Evoking Cultural Experience Through Educational Drama In Chinese Language Subject

In recent years,we are facing the challenges of social transformation in China and cultural conflicts internationally.Chinese Language Curriculum Standards for General High School(2017 Edition)and Developing Students' Core Competencies in China address fostering students' core competency of inheriting and understanding culture,but fail to elaborate the teaching approach.Educational Drama,which is close to experiential learning,has the potential to develop this core competency.However,few researchers have articulated the role of Educational Drama in cultural experience in Chinese language subject.This case study collects and analyzes qualitative and quantitative data which includes interview,observation,artifact and questionnaire.The research examines the functions and teaching model of Educational Drama in developing students' core competency of inheriting and understanding culture.A framework of students' cultural experience is constructed.Two models illustrate the function of Educational Drama in cultural experience and the mechanism for performing the function.Researcher designs a drama-based cultural experience teaching model and examines this model in practice.This research program is divided into four parts.The first of these(Chapter one to three)provides preparation for the study.Researcher puts forward questions in the socio-cultural context and designs study after reviewing the relevant literature on Educational Drama and culture teaching.The second part(Chapter four and five)addresses theoretical framework and constructs a drama-based cultural experience teaching model.Part three(Chapter six)determines the effect of this model after teaching practice in Chinese language subject.The final part(Chapter seven)is made up by conclusion and response to research questions.The study has four findings.First,Educational Drama can foster a more positive cultural experience.In general,the level of cultural experience of students rises in the teaching.Second,students have different performance of cultural experience,which is mainly influenced by personality,sensory preference and reading strategy.Third,Educational Drama has a variety of cultural experience functions.From the perspective of action,Educational Drama can help student to express kinesthetically and improve reading aloud.Students appreciate and understand characters in order to behave out.From the perspective of affect,Educational Drama makes students actively engage in cultural learning and deepen cultural experience through empathetic response.From the perspective of cognition,Educational Drama can develop students' ability to understand,analyze and create.Fourth,the teaching practice demonstrates that Educational Drama has much to contribute the cultural experience.From the perspective of text understanding,Educational Drama can motivate students to explicate the text and delve into the text deeply.From the perspective of role taking,Educational Drama can give students the opportunity to experience culture widely and deeply with their imitations of other real-life people and make connection between role and themselves through reflection.From the perspective of teaching design,the four-stage teaching cycle which includes participation,description,interpretation and reflection can support cultural experience.Physical theatre,readers' theatre,story theatre,hot-seating and teacher-in-role can also generate positive impact.From the perspective of teaching context,dramatic situation can not only offer a real world with cultural event and relationship between characters,but also a free and safe setting through which children can fashion imaginative activities.Educational Drama helps children to establish mutually interdependent and supportive relationships in a cooperative setting.Meeting the individual students' need and showing respect to each other can provide a safe environment for students.Some of the possible implications are suggested.First,curriculum standard needs to outline the Content Standards of core competency of inheriting and understanding culture.Second,the culture education needs to give priority to cultural experience teaching.Third,Educational Drama needs to be integrated into cultural experience teaching.Fourth,teachers need to access to professional development for Educational Drama.This empirical research investigates the function of Educational Drama and the mechanism for performing the function.A drama-based cultural experience teaching model is constructed.The study glocalizes and develops the theory and practice of western Educational Drama.Limited by practical conditions,teaching resources and other factors,the research needs to be carried on through quantitative research,tracking research and comparative research in the future.This will deepen our understanding of Educational Drama in developing students' core competency of inheriting and understanding culture both in theory and in practice.