A Narrative Case Study of a Drama Teacher's Reflection-in-Action: The Impact of Group Factors on Pedagogical Decisions

This study was conducted in the context of the Tales by Teens project, which uses process drama as a part of its procedure. The study examines one teacher's reflection-in-action during two process dramas, focusing on the complex interplay between pedagogical thinking and student influences. Using a case study research design, it investigates how teacher beliefs interact with contextual and social factors during the dramas. Student influences on the unfolding of drama were identified as students' lived experiences and interests, their participation and engagement level, group composition, and external factors. The teacher's pedagogical thinking is characterized by observation, flexibility, modelling, and challenge. Not only does reflection-in-action facilitate discovery, but it also serves as a means of teacher learning. In actual classroom settings, the pedagogical interaction between the instructor and the students is highly nuanced. It is especially harder for those who are inexperienced with using drama because of its potential for a wide variety of creative processes. In this sense, we hope that this paper will serve as a guide for other educators as well as ourselves when it comes to learning about the Tales by Teens procedure facilitation.