The Effectiveness of Drama-based Read Alouds: How Teacher Instructional Strategies Relate to Student Narrative Recall

• In Event: Critical Approaches to Teacher Development in Arts Education

Abstract

Drama-based read alouds (DBRAs) are an embodied approach to shared book reading in which students step into the role of story characters. In this study, we examined the impact of teaching artist-led DBRAs relative to standard teacher-led read-aloud strategies in 47 preschool classrooms. We found that teaching artists implemented significantly more drama-based strategies than business-as-usual (BAU) teachers, who relied more on print/picture referencing and questioning techniques. Children receiving DBRA scored higher on cued story recall questions than those in BAU. Specific DBRA strategies were positively associated with children’s story recalls, whereas standard instructional practices were negatively correlated with children’s story recalls. These findings suggest that embodied DBRA may enhance early language comprehension more effectively than standard read-aloud strategies.

Authors

• Scott C. Marley, Arizona State University

• Lauren van Huisstede, Arizona State University

• Sepide Pazhouhi, Arizona State University

• Katie Bernstein, Arizona State University

• M. Adelaida Restrepo, University of South Florida

• Erin Rotheram-Fuller, Arizona State University

• Jenny Millinger, Childsplay Theatre Company

• Michael F. Kelley, Arizona State University

• Melissa Pierce-Rivera, Midwestern University