Embodied Pedagogies in Practice: Enhancing Teacher Capacity and Student Engagement Through Theater in Education

Abstract

This study examines the transformative potential of Theater in Education (TiE) for enhancing teacher capacity and fostering student-centered learning in secondary schools in Bangladesh. Drawing on embodied  pedagogy and performative learning theories, the research positions the body, emotion, and sensory engagement as central to knowledge construction, challenging traditional lecture-based approaches. TiE integrates role-play, improvisation, and dramatization to enable teachers and students to co-construct understanding in culturally and socially situated contexts. Thirty teachers from diverse subject backgrounds participated in a five-day workshop designed to embed drama-based strategies into literature, social sciences, mathematics, and science teaching. Using a mixed-methods action research approach—including surveys, interviews, focus groups, and classroom observations—the study evaluated changes in teacher competence, confidence, and classroom practices, alongside student engagement and learning outcomes. Results indicate that TiE significantly enhanced teachers’ ability to design interactive lessons, facilitate participatory learning, and sustain drama-based pedagogy, while students demonstrated increased participation, creativity, collaboration, and comprehension of abstract concepts. The findings highlight the pedagogical, curricular, and policy implications of embedding embodied, theatrical approaches in secondary education to cultivate inclusive, experiential, and transformative learning environments. Teacher’s World: Journal of Education and Research, 50(2), 131-152