Dramatic arts in a camp setting as a means of teaching interpersonal and decision-making skills

Educators have criticized the contemporary school system for not providing students with the interpersonal and decision-making skills necessary to deal with conflicts in North American society. Since 1930, dramatic activities have been effectively used by a few educators and mental health professionals as an effective means of teaching these skills. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the use of drama in the camp setting. As research in this area is scarce, a questionnaire was sent to one hundred and fifty camps which use drama in their program. The questionnaire focused on the contribution of the camp setting to dramatic activities and the dramatic camp activities' influence on the child's manner of dealing with everyday decisions/confrontations and/or responsibilities. Of the one hundred and fifty camps to which questionnaires were sent, fifty-five (25.3%) responded. In forty-seven (85.5%) of the camps (D.Mi.C.) drama plays a secondary role. In the remaining eight camps (D.Ma.C.) (U.5%) drama is the primary focus. Comments from both categories of camps suggest that the informal nature of the camp setting as well as the interaction of the students and staff in a variety of activities are important factors in encouraging campers to attempt activities (especially dramatic activities) which they would have otherwise avoided. Respondents from both categories of camps suggest that dramatic activities are especially significant in that they emphasize the importance of teamwork in achieving goals.

The concluding section of this thesis includes a discussion of the limitations of the questionnaire as well as suggestions for future studies.