The Role of Drama in Society Summary

Role of Drama in Society
Name
Institutional Affiliation
Role of Drama in Society
1 Introduction
* Tenet of Study
The present study employs the positivism research paradigm since it targets scientific methods to understand social shortcomings and provide societal intervention to the problem of increasing economic inequality. One of the major social problems exhibited in the United States society is social inequality. There is a significant concern about future generations if the economic inequality trend progresses. In line with the observation, Pew Research informs that "One reason for concern is that people in the lower rungs of the economic ladder may experience diminished economic opportunity and mobility in the face of rising inequality, a phenomenon referred to as The Great Gatsby Curve" (Horowitz et al., 2020). Other issues resulting from the growing economic inequality in the United States are geographic segregation of people, reduced political influence among poverty-stricken communities, and impoverishing health status among the poor (Horowitz et al., 2020). Coherently, it is proper to safeguard future generations from the worsening effects of the threats mentioned above. Art is one of the areas which paves the way for increasing learning proficiency. As a result, performing arts plays a crucial role in leveling children's privileges in terms of educational advancement and educational progression. Correspondingly, it is necessary to investigate the capacity of performing art as a tool for educational and social advancements. Performing arts is an extensively wide field, including various skills such as acting, singing, and public speaking. Acting seems the most impactful platform in performing acts considering that it captures the viewers' attention from their tender ages. Children do not have to understand what animated characters are saying to find interest in watching a given piece of art. For this reason, the present study deliberates to investigate drama as a tool for social and education transformation to close the economic gap in the United States.
* Definition of Key Terms
Keywords: Drama, performing arts, acting, inequality, exclusion, education, and society
Drama – a branch of performing arts that entails acting in the context of theatre.
Inequality – A state of imbalance in access to resources essential to support and improve life.
Educational tool – A faction used to complement teachers' efforts to educate scholars/pupils/students.
Social tool – A tenet employed to foster social transformation in a fashion that improves the living standards of those involved.
Exclusion – The state in which people do not have access to necessary amenities and lifestyle conducive for a dignified living.
2 Literature Review/Background/Theoretical Foundations
* Previous Studies Findings and Critique
Extant studies demonstrate a significant positive correlation between the quality of social and education exposures and emerging forms of exclusion. The case is not only in the United States but a global phenomenon. According to Bauman (2007), it is necessary to expose children worldwide to socio-educational contexts that foster the transformation of their mindset concerning society since the current education exhibits shortcomings in innovativeness and anthropological interactions. Therefore, Bauman (2007) presents traditional education as obsolete. It is crucial to shift from a theoretical-dominated to a practical-dominated method of tutoring. Moreover, Delors (1996) informs that global institutions like UNESCO continue to advocate and support educational reforms as a suitable approach for cultural, economic, political, and social changes in the contemporary world. The strife is a derivative of observing that social exclusion results in educational inequality, rendering it difficult for children from poor/minority backgrounds/communities to attain the American dream, which entails financial, social, and political freedom. Case in point, (IJE 2016) informs that the widening gap between the rich and the poor is increasingly affecting children and teenagers adversely in cognitive and social development. Correspondingly, Europa (2020) advocates for increased pressure by international organizations to decrease vulnerability. On the other hand, Estrategia de Juventud (2020) informs that it is critical to change the exposure in which youths are dispensed in classrooms since a majority cannot compete with the children of the richest in terms of quality of education. Morin (2001) also presents the case of socio-educational exclusion and argues that there is the need to change education in a fashion that improves critical thinking among children and youths from poor backgrounds. Notably, Mezyrow (2000) informs that dialogical learning, as presented by Freire (1998), is the most relevant approach to mitigate the socio-educational problem detected among young ones.
There are various studies that indicate that art is a formidable social and educational tool for transformation since it fosters dialogical learning. Munoz and Cordero (2017) posit that art has integrated people, leading to cohesion and increased dialogue frequency attained through the developed freedom of expression. Elsewhere, Fernandez-Cao (2015) asserts that art brings forth creativity and peacefulness in response to conflicts among people, encouraging collective development. Additionally, Einser (2009) found that art helps overcome language/communication barriers, leading to a sense of equality for children coming from backgrounds with significant lingual variations, as in the case between natives and immigrants in the United States. According to the findings of Efland, Freedman and Stuhr (2003), art is critical in the cognitive-evaluative development of people since its expression triggers improved critical thinking, motivating learners to pose questions rather than assuming the taught concepts are abstract truths. Therefore, it is through art engaged in teaching that learners and teachers alleviate educational prejudices. Furthermore, research shows that art is pertinent in enhancing critical visual literacy, a crucial construct in the 21st century, which exhibits increased visual stimulation through digitization. For this reason, Zafra (2013) states that it is almost impossible to find an educational curriculum that lacks factors aimed at stimulating the critical "visuality" of the learners. Therefore, it suffices to say that art is an effective educational and social tool because it boosts human beings' capacity to overcome their vulnerable situations as they seek better living standards than that in which they are.
* Gap in the Literature
Nonetheless, there is a literature gap concerning the worth of performing arts in fostering socio-educational transformation. Olivia and Torres (1990) found that there is a lack of concrete agreement in regards to the type of artistic discipline needed the most in educational transformation. Moreover, Vieites (2015, p.14) found that there is a "tense polysemy" in regards to the role of art in social change. As a result, it is proper to add literature that ascertains the significance of performing arts in educational transformation as a pathway to establish a positive social change in the future. Withal, there are already numerous studies that indicate the possibility of substantial potential for performing arts to foster socio-educational transformation (Bramford, 2009; Vieites, ...