The post-modern curriculum, drawing on chaos and complexity theory, recognises the realities of a world in flux and posits that the teacher and the class are always teetering "in the midst" of chaos, "not linked by chains of causality but [by] layers of meaning, recursive dynamics, non-linear effects and chance" (Osberg 2008,…

The aims of this investigation were (1) to measure the impact of arts-related activities on the perceived quality of life of a representative sample of British Columbians aged 18 years or more in the spring of 2007, and (2) to compare the findings of this study with those of a sample of 1,027 adults drawn from five B.C. communities (Comox Valley,…

Workman Arts, a Toronto-based theatre and visual arts company with a 20-year history, provides a rich site for re-imagining stigmatised representations of mental illness. Writing and performing against a long tradition of representing people with mental illnesses as incoherent speakers and visually different, company members seek to re-imagine…

There is increasing concern over disengagement of teacher candidates during on-campus periods of pre-service programs due to the perceived disconnect between educational theory and practice. In response, teacher education has been called to engage candidates in praxis through authentic learning. In this paper, we bring together the fields of…

This article considers the implications of a disability arts, culture and scholarship series "The Unruly Salon", undertaken at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver in Canada, which ran from January to March 2008. It asks how and whether the encounter of this Series with its diverse audiences makes a lasting contribution to the…

The goal of this study was to explore the longitudinal associations between youth activity participation and adjustment over the high school years by examining (a) correlations between participation and adjustment growth curves, and (b) bidirectional links between participation and adjustment from one year to the next. Participation was…

The article discusses a community-based theatre project facilitated with a group of Jewish Ethiopian youth in a boarding school in Israel. The intention is to investigate how far a specific group of black immigrants are able to use theatre for their own needs in such a location. It begins with the presentation of the Jewish Ethiopians as a…

We examined subjective experiences in activities and perceptions of growth in a sample of first-year female university students (N = 196; age range = 17 to 19 years old, M = 18.48, SD = 0.53; the most common ethnic affiliations were British Isles, 51% of respondents, Canadian, 34%, French, 14%, and German, 8%). Students described 4 activities,…

Examines teacher perceptions of both the value and status of drama in education. Surveys 184 teachers in 13 elementary schools in the Niagara region of Ontario. Finds that 99% of respondents reported a positive attitude toward the value of drama in education, but 80% reported a negative perception of its status in the educational system. (PA)

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 12 titles deal with the following topics: (1) awareness of self, awareness of environment, mental imagery, communicative competency, and theatrical improvisation; (2) the evolution of scenography in the Western theatre; (3)…

Educational researchers have examined the effect of achievement goals on student performance, and suggest that both mastery goals and performance-approach goals are beneficial, whereas performance-avoidance goals are harmful. Recent research proposes that these results may not be generalized in the domain of music. The purpose of the present study…

Introduces "Le Theatre de la Marmaille" from Quebec to the American audience and provides brief descriptions of its drama processes, writing workshops, research studies, scripts, and productions. (VLC)

Offers a view of Drama Education in Higher Education in Canada. Presents the reply in letter form. Discusses the complexity of the Canadian governmental and educational scene. (SG)

Recommends using "Readers' Theater" as an interdisciplinary approach to social studies. Maintains that the format lends itself to the examination of social issues and current events while it provides opportunities for a variety of learning styles. Briefly discusses Jan Truss' book, "A Very Small Rebellion." (MJP)

The focus of this booklet is on a survey of approaches and programs in theater arts education in Canada. Short articles cover such topics as a summary of the Ontario Collegiate Drama Festival, play-acting in the classroom, the educational drama program in Newfoundland, the Studio Lab Theatre Foundation, the rebirth of theater in New Brunswick, the…