| Abstract: |
Behaviour problems leading to the exclusion of students from Bristish schools have increased dramatically in recent years. In-school support centres are one way that schools and Local Authorities have addressed this problem. This study aims to explore the experiences and perceptions of two adolescent boys in a Student Support Unit and to consider the contribution of dramatherapy to their reintegration into a mainstream college.
This qualitative research is a case study. A holistic analysis of the entirety of two cases has been possible due to my embedded knowledge of wroking in this field and my involvement with these students as a dramatherapist, teacher and manager of the Student Support Unit. A form of thematic analysis has been used to elicit meanings from the resulting mass of data.
The experiences and perceptions of the individuals suggest that dramatherapy has a psotove impact on the boys. The findings indicate that issues of loss have affected the students' ability to reintegrate into mainstram school and the dramatherapy work undertaken has been transformative as it has addressed the feelings of loss and grief that transpired, enabling the boys to develop a sense of belonging. This has implications for future individual and group work within the SSU and in other educational settings that are actively trying to reduce exclusion. |
