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Drama and its role in the integration of mentally challenged students : a case study

University of British Columbia

The purpose of this study was to build up a picture of what was happening to two mildly mentally challenged students in an integrated Grade 9 Drama class. A case-study design was employed and the students were observed over one semester. References were also made to related events in the second semester. After analysing the files of the subjects, the teacher-researcher kept journals to track her thinking, planning, and responses to the events of the classroom. A videotape of two classes was made and a checklist was used to obtain feedback from an observer. A District Counsellor interviewed the subjects at the end of the first semester. The regular students in the subject class also wrote about the integration process and its effect on them. Because the study was descriptive, the objective was not to make conclusive statements that would apply to other classrooms. However, the issues that emerged concerned teacher and regular student readiness for the integration of the mentally challenged, the need to respond to the mentally challenged as individuals, the necessity for flexibility in programming, and the possibilities that mainstreaming offers for the growth of all those involved in the process.

Text

2011-02-16

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/31322

Language and Literacy Education

University of British Columbia

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