are enabled to develop and find out about the world they live in (Núñez y Navarro, 2007; Tejerina, 2005). Based on these data, we consider that dramatization can facilitate the adoption of values, as according to Parra (2003), values cannot be intellectualized but must be enforced and their learning comes out of their being experienced, that is the only way children will assimilate them.

Self-esteem is acquired, improved and also deteriorates through experience (Ortega, Mínguez y Rodes, 2000; Polaino, 2000; Branden, 1995; Alácantara, 1990; Rojas, 2007). Working self-esteem is opening the door to the rest of the values. As noted by Branden, dealing with life with low self-esteem is being at a serious disadvantage (Branden, 1995: 11).

Taking this situation as a starting point, our goal is to design, enforce and evaluate a theatre programme in order to encourage the self-esteem of a group of teenagers at social risk.

Based on the goal discussed, the research question we pose is: Would those involved in a theatre-based self-esteem programme improve this skill after their participation in this programme? 

Method

The subject matter of this study was analysed under an ethnographic design involving carrying out a pre-test and posttest and a follow up of the activities during the entire process. To evaluate the programme, we have used qualitative techniques such as the analysis of content of the observational records, minutes of the sessions and discussions groups which enable the constant feedback and quantitative instruments such as the self-esteem questionnaire-scale (Ortega, Mínguez y Rodes, 2000) and the List of Adjectives for the Evaluation of the global and creative self-concept (LAE, Listado de adjetivos para la evaluación del autoconcepto global y creativo (Garaigordobil, 2005) to verify the programme's efficiency. The planning was carried out in a non-formal education context as part of the planning of a children’s play-centre located in a big city. It is developed during the school period (October to May) in two weekly one-hour sessions, addressed to children between 10 and 12, most of them with social integration difficulties and from an urban background, immigrant children, with problems in schools, from broken homes or families with economic problems. These situations generate fear, insecurity, complexes, low self-esteem, etc. in the children. The overall goal of the programme was to discover and internalize personal and social skills and capabilities to improve self-esteem through the collective creation of a theatre play. In order to implement the planning, we used a project-based methodology, where every activity was focused on the collective creation of a musical. This methodology allows working on the self-esteem in practice, enabling subjects to face any emerging problems and making them seek the solutions. Under the supervision of the educator, the subjects designed and arranged the different activities. The topic of the musical was: “Dreams: what I want to be when I grow up”. The sessions generally have the same structure: warm-up activities, individual work, group-work and a brainstorming session about dreams. The basic methodological techniques were group and cooperative techniques, always bearing in mind each participant’s individual progress in the process.

Expected Outcomes

See below a summary of the three cases analyzed, highlighting the improvement in the skills analyzed. CASE 1: The pre-test-posttest in self-esteem has gone from 65.5 up to 89, as the fear of being laughed at was always present. His confidence also underwent a spectacular change. No confidence was identified at a rate of 80. The expression during the work also increased significantly and has gone from 40 up to 100 and the emotional expression has remained steady, being affected by fear. There were several relapses in the process, due to his partners laughing when faced with his work which mainly affected the progress in his confidence and emotional expression. CASE 2: The self-esteem has gone from 72.1 up to 78.8, as working with new partners led her to being ashamed and lacking confidence. Likewise, her confidence has improved significantly, increasing from 40 to 90. The expression during the work has also remarkably improved and the emotional expression from 40 up to 100. There was a decline in the confidence and expression during the individual work, as she was ashamed and afraid of performing badly, which increased as the creation was assimilated. CASE 3: The self-esteem has increased very little. She was the participant who made the least progress, but she also reached the highest level in the pre-test. From the beginning, she showed a good level of confidence and emotional expression. She always needed the approval of the instructor, when she began the individual creation, her confidence and expression dropped as she didn’t have a model to imitate in order to know what is perfect. Her expression during the work has improved significantly. Based on the results, we can suggest that using drama as a therapeutic resource in groups at risk of social exclusion is useful to encourage self-esteem.

References

Alcántara, J.A. (1990). Como educar a auto-estima. Lisboa: Plátano EdiÇoes Técnica. Branden, N. (1995). Los seis pilares de la tierra. Madrid: Paidós. Garaigordobil, M. (2005). Diseño y evaluación de un programa de intervención socioemocional para promover la conducta prosocial y prevenir la violencia. Madrid: Centro de Publicaciones del Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia. Colección Investigación Nº 160 (Primer Premio Nacional de Investigación Educativa 2003). Retrieved from http://www.sc.ehu.es/ptwgalam/Libros_completos/Premio%202OO3%20MEC%20Programa%2010-12.pdf Gomes Ribeiro, C. (2010). El papel del teatro en el desenvolvimiento humano: instrumento pedagógico y de intervención social. (Doctoral dissertation, University of Vigo, 2010). Gomes Ribeiro, C., & Pino Juste, M. (2012). Consolidar as experiências com o teatro em épocas de crise económica. Revista Diálogos com a Arte, 2, 123-137. Melcón Alvarez, Mº A., & Melcón Alvarez, A. (1991). Educación en la autoestima. Revista Complutense de Educación. 2 (3), 491-500. Retrieved from http://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=150087 Naranjo Pereira, M.L. (2007). Autoestima: Un factor relevante en la vida de la persona y tema esencial del proceso educativo. Actualidades Investigadas en Educación. Revista Electrónica publicada por el Instituto de Investigación en Educación. 7 (3), 1-27. Retrieved from http://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=2484873 Núñez Cubero, L., & Navarro Solano, M.R.(2007). Dramatización y educación: aspectos teóricos. Teoría de la educación. 19, 225-252. Retrieved from http://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=2354204 Onieva López, J.L. (2011). La dramatización como recurso educativo: estudio comparativo de una experiencia con estudiantes malagueños de un centro escolar concertado y adolescentes puertorriqueños en situación de marginalidad. (Doctoral dissertation, University of Málaga, 2011). Retrieved from http://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/tesis?codigo=24892 Ortega Ruiz, P., Mínguez Vallejos, R., & Rodes Bravo, M.L. (2000). Autoestima: Un nuevo concepto y su medida. Teoría de la educación. 12, 45-66. Retrieved from http://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=151717 Parra Ortíz, José María. (2003). “La educación en valores y su práctica en el aula”, Tendencias Pedagógicas, 8, 69-88. Retrieved from http://www.tendenciaspedagogicas.com/Articulos/2003_08_04.pdf Polaino-Lorente, A. (2000). Una introducción a la psicología de la autoestima. Revista Complutense de Educación. 11(1), 105-136. Retrieved from http://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/RCED/article/view/RCED0000120105A/17075 Rodríguez Naranjo, C., & Caño González, A. (2012). Autoestima en la adolescencia: análisis y estrategias de intervención. International Journal of Psychology and Psychologial Therapy. 12 (3), 389-403. Retrieved from http://www.ijpsy.com/volumen12/num3/337.html Rojas Marcos, L. (2007). La autoestima: nuestra fuerza secreta. Madrid: Espasa Calpe. Tejerina Lobo, Isabel (2005). La educación en valores y el teatro. Apuntes para una reflexión y propuesta de actividades. (Digital edition). Alicante: Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes. Retrieved from http://bib.cervantesvirtual.com/FichaObra.html?Ref=14503

Author Information

Sara Fernández Aguayo (presenting / submitting)
University of Vigo
Vigo
Margarita Pino Juste
University of Vigo, Spain

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