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CHAPTER SIX: CONTEXT AND FURTHER USE OF THE FINDINGS OF MY ACTION RESEARCH I explored my central research question, can DEs be created in LTD empirically in an action research of two cycles. The first cycle, consisted of three series of three lessons each conducted with 9-11 year olds and explored the connection of the two fields. This cycle came to the finding that participants need some conscious understanding of the concepts and structures to be able to create DEs in living through improvisations. This finding led to researching the impact of offering participants the use of three central components of Bondian dramas explicitly, the aim of creating drama, the Centre investigated through the narrative and dramaturgical structures behind possible DEs, as a part of the drama lessons with the aim of creating DEs in LTD. The incidents analysed showed that participants were able to use the structures in living through improvisation, creating gaps in meaning for themselves. While I have not been able to confidently document DEs created for participants watching the improvisations, a variety of rich understanding and complex questions produced by participants as the outcome of the drama lessons were documented and shared as part of the analysis. The outcome of the second cycle was that the framing of participants to be aware of the Bondian concepts and structures did not hinder but in fact enhanced their participation in living through improvisations and boosted the possibility of them creating DEs in scenes, and in improvisations as well. Further outcomes of the research included: s that the awareness of theatre concepts heightened the understanding of participants of drama as an art form; s that narratives based on profound dilemmas of human life can generate space for participants to bring in their personal and social interests and concerns; « that the participants’ connection to the problem can make a narrative or situation extreme; + that the use of objects in specific ways offers many possibilities for participants to explore problems within the fiction; s that contemporary social problems and issues are recognised easily in the fictional world by the participants if they are manifested in the story in striking images, situations, roles and objects that participants can connect to or manipulate within situations; s that ownership and control of the fiction creates engagement in the drama but the loss of control over the narrative can create extreme moments and a motivation to understand and build the story further. These findings contribute new insights for those working in the field of drama in education. They contribute not only to the improvement of my practice, but provide rich input to anyone exploring LTD or the implementation of Bondian theory in classroom drama. The research also created a new model + 236 +
