Literature Review: Social-Emotional Learning in Educational Drama

Increasing complexity in classroom academic achievement and behaviour supports has led teachers to search for meaningful, effective strategies for improving students’ social-emotional development. Many see educational drama as a natural fit for this type of programming, but care must be taken before widespread policy changes are implemented. This narrative literature review defines what social-emotional development and educational drama are and investigates the current research that connects the two. Through analysis of the research methodology, program design, and data generated, this study explored a wealth of positive impacts in a variety of contexts and indicated several important, practical implications for wide-spread policy changes. Suggestions for potential further research is also included.