Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Artistic Thinking in the Schools pp 279–295Cite as

Playbuilding: A Platform for Re-imagining and Re-thinking Identities and Power

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

  • 799 Accesses

Abstract

This chapter discusses the role of playbuilding in enabling a process to re-imagine and rethink identity and agency in children from low-income families in Singapore. Using the multiple case studies methodology, this research project examines the established individual and social identities of a group of children living in government-owned one-room rental apartments in the island state. The narratives that emerged during the playbuilding process illuminated the challenging circumstances confronting these young people and their futures, but it also provided them with the space to examine the agency they possess to negate these problems, leading to a shift in their perspectives about the identities they embodied. A reflective practitioner approach with a heavy reliance on participant observation supported the drama conventions and techniques used in this research study. These methods created pathways that facilitated the children’s exploration and examination of selves and their possible futures.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  • Bandura, A. (1982). Self-efficacy mechanism in human agency. American Psychologist, 37(2), 122–147. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.37.2.122.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Basu, R. (2013, October 22). Singapore must define poverty, say experts. The Straits Times. Retrieved from http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/singapore-must-define-poverty-say-experts.

  • Bruun, E. F. (2017). Towards a new ‘we’: Applied theatre as integration. Applied Theatre Research, 5(3), 225–237. https://doi.org/10.1386/atr.5.3.225_1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buckworth, J. (2017). Promoting self-efficacy for healthy behaviors. ACSMS Health & Fitness Journal, 21(5), 40–42. https://doi.org/10.1249/FIT.0000000000000318.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bundy, P. (2013). The performance of trauma. In T. Prentki & S. Preston (Eds.), The applied theatre reader. Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cahill, H. (2010). Re-thinking the fiction-reality boundary: Investigating the use of drama in HIV prevention projects in Vietnam. Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance, 15(2), 155–174. https://doi.org/10.1080/13569781003700052.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caldwell, B., & Vaughan, T. (2012). Transforming education through the arts. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Creswell, J. W. (2012/1994). Research design: Qualitative and quantitative approaches. Thousand Oaks.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ewing, R. (2013). Curriculum and assessment: Storylines (2nd ed.). South Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gangloff, B., & Mazilescu, C.-A. (2017). Normative characteristics of perceived self-efficacy. Social Sciences, 6(4), 139. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci6040139.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heath, S. B. (2001). Three’s not a crowd: Plans, roles, and focus in the arts. Educational Researcher, 30(7), 10–17. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X030007010.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heathcote, D. (2013). Drama as a process for change. In T. Prentki & S. Preston (Eds.), The applied theatre reader. Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heikkinen, H. (2016). Drama and citizenship—Devised drama for education. Journal of Social Science Education, 15(4), 32–39. https://doi.org/10.4119/UNIBI/jsse-v15-i4-1494.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hemming, P. J., & Madge, N. (2012). Researching children, youth and religion: Identity, complexity and agency. Childhood, 19(1), 38–51. https://doi.org/10.1177/0907568211402860.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, J., & Wilson, K. (2004). Playing a part: The impact of youth theatre on young people’s personal and social development. Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance, 9(1), 57–72. https://doi.org/10.1080/1356978042000185911.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kandil, Y. (2016). Personal stories in applied theatre contexts: Redefining the blurred lines. Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance, 21(2), 201–213. https://doi.org/10.1080/13569783.2016.1155408.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kukla, K. (1987). David Booth: Drama as a way of knowing. Language Arts, 64(1), 73–78.

    Google Scholar 

  • MacKay, H. (2009). Real communities: [The importance of building connections. Paper in: Participation Society. Schultz, Julianne (ed.)]. Griffith Review (24), 39–46.

    Google Scholar 

  • Neelands, J. (2009). Acting together: Ensemble as a democratic process in art and life. RiDE: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance, 14(2), 173–189.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neelands, J., & Nelson, B. (2013). Drama, community and achievement: Together I’m someone. In M. Anderson & J. Dunn (Eds.), How drama activates learning: Contemporary research and practice. London: Bloomsbury Academic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nicholson, H. (2014). Applied drama: The gift of theatre. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Nicholson, H. (2016). A good day out: Applied theatre, relationality and participation. In J. Hughes & H. Nicholson (Eds.), Critical perspectives on applied theatre. Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oddey, A. (1994). Devising theatre: A practical and theoretical handbook. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peter, M. (2009). Drama: Narrative pedagogy and socially challenged children. British Journal of Special Education, 36(1), 9–17. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8578.2009.00414.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prendergast, M., & Saxton, J. (2013). Applied drama: A facilitator’s handbook for working in community. Intellect Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saxton, J., & Miller, C. (2013). Drama, creating and imagining: Rendering the world newly strange. In How drama activates learning: Contemporary research and practice (pp. 111–124).

    Google Scholar 

  • Schön, D. A. (1983). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sinclair, C., & Kelman, D. (2013). Drama, cultural leadership and reflective practice. In M. Anderson & J. Dunn (Eds.), How drama activates learning: Contemporary research and practice. New York, London: Bloomsbury Academic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stake, R. E. (1995). The art of case study research. Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stokrocki, M. (2010). Understanding adolescents’ identity formation through arts-based research: Transforming an ethnographic script into a play. Journal of Cultural Research in Art Education, 28, 70.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tarlington, C., & Michaels, W. (1995). Building plays: Simple playbuilding techniques at work. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tsang, S. K. M., Hui, E. K. P., & Law, B. C. M. (2012). Self-efficacy as a positive youth development construct: A conceptual review. The Scientific World Journal, 2012, 452327.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vettraino, E., Linds, W., & Jindal-Snape, D. (2017). Embodied voices: Using applied theatre for co-creation with marginalised youth. Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, 22(1), 79–95. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632752.2017.1287348.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yin, R. K. (2014). Case study research: Design and methods (5th ed.). Los Angeles: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore

    Jennifer Wong

Authors
  1. Jennifer Wong
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jennifer Wong .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore

    Pamela Costes-Onishi

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Wong, J. (2019). Playbuilding: A Platform for Re-imagining and Re-thinking Identities and Power. In: Costes-Onishi, P. (eds) Artistic Thinking in the Schools. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-8993-1_15

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-8993-1_15

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-13-8992-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-13-8993-1

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation