Abstract

This research study explored the role educators play in supporting Dramatic Story Reenactments. Dramatic Story Reenactments (DSRs) involve children re-creating or acting out familiar stories by themselves or with the guidance of a teacher (Martinez, 1993). It has been proposed that experiences with DSRs provide children with opportunities to practice language skills and enhance their understanding of story (Martinez, 1993). The participants in this study were two experienced educators and their groups of ten 4- and 5-year-olds. The educators were asked to implement DSRs three times a week for four weeks with their groups of children in a daycare centre in Montreal. Prior to the DSR intervention the educators received a brief training session from the researcher. The stories read for the DSR were videotaped for analysis, as was the DSR process. Grounded theory methodologies were used to analyze the scaffolding strategies the educators used during the DSR process. The categories of scaffolding that emerged from the data were analyzed and described in order to generate a theory for best practices. Findings from this study suggest that there were several interactive behaviours educators used when reading the story prior to the DSR that enhanced and supported the DSR process. Educator scaffolds were many and varied over the course of the DSR intervention and fell under four broad categories that included story structure supports, dramatization supports, story language supports, and positive guidance supports. Based on these findings, implications for practice are recommended and discussed.