Amina Foukara: The Academic Year : 2008-2009. University of W.T.S.D, Carmarthen, Wales, UK
Educational Drama Independent Study Module: (Module Code: TSE706) (JACS CODE: W490)
Level: 7
Overview:
The central idea in this project is to critically evaluate whether generated data in
Morocco and Wales indicates whether Moroccan hearing impaired pupils are
given enough recognition in terms of “drama-production” as a means for
achieving catharsis. Referral to “catharsis” in this context draws inspiration
from the early works of drama-practitioners headed by Peter Slade in the nineteen thirties as well as from works dealing with Drama-therapy. Considering the evolution of the role of drama from an “educational” nature to a “therapeutic” one, the discussion of whether educational drama would help hearing impaired pupils to achieve catharsis takes account of this evolution.
Introduction
Although research involving hearing-impaired pupils in Moroccan institutions had begun long before I came to Trinity College, it was at the College that my eyes really opened to the realities of those pupils as I was given an opportunity to visit British institutions that received this category of pupils thus helping me complete related research begun in Morocco.
This study will form a basis for making sound comparisons between the status and aspirations of hearing-impaired pupils in Morocco and their counterparts in the United Kingdom. It will also try to show how drama could help those pupils overcome their feeling of stress.
It is my hope that Trinity College will give me the tools I need to acquire further knowledge about questionnaire-construction. That in turn would help me to generate more data about hearing-impaired pupils in the United Kingdom, bearing in mind that the questionnaire I had completed in Morocco was conducted in random fashion.
My main purpose at that time was to generate as much data as possible about hearing-impaired pupils there but later I also became aware of the field of qualitative and quantitative research, thanks to Trinity.
As far as institutions which deal with hearing-impaired pupils in Morocco are concerned, many of them have been researched. Some are located in the west of the country, including La Fondation Lalla Asma and the capital Rabat’s Ecole Oued Eddahab. Others are elsewhere such as the Socio-pedagogical Centre for the Re-adaptation of Hearing-Impaired Children, Ibn Hanbal School in Marrakech, Zohour Centre and the Association for the Protection of the Hearing Impaired in the southern city of Agadir.
Research about the lifestyles of hearing impaired pupils in Morocco was a source of great energy and motivation for the students who conducted it at Agadir’s Ibn Zohr University. We all shared in the task of enquiry triggered by the need for our school to open its doors to cooperation with companies and associations that deal with social issues.
However, the investigation in Morocco was conducted on a voluntary basis by students whose experience in this field was extremely limited due to their young age. Thus fundamental issues, such as the addresses of some of the institutions examined, were overlooked. Other students were not able to make hearing- impaired pupils open up to them as the latter live in self-contained groups. Consequently, the number of the filled-in questionnaires they provided was extremely limited.
Other issues relevant to the outlay and subject-matter of the questionnaires have also been overlooked, although we did manage to generate data about two major geographical areas embracing hearing-impaired pupils: the west and the south of the country. A sample of a valid and reliable questionnaire will be annexed to the present project.
Data-generation revolved around six major questions about the lifestyles of hearing-impaired pupils in those areas. The major goal of this effort was twofold. Firstly, to determine the challenges with which the hearing-impaired pupils are confronted there. Secondly, to assist the researchers in thinking about other ways in which drama could be used in such a way that students would achieve catharsis.
The first question is about whether hearing- impaired pupils lead happy family lives. The second question is about whether they are respected outside the home. The third question looks into whether they participate in elections. The fourth question seeks to generate information about how they communicate with each other. The fifth question is designed to generate data about whether hearing-impaired pupils could express themselves fully by using Sign Language. The last question, number seven, is an open question designed to get information about whether hearing-impaired persons have hobbies such as drama performance.
The results of the investigation showed that there is variation in the status of hearing impaired pupils depending on whether they live in the west or in the south. Contrary to hearing-impaired pupils in western Morocco, the majority in the south suffer from isolation.
Drama is being acknowledged as a means of enjoyment among both the hearing and non-hearing-impaired communities in Morocco, especially during the annual meeting of all the hearing-impaired people countrywide. However, there seems to be hardly any concern among the country’s intellectual class in terms of officially acknowledging the usefulness of drama production for pupils facing the challenge of impairment. The importance of this chapter lies in its practical nature as it attempts to make the generated data valuable not only in Moroccan schools` drama-studios but also in psychiatric wards as well.
This paper is designed mostly for those who need to move beyond the stalemate that characterizes the course of their lives. It is divided into two major parts, supported by an introduction and a conclusion. The first major part is mostly theoretical. It aims to put drama in a historical context and to unveil the limitations of educational drama in dealing with the achievement of catharsis. It also aims to develop a snapshot of Drama-therapy being in its embryonic phase.
Further focus is put on Drama-therapy and catharsis, supported with examples that demonstrate the part that Drama-therapy rather than educational drama could play in helping hearing and hearing-impaired individuals achieve catharsis.
The second major part is purely practical. It derives its essence from research among hearing-impaired pupils in Morocco and in the United Kingdom. As indicated earlier, this part was suspended for some months in Morocco as hope was pinned on Trinity College to help with Moroccan hearing-impaired pupils.
I, therefore, thank all the persons who have helped me complete my work in Carmarthen and elsewhere. I mostly owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the Head of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Trinity College, Mr Kevin Matherick, for lending his expertise as a researcher to my work. Gratitude is equally owed to Ms Catharine Bleasdale for her suggestions and encouragement and to my computing teacher Mr Glenn Behenna for all the knowledge with which he has provided me in order to complete my charts. I am also very grateful to the library of Trinity College for helping me spawn a wave of thoughts about how hearing-impaired pupils might make the most of “Drama” and to Mr Mohamed Melouk for his advice and encouragement.
Part One:The Theoretical Aspect of the Research: Would Educational Drama Help Pupils Facing the Challenge
According to Andy Kempe, “teachers who use Drama in their work with children with special and emotional needs are wrong to believe that they are helping them with Drama-therapy”(Andy Kempe,1996, 10). The point here is that confusion occurs at school about the meaning of Drama and Drama-therapy, especially when healing the emotional side of pupils is a focal point. Therefore, a brief introduction as to how Drama-therapy emerged from Drama is designed to help the reader gain insight into why such a confusion could be a common feature of Drama in education. It is also designed to help the reader perceive Drama and Drama-therapy in a continuum to gain a better understanding of how hearing-impaired pupils might best achieve catharsis.
Thus, the beginnings of Drama-therapy were started through recreational Drama. “The recreational aspect of drama took roots in the eighteenth century when concerts with scenery were built in hospitals before recreation through scenery would gradually flourish in the twentieth century” (Phil Jones, 1996, 44).
Later on, referral to emotional relief and to catharsis in association with Drama in the nineteen thirties paved the way for Drama as a means for relaxation. “In the nineteenth thirties, Peter Slade used the term “catharsis” in one of his interviews as a future member of the Sesame group as well as in his Child Drama (1954)” (Phil Jones,1996, 48). Richard Courtney (1968, 46) quoted Peter Slade defining catharsis in this manner: “It is one of the values that dramatic play provides a child with”, calling it “a great safety-valve-an emotional catharsis…..The process of catharsis appears to come at its deepest during the early years, that is, between seven and nine of age by the theme chosen during child Drama which can endure and guide the other more constructive channels”. Andy Kempe (1996, 11 ) noted that educational Drama does not deal with treatment but with “the manifestation of our humanity” to learn and to achieve.
Then, a spirit of experimentation in the twentieth century had radically altered the ways in which Drama and theatre were seen. The change was mostly perceived in the way Drama was linked to psychology. “The connection between Drama and therapy occurred slowly when people realized that a powerful connection between theatre and healing was possible” (Phil Jones 1996, 46). Phil Jones (1996, 89) quoted Peter Slade telling Sesame members: “you will have to learn much about psychology”. They said: “nonsense! We are artists. We are using art and it has effects on people: the psychological effects”. Furthermore, Richard Courtney (1968, 61) noted that “Eva Leveton’s definition of catharsis draws inspiration from the Freudian study of the unconscious and from Jung’s analytical psychology and Adler`s unrealized potentialities”. Eva leveton (1991, 167), then, defined catharsis maintaining that it was “the discharge of intense emotions like the expression of unexpected grief or anger in a particular scene”.
Prior to Drama-therapy, “the turn of the nineteenth century had witnessed the emergence of new thinking with regard to the treatment of neurosis and psychosis, substituting for the old asylums where patients were locked and manacled” (Sue Jennings, 1994, 1). “Freud initiated a revolution in terms of treatment, shifting the attention from the passive forms of treatment to focus on unconscious psychic processes…In 1894, he wrote about the nature of the unconscious being the kernel of psychoanalysis with the intention to heal mental illness. In such process, interviews evolving around the patient’s early life were important to bring frustrations up to the consciousness. With Freud and Yung, the face-to-face-treatment of patients developed extensively leading to psychoanalytic practice, research and writing” (Sue Jennings, 1994,7).
Today, a further step in the field of psychology has been made where Drama is used therapeutically. Sue Jenning’s (1994, 7) statement about innovations with regard to psychology is significant for shedding light upon the new trend in Drama and its use as a “process for healing patients democratically, based on an interaction”. Phil Jones’s (1996, 7) description of the part that Drama has been playing today in the process of helping patients to achieve catharsis is worthy of consideration. He noted that “a number of key processes lie at the heart of Drama-therapy where therapeutic change occurs. A client becomes emotionally and intellectually involved in encountering problems in dramatic forms”.
In this context, Drama is used “to reflect and to transform life experiences, to enable clients to express and to work through problems or to maintain their well being and health” (Phil Jones, 1996, 6). Paul Holmes (1991, 34) noted that at the time Drama-therapy emerged, “individuals facing the challenge of hearing impairment were usually shut away in institutions well apart from normal society and that considerable progress has been made due to the dedication of teachers and therapists”.
Today, educational Drama and Drama-therapy share the same advantage of being committed to social and individual change: Phil Jones (1996, 51) concluded that “ Drama changes society”, “Drama-therapy can allow the self and relationships to become more whole, less sets of fragments ( Phil Jones 1996, 4), quoting Oatley)). However, Sue Jennings (1994, 53) signaled the unrealistic aspect of Drama-therapy, stating that “the fear to face disappointment in the real world may lead a child to seek refuge in an imaginary activity while she/he keeps dormant. Play becomes a refuge as it ceases to function as a medium for communion with others”. Contrary to that, Phil Jones (1996, 10) argued that although “Drama and theatre have always dealt with the interference between reality and fantasy”, Drama-therapy is a form of theatre for living rather than for escaping from life”.
Another point of divergence between Drama-therapy and educational Drama lies in the fact that the latter takes place at school whereas the former takes place outside the school context. Phil Jones (1996, 6) said that “Drama-therapy is practiced with groups and individuals in care settings like clinics, hospitals and specialist centers targeting adults or children”
What is the relationship, therefore, between “Drama” and catharsis? How can “Drama” be of help to hearing impaired pupils to achieve catharsis? While “play” remains a point of unison between educational Drama and Drama-therapy, a wide dichotomy between them is apparent through the way they are approached by the concerned parties. While educational Drama is of concern to pupils targeting knowledge, Drama-therapy is of concern to emotionally damaged clients, seeking treatment, that is, “the achievement of catharsis” through the performance of a play. The achievement of catharsis through Drama-therapy undergoes a long process of consultations that educational drama cannot provide. First, Drama-therapy is preceded by the Reformulation of the therapeutic treatment of a client by a therapist. “The assumption that something has damaged a child is to be presumed, so, therapy is considered” (Alec, 1987, 57).Second, “The emotionally damaged hearing impaired person, in this case, will be expected to consult caring professionals like teachers, social workers, youth-workers, school-nurses or health visitors” Alec ( 1987, 14). Then, “the Drama-therapist would start the treatment” (Alec 1987, 57).
Interestingly enough, there are situations where preference of one of the two forms of “Drama” is explicitly stated by the concerned parties. Considering the functional aspect of Drama-therapy, especially in terms of health, the scope of educational Drama may seem less interesting, hence, limited to school life. Furthermore, Steve Mitchel (1996, 16) noted that “hearing impaired clients preferred to work with a Drama-therapist rather than with a doctor”. He (1996, 16) quoted the statement of a hearing impaired client saying: ““I did not want to go to a psychiatrist because I thought he was like a judge and would pass a sentence””.
However, the potential of helping a child to achieve catharsis depends to a larger extend on the capabilities of the Drama-therapist and on his experience in dealing with clients. “The ability of the Drama-therapist to understand the child`s predicament, to prescribe the appropriate process by which change can be occasioned and to accompany the child during the journey for catharsis” is not easy (Sue Jennings, 1994, 69).
The first meeting between the client and the Drama-therapist is geared towards the generation of information about the child. At this stage, “a tentative hypothesis regarding the child difficulties are formulated. To explore how treatment might be provided and to encourage the child to get the energy needed to overcome her/his tribulations require notes be taken about the child`s physical appearance, what she/he says, how she/he moves when she/she speaks and when she/she is silent, how she/he interacts, how she/he looks, whether she/he is willing to play in his presence with an object with children and whether she/he diverges in interaction”. (Alec, 1987, 59)
“If an opportunity for the child to become involved in some interactive play is created, more information from the child could be elicited, example, what do you like to do best when you are all alone? Do you have pictures in your head? Do you have a make-believe friend? Could you tell me what you are really afraid of? Which toys do you like the best? What horrible thing has anyone ever told you before? What do you do when you feel sad inside? How do you think I can help you?” (Alec, 1987, 60). Then, “A tentative follow up treatment is formulated when the child begins to participate in the creation of symbolic enactments” (Sue Jennings, 1994, 61).
Then, “The Drama-therapist will have to evaluate his works with the client, to draw conclusions and to improve future practice” (Sue Jenning, 1994, 70). “The generation of information can be related to children in similar predicaments in terms of age, group, sex and background (Alec, 1987, 60). It must be followed by the formulation of a hypothesis regarding the child`s difficulties and by a suggestion for possible treatment”(Alec, 1987, 60).
Perhaps, some Hearing impaired pupils in Morocco would need to be provided with explicitly stated cases where Drama-therapy could be of help to them to achieve catharsis. The first example relates an emotionally damaged hearing impaired boy named David (see Alec, 1987, 116). David was four years of age. His parents were not happy at the realization that he was slow to speak. His mother in particular grew tense and troubled. Relationships in the family went bad. The family bore the scars of David`s wrong doings and of his outbursts. “He stripped paper off the walls, cut holes in the carpet and broke most of the glass panels in the doors”. His mother took him nowhere because she was afraid he would cause trouble due to his fits of bad temper. His mother had once said that “if he had been a dog, they would have had him put down”. “David continued to destroy furniture and toys till he was able to make himself understood”. “Eventually, David attended a school where he could have daily speech therapy and his behavior slowly improved”. The second example deals with a girl aged eighteen (see Sue Jennings, 1994, 120). The girl developed agoraphobic symptoms for particular reasons. The point was that her parents got divorced and the mother had taken her into her confidence, asking her not to let the father know about her frivolous secrets. The mother`s deeds made the girl feel spiritually dry. When the father died, the child started to develop agoraphobic symptoms. In the course of treatment, she expressed disbelief about her his death and so, demanded to see the ward in which he died. The therapist, the nurses rushed out accompanying her to adjacent wards looking for the father. After one hour of vain search, the girl wept profusely, acknowledging the importance of the father and her difficulty to accept his loss. Thanks to therapeutic support, the girl improved rapidly, and she had almost completely recovered from agoraphobia (Sue Jennings, 1994, 120).
Contrary to the subject of Drama-therapy as shown in the previous examples, the subject of educational Drama is purely educational. “Peter Slade believed Drama was valuable in education” (Phil Jones, 1996, 85). “In 1960, Peter Slade said that Drama enabled children to develop capabilities” ( Phil Jones, 1996, 69). “In 1917, Caldwell Cook believed that the Drama teacher should basically be a leader assisting the boys to develop their expressive abilities” (Richard Courtney, 1968, 44). Heathcote believed Drama could help pupils to develop insight and understanding” (Phil Jones, 1996, 68). Mike Fleming (2003, 40) stated that “it is a reasonable objective that pupils should extend the linguistic registers at their disposal” through Drama.
In this respect, an enquiry into Language acquisition by hearing impaired pupils was made. Its findings proved that “hearing impaired pupils have difficulty acquiring new and abstract words”(Kate Ripley (2001vii) and (Alec (1987, 87) and that educational Drama rather than Drama-therapy could be of help to them. “In Gregory`s study (1983), a group of profoundly hearing impaired children proved that they could not learn more than ten words at the age of four” (Alec, 1987, 87). Hearing impaired pupils also face challenge with syntax, metaphorical language and with prepositions” (Alec, 1987, 87). “When Quigley and Kretschmer (1982) conducted a research about the use of syntax by hearing impaired children, they realized that some syntax structures written by hearing impaired pupils could not be understood at all (Alec, 1987, 88). The following example confirms the validity of the statement. A profoundly hearing child wrote: “Last Saturday, I went to shop. I stared the boys gang were fighting. I laughed the boys” (Alec, 1987, 88). “Hearing impairment is a linguistic handicap in terms of abstract language too. Abstract words like “jealousy” or “bravery” are challenging, especially when they are put in a non literal context. It is the same for words denoting feelings. “Bravery”, for instance is understood by hearing impaired pupils when associated with a superman who fights bad men and who lifts lorries and holds a house that is falling” (Andy Kempe, 1996, 179). Therefore, educational Drama was thought of as the best medium for helping hearing impaired pupils with language skills. To help hearing impaired pupils learn abstract words, “Co-Sign Theatre Company produced a play entitled Fearless Knights for the sake of helping hearing impaired pupils overcome their linguistic limitation. The play dealt with three children who slept over at a friend` house waiting for the dragon to appear. The dragon did not eventually come but the meaning of “fear” made sense to the hearing impaired pupils: it was not fear engendered by the dragon but the fear of the darkness” (Andy Kempe, 1996, 179). Therefore, contrary to Drama-therapy, educational drama does not deal with behavioral processes relating to hearing impairment, nor is catharsis considered to be one of its fields. Educational drama rather deals with helping hearing impaired pupils improve their linguistic skills.
Through educational Drama, hearing impaired pupils will also learn social skills (Kate Ripley, 2001,vii). Alec (1987, P14) and Kate Ripley (2001, 1) stated that “the development of receptive and expressive language skills depends to a larger extent upon the development of the knowledge of the sounds inhibiting a language and of meaning attached to sounds and of grammar rules”….the latter being “ used in a social context” .The language skills are so inter-dependent that difficulties in any one area may impact on the language system as a whole (Kate Ripley, 2, 2001). Kate Ripley (2, 2001) also noted that difficulties with the form and the content of language impact may impact upon social communication if expression fails the hearing impaired person
However, special l importance is to be rather given to the part that games play in enhancing linguistic and social skills. Games in educational Drama are not cathartic. The first function of games in educational Drama is purelyinstructive. Games in educational Drama “will enable the pupil to overcome learning difficulties and to further her/his development” ( Jennings, Sue, 1994, 50). Play-based-games will result into the development of language, Sign Language, in this case, to describe, to compare, and to explain feelings and events (Alec, 1987, P1). Games enhance social skills too. Michel Steve (1996, 18) quotes Jocelyn James stating that “the purpose behind play is to stimulate the members of the group to communicate with each other”.
Here is an example that may disclose the why of all things relating to games in educational Drama. It is a common fact known to all that language problems are deeply rooted in social circumstances. Due to isolation, any child`s hearing system of language may suffer delay and would consequently lead to emotional, cognitive and linguistic frustrations”(Alec 1987, 19). Alec (1987, P19) quotes “Skuse, 1984” stating that severe emotional disturbance and delayed development result from social isolation. “When a child fails to achieve the reconciliation between her/his inner and the outside worlds, she/he becomes confused and as she/he continues to grow up, she/he will be carrying the discomfort in all its aspects around and inside ( Jennings, Sue, 1994, 50). Andy Kempe (1996, 23) noted that “games in educational Drama are like games in Drama-therapy in the sense that they may help hearing impaired pupils to reduce the damaging effects of personal problems”. However, there is a difference between the two activities in the two subjects, as it will be unfolded in the subsequent sections. Andy Kempe (1996, 20) acknowledged the fact that “since focus is laid upon learning in educational Drama, there is focus upon activities that might help pupils to develop skills and to learn about the world. This is to say that “games are essential in drama in education because they are supposed to develop a sense of trust, to promote group-cooperation, to help children understand the importance of rules and the codes of behavior, to teach them how to be flexible, to stimulate or to calm down an overexcited group” (1996, 36).
The function of games in Drama-therapy is purely therapeutic. Activities involved in them encourage people to relate to their bodies (Phil Jones, 1996, 157). It is a sort of mime to which Locoq gives credit through Phil Jones ( 1996, 153) reporting his exact words :”If I make a physical action-pulling or pushing, it is similar to internal emotions, love or hate (Phil Jones, 1996, 153). When children “become distressed at their own inability to reach others through speech, hitting out and trying to release their frustrations, and when they avoid contact altogether and withdraw into themselves”, then, Drama-therapy rather than educational Drama can be of help (Alec, 1987,116)). In this light, various games have been used during Drama-therapy sessions with the aim to help clients achieve catharsis. “Mirroring and wailing during games heal the early problems of a child development (Jenny Pearson, 1996, 212). A pair during a drama session may play a counterpart play as they sit opposite each other and respond to each other as though they were the reflected counterpart in a looking glass. (Jenny Pearson, 1996, 212).Wailing and screaming can also be part of the game. A woman joined the group. She put her hands to her head and wailed and screamed long and loud till she found relief (Jenny Pearson, 1996, 212). Sue Jennings (1994,44) recommended that “hearing impaired pupils play games in the context of family life, like taking a family breakfast or indulging in a safety-encircling play”.
Another advantage of games in Drama-therapy is that they permit self expression, hence, give a chance to therapy to occur. Jenny Pearson (1996, 209) quoting the words of a drama-therapist stated: “I am aware that the ability to talk without words, to speak through the arts can have a profound effect and I am amazed at the dramatic movements I have witnessed in people”. So, for many clients gaining access to self-expression through drama-therapy has been a powerful and wonderfully transformative experience”.
Frustrations ensnaring hearing impaired pupils in an invisible chain of solitude would on this basis dissolve through the magic art of Drama-therapy. The following examples might hopefully give hearing impaired pupils in Morocco an idea about how self-expression might be of help to the emotionally distressed to achieve catharsis: “Sue entered the space after learning theatre exercises. She found sound and she allowed it to express grief for her mother. Her sound changed to a sound of wailing, supported by her gestures (Steve, Mitchel, 1996, 83). “A woman selected a dress her parents had bought her when she was a child. “In the group, she took on the role of the dress, indicated its shape by mime before placing it in the center. She spoke on behalf of the dress, using the pronoun “I”. The group asked her questions. Her feelings gradually turned towards her parents, gradually getting aware about the fact that they had bought her that tight dress to keep her smaller than she had been” (Plil Jones, 1996, 196). “A subsequent client was guided by the Drama-therapist. He helped the client achieve catharsis “A client played the role of a young girl expressing anger against her father. She hit cushions till she reached catharsis”. Steve Mitchel (1996, 88)
Therefore, considering the part that integration in a group plays in maintaining the equilibrium of an emotionally damaged individual, disintegration within the group playing during a Drama-session is of extreme importance to the Drama-therapist. Disintegration within the group will be negatively perceived, rendering each participant “unable to hold onto the thread which connects the drama into a meaningful whole (Sue Jennings, 1994, 67)”. Steve Mitchel (1996, 92) describes the behavior of a fragmented group meeting in a Drama-therapy session : “Tom and Lucy exchanged glances and giggles. Someone giggled at the giggling. Math pulled his chair slightly and leaned forward, his gaze on the floor. Several others looked tense. There was little eye-contact. The group felt fragmented”. It may take the Drama-therapist many sessions before he manages to create a workable group (Sue Jennings, 1994, 66). So, the Drama-therapist is bound to start the session with the constitution of groups that will help each member during the healing process achieve catharsis. He will have to gradually introduce pupils/clients to small group work or pair-work where they will engage in cooperative action (Sue Jenning, 1994, 65). The process is important for end-results.
Therefore, the Drama-therapist will have to facilitate the structuring of the scenes by enabling the participants to get into their roles and to develop a series of interaction-patterns (Sue Jennings, 1994, 67). Participation in Drama, whether real or imagined can be profoundly exposing,” Sue Jennings (1994, 67). So, the Drama-therapist will help the group feel safe during play (Sue Jennings, 1994, 67). Real or imagined experiences are thus relived and structured (Sue Jennings, 1994, 67). A key factor of success during play is that the dramatization will allow what is inside to rise to the surface, and what has been hidden “to come up front” (Sue Jennings, 1994, 67)
How should the Drama-therapist proceed to facilitate the insertion of the participants into the group? Wearing masks during a Drama-therapy session will be of help to the Drama-therapist to achieve his goal. “A comparison between two masks will illustrate some of the key ways in which Drama-therapy relates to Drama and theatre processes. Noh mask is used by the actor to play a fictional role in a religious or entertainment context. The actor is a paid employee”. Wearing a mask in Drama-therapy is rather encourages the client to express himself freely” (Phil Jones 1996, 1). In Drama-therapy, Participation in Drama whether it is real or fictional can be profoundly exposing, especially when it develops into a non-controlled manner (Sue Jennings, 1994, 67). “This may entail the client/pupil to wear a mask for him/her to be able to express himself/herself freely and to resolve his/her distress” (Sue Jennings, 1994, 67). So, the mask helps actors in Drama-therapy to freely and spontaneously play their roles.
“Like a prisoner, the child in role may well pace up and down approaching the issue from a variety of angles till a satisfactory reduction of tension is achieved” (Sue Jennings, 1994, 69). Once the client, the hearing impaired pupil in this case, proves he/she is “able to sustain working in groups, the therapist explores the extent to which she/he can work individually (Sue Jenning, 1994, 65). At this stage, the child may not need to be any longer part of a Drama-therapy group. She/he has learnt to trust in a supportive and non-threatening environment (Sue Jenning, 1994, 66)
After working with the client for a long period of time, Drama-therapy sessions have to be tactfully wounded up. “First, the client will be given advanced notice that the last Drama-therapy session is drawing to an end” (Steve Mitchel, 1996, 84). “Second, a chair will have to be used symbolically during the final evaluation of the work undertaken by the Drama-therapist. “To evaluate the work of the Drama-therapist, the client may use one of two chairs to express either his satisfaction with the Drama-therapist or dissatisfaction with it (Steve Mitchel (1996, 84
Part Two: The Practical Aspect of the Research
Theoretical research into the possible use of Drama or Drama-therapy with hearing impaired pupils has given me many suggestions for approaches to use with hearing impaired pupils on my return home (see pages 3-8). However, my wish is to be able to critically evaluate work in practice in schools designed for hearing impaired pupils in Morocco after return home and following my visits of schools “A” and “B” in South Wales, UK. The Moroccan Schools that have been at the heart of my attention during my visits to schools “A” and “B” in South Wales are the following: Lalla Asma Foundation in Rabat “A1”, Ecole Oued Eddahab in Sale “A2”, the Institution for the Hearing Impaired in Safi “A3” Ibn Hanbal School in Marrakech “B1”, Zohour Centre in Agadir “B2”, The Association for the Protection of the Hearing Impaired in Agadir “B3”, the Association for the Social Integration of Hearing Impaired Students at Bensergaw, Agadir “B4”, the Institution for the Hearing Impaired at Shtouka Ait Baha in Agadir « B5 » and Lalla Myriem School,Tiznit, Morocco “B6”.
Hopefully, a brief description of School “A” and School “B” in South Wales would be of help to the reader to share ideas about experience lived at them. School “A” is located in a modern urban area in South Wales. Hearing and non-hearing pupils enrolling at it belong to the middle and upper classes. This is important in the sense that, although it is still in its primary phase of construction, it disposes of sufficient and appropriate resources, be they material or human designed for the improvement of intellectual abilities. It disposes of many centres designed for the well being of hearing and non hearing pupils and their parents. Most of all, it disposes of an interesting Drama studio furnished with sturdy equipment and fit for drama works. In it, pupils with profound and multiple learning disabilities meet every Wednesday to produce, rehearse, perform and improvise Drama.
There are two categories of pupils with impairment enrolling in school “A”. The first category is hardly thought of as being short of hearing. Thanks to cochlear and hearing aids, the pupils under this category communicate effectively with their teachers, teacher assistants and the hearing community in general. The second category of hearing impaired pupils in the same school face the challenge of multiple profound physical and learning impairment. They are placed in wheel-chairs, can hardly see or hear, have lots of health and mental problems besides suffering from autism. They are given greater assistance and care by staff-members.
Staff-members in school “A” do their uttermost to get the latter category of pupils integrate into the mainstream of intellectual life at school, especially through Drama-production. Pupils under this category are helped with equipment like wheel chairs, besides cochlear and radio aids. In addition to this, two types of therapists attend to their needs: physiotherapists try to help them move their bodies easier, and occupational therapists try to teach them skills like reading and writing.
Carers in school “A” respond to the needs of hearing impaired pupils in many ways. They help them swallow food, get food out of their throats through special tubes…They also help them to express their needs and give them the necessary support, and most importantly, they help them produce plays and perform them.
Contrary to school “A”, school “B” is situated in industrialised area in South Wales and is mostly the target of the bottom line. Hearing, non hearing pupils, including the ones that face the challenge of deep physical and learning difficulties belong to socially unprivileged classes. However, school “B” is more efficient in terms of Drama works than School “A”. The general atmosphere in school “B” seems to be better naturally inclined for Drama works than school “A”. First, posters in school “B” are collated throughout the walls in halls inciting visitors to learn and to remember basic and outstanding definitions relevant to Drama. Second, although School “B” is mostly frequented by poor people, it disposes of at least two convenient Drama studios. Third, teachers in school “B” look happier and more energetic than teachers in school “A”. Teachers in school “B” are more motivated to teach “others” ideas relevant to Drama and other relating areas than teachers in school “A”. They are also open and communicative. This is an interesting feature of persons belonging to the world of Drama: Being “Dramatist” is important……
Attendance of three sessions at School “B” confirmed my belief that School “B” is better fit for Drama works than school “A”. Attendance of a language session in school “B” reserved for pupils facing the challenge of profound and multiple learning impairment confirmed my belief that pupils are happier to learn, that the language teacher was more motivated to teach and more tolerant than it was the case for teachers in school “A”. The language teacher in school “B” was enthusiastic about teaching pupils the contents of at least three newspapers entitled “Slimming”, “Motor-mounting” and “Horse-riding”. This was a good step for Drama works. Attendance to a Drama-session in school “B” confirmed my belief that the pupils enrolling at it were more naturally gifted in Drama than pupils in school “B”. Through the hot-seat technique, pupils in school “B” made a lot of gestures and physical movements, had a great deal of fun while they were engaged in the Drama work, even it were sometimes at the expense of each other. Their Drama was natural and comedy-oriented. Attendance of a third lesson in school “B” reinforced my conception about success in Drama in an organisation: that success emanates from human resources. My belief was, therefore, that the nature of human resources at school “B” was even more important than the equipment of which it may have disposed for the success of Drama. Again, the impression I got about teachers in school “B” was the same: the Drama teacher and the drama-teacher assistant were fit for their jobs. They were, open and communicative and light-spirited.
Teachers and other Staff members in schools “A” and “B” have been in charge of drama and theatre produced and performed in the open space, nourished by indoor and outdoor recreation activities. However, although school “B” has retained picture-archives representing hearing impaired pupils industriously busy with creative contributions inside and outside the school, it has missed the opportunity of keeping a record of all the plays the pupils had previously produced. It is also a fact to be lamented that information centres retain data base of books held on all aspects of education but neglect contributions made by pupils, especially those facing the obstacle of hearing impairment.
Teachers in School “B” made suggestions relevant to how to shape the content of a questionnaire designed for hearing impaired pupils. (See a sample of a suggested questionnaire in Appendix B). (See also a sample of the questionnaire filled in by hearing impaired pupils in Morocco in Appendix B and a series of pictures taken in a Moroccan institution for hearing impaired pupils)
1: Detailed Results (see Appendix A for detailed charts Charts)
As Indicated earlier, it was not my objective in this paper to reasons out why there might have been a variance in terms of responses to the questions accross the two geographical zones in Morocco. This could be an interesting and intricate subject that would hopefully shape the substance of another paper, should circumstances allow it.
My objective was rather limited to the provision of an answer regarding questions raised in the theoretical chapter dealing with whether educational drama can be of help of help to hearing impaired pupils to achieve catharsis and to compare the extent of the need of assistance as expressed by respondents in the West and South of Morocco. Please, see Appendix B for charts disclosing general results and pictures taken at Zohour Centre in Agadir, Morocco
A: Detailed Data about Hearing Impaired Pupils in the West of Morocco.
A1. La Fondation Lalla Asma, Hassan, Rabat, Morocco : Nine Respondents.
Q2: 9 hearing impaired respondents out of 9 at la Fondation lalla Asma said that they led a happy family life. They explained that their families provided support to them.
Q3: 1 out of 9 said that he was harassed by the boys he encountered in the street.
Q4: 8 out of 9 respondents said that they thought they were denied the right to vote and to be represented locally. 1out of 9 respondents said he thought he could not vote
Q5: 9 out of 9 respondents at the Fondation Lalla Asma said that they used French Sign Language as a medium of communication. A teacher at the Foundation explained that sign language was not commonly used as a medium of communication among illiterate hearing impaired pupils.
Q6: 9 respondents out of 9 said that Sign Language was not highly developed.
1 respondent explained that Sign Language was unscientific.
The headmaster of the Fondation Lalla Asma challenged the assumption that Sign Language was incomplete. He explained that hearing impaired pupils could learn history, geography, math….through it.
Fondation Lalla Asma, Rabat, Morocco: (9 respondents) (A1)
Yes No Exp Posi Exp Nega Exp Not know
| Q2 | 9=100% | 0=% | 9=100% | 9=100% | 0=0% | 0=0% |
| Q3 | 1=0,01% | 8=88% | 9=100% | 1=11% | 8=88% | 0=0% |
| Q4 | 1=0,01% | 8=88% | 9=100% | 1=0,01% | 8=88% | 0=0% |
| Q5 | 9=100% | 0=0% | 9=100% | 9=100% | 0=0% | 0=0% |
| Q6 | 0=0% | 9=100% | 9=100% | 0=0% | 9=100% | 0=0% |
A2: Salé: Ecole Oued Eddahab Avenue Youssef , BP 6075: (2 Respondents)
Q2: 1 out of 2 respondents at Oued Eddahab situated in Sale, Morocco said his family was supportive.
Q3: 1 out of 2respondents said he felt there was no discrimination against him in the street.
Q4: 1 out of 2 respondents said he was not interested in politics, so it did not matter to him not to participate in elections
Q5: 1 out of 2 respondents said he used Sign Language as a medium of communication but that Sign Language was useless outside the school context
Q6: 1 out of 2 respondents said that Sign Language was highly developed.
Ecole Oued Eddahab, Sale, Morocco: (2 respondent) (A2)
Yes No Exp Posi Exp Nega Exp Not know
| Q2 | 1=50% | 0=0% | 2=100% | 1=50% | 0=0% | 0=0% |
| Q3 | 1=50% | 0=0% | 2=100% | 1=50% | 0=0% | 0=0% |
| Q4 | 0=0% | 1=50% | 2=100% | 1=50% | 0=0% | 0=0% |
| Q5 | 1=50% | 0=0% | 2=100% | 1=50% | 0=0% | 0=0% |
| Q6 | 1=50% | 0=0% | 2=100% | 1=50% | 0=0% | 0=0% |
A3: Safi: The Institution for the Hearing Impaired(No address was marked ). (2 respondents).
Q2: 1 out of 2 respondents at the institution in Safi said he did not face the challenge of communication at home.
Q3: 1 respondent out of 2 said he was respected outside home.
Q4: 1 respondent out of 2 said he did not partake in elections because he did not reach the legal age.
Q5: 1 out of 2 respondents said he did not use sign language because he had never learnt it before.
Q6: 1 out of 2 respondents said sign language was developed but he did not provide any answer to his statement.
The Institution for the Hearing Impaired, Safi, Morocco: (2 respondents) (A3)
Yes No Exp Posi Exp Nega Exp Not know
| Q2 | 1=50% | 0=0% | 2=100% | 1=50% | 0=0% | 0=0% |
| Q3 | 1=50% | 0=0% | 2=100% | 1=50% | 0=0% | 0=0% |
| Q4 | 0=0% | 1=50% | 2=100% | 1=50% | 0=0% | 0=0% |
| Q5 | 0=0% | 1=50% | 2=100% | 0=0% | 1=50% | 0=0% |
| Q6 | 1=50% | 0=0% | 2=100% | 1=50% | 0=0% | 0=0% |
B. Details about Hearing Impaired Pupils in the South of Morocco
B1: The Socio-pedagogical Centre for the Re-adaptation of Hearing Impaired Children. Ibn Hanbal School. Bab Doukkala. Marrakech, Morocco
(3 Respondents)
Q2: 2 out of 2 respondents at Ibn Hanbal School at Bab Doukkala, Marrakech, Morocco said that they led happy family lives.
1 out of 2 respondents said that contrary to the impact of matrimonial life on him, the influence of relative was detrimental.
He explained that his marriage was met with opposition on the grounds that his wife was a hearing impaired.
A member of staff at Ibn Hanbal school explained that her relationship with her husband started to fail as soon as they realized their daughter was hearing impaired.
Q3: 1 out of 2 hearing impaired pupils at Ibn Hanbal School said she was happy to be at Ibn Hanbal School. She explained that her teacher impressed her using Sign Language even with the hearing community. However, she said she felt embarrassed being the focus of attention outside school, especially in the street. She said that she challenged people making them realize she was born without hearing impairment.
1 out of 2 respondents said he had no problem whatsoever with people and that that he connected to people inside and outside Morocco.
Q4: Concerning elections, 1 out of 2 respondents said that she conferred no trust upon candidates during elections. 1 out of 2 respondents complained that it was a shame not to consult the opinions of hearing impaired citizens during electorate campaigns.
Q5: 2 out of 2 respondents said that the use of Sign Language at Ibn Hanbal School was a priority. They explained that the syllabus which was designed for hearing impaired pupils at the school was somehow similar to any other syllabus designed for hearing pupils. He added that six books were designed for them to read in Sign Language.
1 out of 2 hearing impaired persons at Ibn Hanbal said that he was fond of Arab Sign Language because he could use it to communicate with any hearing impaired person in the West and in the East.
Q6: 1 out of 2 respondents said that she was frustrated with all Sign Languages because they were not developed enough to allow self-expression. However, she explained that she could better express herself through French Sign Language.
1 out of 2 respondents said that he could use Arab Sign Language without any problem. He explained that he could not make any distinction between Arab and French Sign Languages.
The following are some of the plays this hearing impaired respondent improvised in response to my question about whether he could use Sign Language to express ideas during the performance of a play.
Concerning the first play, he said using Sign Language: “A man came back home completely drunk. When his wife started making a fuss about his state, he started beating her”. Then, the respondent stood up, maintained a still position, feigned seizing a guitar and started mimicking the drunken man playing the guitar. Through Sign language, he explained that the drunken man` wife and children joined in and started dancing happily all together”.
The same respondent improvised a second play saying through Sign Language that “People were lying on the beach on a sunny day. Someone arrived and threatened to splash water onto them. People were almost on their feet, afraid that the stranger would harm them. But then, the stranger started walking and as he got closer and closer to them, he changed of opinion. So, instead of water, he threw flowers at them”.
Within the framework of discussions about Sign Language, a hearing teacher at this institution “Ibn Hanbal School” explained how she learnt Sign Language for the first time. She explained that when she discovered that her son was hearing impaired, she walked out in sheer despair. Then, she met a French man just by accident and he gave her a book dealing with Sign Language. Her ambition to communicate with her hearing impaired child and to educate him at Ibn Hanbal School and in subsequent higher academic institution led her to persist learning French Sign Language. She explained that it was possible to learn everything through it.
Ibn Hanbal School, Marrakech (3 respondents) (B1)
Yes No Exp Posi Exp Nega Exp Not know
| Q2 | 2=66% | 1=33% | 2=66% | 2=66% | 1=33% | 0=0% |
| Q3 | 1=33% | 1=33% | 2=66% | 2=66% | 1=33% | 0=0% |
| Q4 | 0=0% | 2=66% | 2=66% | 1=33% | 2=66% | 0=0% |
| Q5 | 2=66% | 1=33% | 2=66% | 2=66% | 1=33% | 0=0% |
| Q6 | 0=0% | 0=0% | 2=66% | 2=66% | 1=33% | 2=66% |
B2:Agadir: Zohour Centre: Hay Annjah, Agadir, Morocco.
Q2: 63 respondents out of 73 at Zohour Centre in Agadir, Morocco said that they led happy family lives. 4 out of 73 said they led a wretched existence at home. The respondents that led happy family lives acknowledged the fact that their parents were not supportive enough and that they were discriminative. Some hearing impaired respondents at Zohour Centre got married to hearing impaired husbands/wives. Some hearing impaired respondents explained that they had hearing children. Some respondents had up to three hearing impaired brothers and sisters. Others were hearing impaired twins. All the respondents who lived in non-hearing families acknowledged the fact that their families were happy because they faced the same challenges.
4 persons out of 73 at Zohour centre say that they were not happy at home. They explained that their families viewed speech impairment as a curse. They also explained that their families gave them the impression they were the source of shame. Some respondents at Zohour Centre explained that their parents got divorced as an immediate consequence of their birth.
Q3: 49 respondents out of 79 at Zohour Centre say that they were highly respected outside home. They explained that they suffered no discrimination when they were outside the family circle. They also said that the police respected them, that teachers were kind to them and that they had real friends among the members of the hearing impaired community.
23 respondents out of 79 at Zohour Centre said that they were disappointed with hearing people on the street. They explained that they were either held up to ridicule or made the subject of pity and deep sorrow for being hearing impaired. They related that people were sometimes cruel to them. They also explained that bus drivers ignored them and that they refused to stop in order to pick them up. They also explained that policy makers ignored them and that they did not consider them in matters relating to adjustments to political and socio-economic issues that could fit their needs. So, disappointed hearing impaired respondents at Zohour Centre felt pessimistic about what the future had in stock for them. They said that they did not need people to feel sorry for them but that they rather needed efforts to be made to remove distress and to reverse the belief that hearing impaired people could not “be”.
Q4: All the 73 hearing impaired respondents at Zohour Centre said that they did not participate in elections. Some hearing impaired respondents at the centre said that politicians were not interested in their votes and that that issue could be one of the reasons why they did not explain the system to them.
Many hearing impaired respondents at Zohour Centre said that they had no idea about what politics meant and that they were not interested in it. Participation in elections would not, according to them, change their situation. Many other hearing impaired respondents explained that they did not participate in elections because they had not reached the legal age yet.
Q5: 52 hearing impaired respondents out of 73 said that they could use Sign Language to express themselves. Some among them explained that Sign Language was their major medium of communication. They said that they learnt it through the Internet and through Zohour Centre. Some among the respondents said that they mastered Arab Sign Language, and others said that they mastered the French one.
21 hearing impaired respondents out of 73 at Zohour Centre said that they found it hard to learn and to express themselves through Sign Language. Some respondents at the Centre said they were obliged despite of everything to learn it. Other respondents said they knew no word in it because speech impairment was recently acquired.
Q6: 48 respondents out of 79 at Zohour Centre said that French, Belgium and US Sign Languages were highly developed. 23 out of 79 said that Sign Language in general was not developed at all. All the hearing impaired respondents at Zohour Centre were of a common opinion that Arab Sign Language was incomplete.
Zohour Centre: Questionnaires’ Description (73 respondents) (B2)
Yes No Exp Posi Exp Nega Exp
| Q2 | 69=94% | 4=5,47% | 64=87% | 56=76% | 6=8,2% |
| Q3 | 49=67% | 23=31% | 54=73% | 39=53% | 31=42% |
| Q4 | 0=0% | 73=100% | 58=79% | 18=24% | 49=67% |
| Q5 | 52=71% | 21=28% | 61=83% | 43=58% | 26=35% |
| Q6 | 48=65% | 23=31% | 62=84% | 23=31% | 39=49% |
| Q7 | 73=100% | ||||
B3: The Association for the Protection of the Hearing Impaired . (L’Association pour la protection des sourds-muets) Quartier Industriel, Rue Oued Ziz, Agadir, Morocco : (136 Respondents)
Q2: 69 out of 136 hearing impaired respondents at the Association for the Protection of the Hearing Impaired in Agadir said that they led happy family lives. Some respondents explained that they were their unique parents sons/daughters, others said they were the eldest, while some others were the youngest. They explained that their mothers proved most of the time to be the most friendly person at home, especially because they had no more than one child.
However, 67 out of 136 respondents said that they were not happy . They explained that they preferred to live exclusively with non-hearing persons at the institution rather than live with parents, blaming the latter for making them feel that they were marginalized and isolated at home. They said that their parents mocked and insulted them for no serious reason, especially when they felt they were challenged. Some hearing impaired respondents said that their parents got divorced after their birth. They added that although the association gave their parents the chance to learn Sign Language free of charge, they just refused to do it.
67 out of 137 respondents said that they lived on the outskirts of an ideal happy world. So, loss of ties with family members was frequent among them
Q3: 69 out of 136 said they were respected outside home. They all agreed about the fact that it all depended on any individual to win the respect of strangers. So, they explained that they managed to establish good relationships with people through mutual respect. Contrary to that, 58 out of 136 respondents said that people on the street called them by the word “Znazn”, that is, “hearing impaired” and they took them for a stock of laughter. They also explained that Public authorities ignored them, allotted no work for them on a non-hearing basis. Some respondents explained that teachers ignored them and that they were hardly admitted into public schools. Today, they said they were the objects of study like rats. For all these reasons, they have made it a condition for anyone considering communication with them to learn Sign Language.
Q4: 10 out of 136 respondents said that they did not participate in elections because they had not reached the legal age yet. However, they explained that they did not trust the system of elections, especially with regard to issues relating to them. 126 out of 136 said they did not know what the word “elections” meant.
Q5 : 116 respondents shared the same opinion about Sign Language, saying that it was a medium for communication. Some respondents explained that they had used it for years then, others said they learnt it through colleagues at the institution. Some respondents said Sign Language was their maternal medium for communication. 13 out of 136 respondents at the Association did not use Sign Language for the sake of communication. They explained that they either had not learnt it at all because family members were indifferent to Sign Language or because they had never been to school. Some respondents at the institution said they found problems learning Sign Language because it was difficult and because it needed concentration. Other respondents said they did not master it because they realized it was incomplete.
Q6: 56 out of 136 respondents said that Sign Language was developed because they could express ideas through it. 75 out of 136 respondents did not believe Arab Sign Language in particular to be highly developed. Contrary to Arab Sign Language, they maintained that European Sign Language was highly developed. Some respondents explained that dictionaries dealing with Sign Language were available in Europe and scarce in Morocco. Some other respondents explained that their teachers found problems explaining signs to them in Moroccan Sign Language. All the respondents at the institution suggested Moroccans should develop Sign Language and unify all the co-existing Sign-Languages.
The Association for the Protection of the Hearing Impaired, Agadir, Morocco (B3) : 136 respondents
| Question | Yes | No | Exp | Posi Exp | Nega Exp | |||||
| Q2 | 69=50,73% | 67=49,26% | 100=73,52% | 21=15,44% | 79=58% | |||||
| Q3 | 69=50,73% | 58=42,67% | 131=94,24% | 65=47,39% | 66=48,52% | |||||
| Q4 | 0=0% | 10=7,35% | 131=94,24 | 5=3,67% | 126=92% | |||||
| Q5 | 116=85% | 13=9,55% | 128=94,11% | 06=4,41% | 18=13,23% | |||||
| Q6 | 56=41% | 75=55,14% | 131=96,32% | 65=47,79% | 74=54% | |||||
| Q7 | 139=100% | |||||||||
B4: The Association for the Integration of Hearing Impaired Students
(L’Association pour l’Integration Sociale des Etudiants Handicappés, Bensergaw, Agadir, Morocco): (One Respondent)
Q2: NO respondent said he led a happy family life. 1 out of 1 respondent said that he led a wretched family life. He could not explain why.
Q3: 1 out of 1 respondent said that he was not respected outside home. He explained that in the beginning, democratic behavior was a challenge at the institution. He was thought to be ignorant and under terrible conditions, that he developed inferiority complex. He also said that he proved in the beginning to be indifferent to Sign Language because he believed it would not bring anything new to him as a non-hearing person. But then, he mastered Sign Language and gradually, he managed to win the respect of all his mates
Q4: No respondent said he participated in elections. 1 out of 1 said he did not participate in elections just because he had not reached the legal age yet.
Q5: 1 out of 1 respondent said that he did not use Sign Language to express himself. He explained that people would never understand him even if he had mastered it.
Q6: 1 out of 1 respondent said that Sign language was not developed. He explained that it was neglected.
L’Association pour l’Integration Sociale des Etudiants Handicappés, Bensergaw,Agadir, Morocco (1 respondent) (B4)
| yes | No | Exp | Posi Exp | Neg exp | ||
| Q2 | 0=0% | 1=100% | 1=100% | 1=100% | 0=0% | |
| Q3 | 0=0% | 1=100% | 1=100% | 1=100% | 0=0% | |
| Q4 | 0=0% | 1=100% | 1=100% | 0=0% | 1=100% | |
| Q5 | =0% | 1=100% | 1=100% | 0=0% | 1=100% | |
| Q6 | 0=0% | 1=100% | 1=100% | 0=0% | 1=100% | |
B5: The Institution for the Hearing Impaired.
( L`Institution pour les Sourds-Muets), Rue Layune, quartier El Majd, N28, Chtouka Ait Baha, Agadir, Morocco: One Respondent.
Q2: 1 out of 1 respondent at The Institution for the Hearing Impaired said that he did not lead a happy family life. He gave no justification to his statement.
Q3: 1 out of 1 respondent said that he was not respected outside home. He gave no justification to his statement.
Q4: 0 respondents said that he did not participate in elections. He explained that he was illeterate.
Q5 : O respondent said that he did not express himself in Sign Language. He acknowledged the fact that he could not express feelings and ideas through Sign Language.
Q6 : 1 out of 1 respondent said that Sign Language was not highly developed. He explained that it was relatively developed in Europe and in USA.
The Institution for the Hearing Impaired. Rue Layune (1 respondent) ( B5)
Yes No Exp Posi Exp Nega Exp Not Know
| Q2 | 0=0% | 1 | 0=0% | 0=0% | 1=100% | |
| Q3 | 0=0% | 1 | 0=0% | 0=0% | 1=100% | |
| Q4 | 0=0% | 1 | 1=100% | 0=0% | 1=100% | |
| Q5 | 0=0% | 1 | 1=100% | 0=0% | 1=100% | |
| Q6 | 0=0% | 1 | 1=100% | 1=100% | 0=0% | |
| Q7 |
B6: Lalla Myriem School, Tiznit, Morocco. (18 Respondents)
Q2: 15 out of 18 deaf- respondents at Lalla Myriem School,Tiznit, Morocco said that they led happy lives. They explained that their families were understanding and that they made them feel they were important. 3 out of 18 respondents said they did not lead happy family lives. They explained that their fathers neglected them and that family members were unwilling to communicate with them. They explained that they felt like strangers at home.
Q3: 16 out of 18 respondents said that they were respected outside home. 1 respondent only provided an explanation to this statement. He explained that his family was friendly. 2 out of 18 respondents said they were not respected at home. They also said that the Moroccan hearing community was not friendly. They explained that they were hellish, not educated and had no respect for the non-hearing community. They explained were underestimated when they walked in the street; they were nicknamed and harassed when they walked alone.
Q4: 16 out of 18 respondents said that they did not participate in elections. They explained that they still had not reached the legal age. 2 out of 18 respondents said that they did not participate in them because the persons in charge of the system did not consult their opinions
Q5: 11 out of 18 respondents said that they used Sign Language as a medium for communication. 7 out of 18 respondents said that they did not use it at all. Some among them explained that they were still learning it. Others just wished they could talk instead of using Sign Language.
Q6: 13 out 18 respondents said that Sign Language was developed. They explained that they could express everything through it. 5 out of 18 respondents said it was not developed at all. They explained that it was incomplete since they could not express abstract ideas or feelings through it.
Lalla Myriem School,Tiznit (18 respondents) (B6)
Yes No PosiExp NegExp Not Know
| Q2 | 15=83% | 3=16% | 15=83% | 3=16% | 0=0% |
| Q3 | 16=88% | 2=11% | 1=5,55% | 1=5,55% | 0=0% |
| Q4 | 2=11% | 16=88% | 16=88% | 2=11% | 0=0% |
| Q5 | 11=61% | 7=38% | 10=55% | 6=33% | 0=0% |
| Q6 | 13=72% | 5=27% | 9=50% | 5=27% | 0=0% |
2: The summary of the Results
As indicated earlier, Moroccan students and I were major instruments in generating data among hearing-impaired pupils in Morocco. The data were generated depending on qualitative and quantitative research. With regard to qualitative research, interviews were conducted with persons in charge of hearing impaired pupils in the West and South of Morocco. They gave us the extraordinary opportunity to be acquainted with challenges facing hearing impaired pupils there. Since measurement was needed as a suitable approach for capturing the specificity of the challenges, for measuring variables and for generating rich personal data, quantitative research lent itself useful.
The general results are obtained through the following questions: Q2: do you lead happy family lives? Q3: Are you respected outside home? Q4: Do you participate in elections? Q5: Do you use Sign Language in Communication? Q6: Is Sign Language developed? The general results have been important in two ways:
First, response to open and closed questions would disclose whether hearing impaired pupils in Morocco were in need of self-expression through art, especially through “Drama” to overcome distress. Second, whether the extent of suffering from problems was the same in the two geographical zones in Morocco.
Second, the results have disclosed a dichotomy of attitude between the West and the South of Morocco. The percentage of respondents expressing satisfaction with family life (Q2) was higher in the West (84%) than it was in the South (67%). It was the same with regard to their potential of maintaining mutual respect outside home (Q3), (76%) in the West of Morocco versus (57%) in the South. The percentage of respondents denying participation in elections (Q4) was higher in the West of Morocco (0%) than it was in the South (32%). Also, while the 84% of respondents in the West of Morocco acknowledged that they used Sign Language as their major means of communication (Q5), only 78% acknowledged the fact that they did not . Also, while just 15% of the respondents in the West of Morocco stated that Sign Language was not so developed to permit full communication (Q6), 51% of the respondents in the South declared the opposite. Q7 was somehow an open ended question, so less credit was given it in quantitative research. However, it disclosed the fact that drama was not a major concern.
| Yes | No | Exp | Posi Exp | |||
| West | Q2 | 84% | 15% | 84% | 84% | Family |
| South | Q2 | 67% | 32% | 78% | 16% | Family |
| West | Q3 | 76% | 23% | 84% | 23% | Outside |
| South | Q3 | 57% | 37% | 84% | 16% | Outside |
| West | Q4 | 0% | 100% | 84% | 23% | Elections |
| South | Q4 | 32% | 44% | 95% | 18% | Elections |
| West | Q5 | 84% | 15% | 84% | 84% | Sign lang |
| South | Q5 | 78% | 18% | 48% | 26% | Sign lang |
| West | Q6 | 15% | 84% | 84% | 15% | Devel SL |
| South | Q6 | 51% | 64% | 89% | 71% | Devel SL |
| West | Q7 | 0% | 100% | 84% | 84% | Drama |
| South | Q7 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | drama |
| Totals | Totals | Totals | Totals | Totals |
Henceforth, my question is at long last the following: Can educational drama be of help to hearing-impaired pupils to achieve catharsis? We have seen that the history of “Drama” proves that Drama-therapy rather than educational drama could be of help to hearing impaired pupils who need to achieve catharsis. We have also seen that Drama-therapy emerged from drama and from psychology, hence, “catharsis”, being commonly associated with psychological works, is mostly and commonly associated with Drama-therapy rather than with drama.
This leads me also to conclude that, although the rights of Moroccan children are well protected and encouraged in Morocco, endeavors are still highly limited to hearing children. The sixth annual parliamentary session for the protection of the rights of children is celebrated on November 18, 2008 every year. It illustrates two facts: First, that focus is laid upon children belonging to the hearing community. Second, that Moroccan hearing impaired pupils are oblivious about the fact that their rights could be claimed through it. (all the respondents said that they did not reach the legal age for participation in elections).
Therefore, the wish to reinforce the inclusion and the integration of hearing impaired Moroccan pupils in all walks of life, notably through “Drama” works is formulated. “Drama” would give them the knowledge and the skills to become informed, thoughtful and to be aware of their duties, to be responsible Moroccan citizens playing their part locally and in the wider world.
References
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Holmes, Paul and Marcia Karp. Psychodrama. Inspiration and Technique. London: Routlege,1991
Kempe, Andy. Drama Education and Special Needs. Cheltenham: Stanley Thornes Publishers, 1996.
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Appendix A
Sandfields Comprehensive School. Southdown view . Port Talbort. SA12 7AH. Wales. UK
Questionnaire-rewording Suggested by Teachers at Sandfields Comprehensive School
Teachers at Sandfields Comprehensive School suggested the questionnaire given to Moroccans to be filled in be reworded for the reasons stated below:
Q2: To avoid upsetting hearing impaired pupils, it would be better to ask: “do you get on with each other” instead of do you lead a happy family life? This will lead them to discuss family matter out of their own volition.
The majority of hearing impaired pupils at Sandfields Comprehensive School would not like to be asked questions about their family life. This question could cause the pupils either to feel upset, angry or they may even stop talking altogether
Q3: Instead of asking hearing impaired pupils if they are respected outside home, it would be better to ask them if they get on with each other. This question may lead them to give further information about family life.
Q4: Hearing impaired pupils at Sandfields Comprehensive School are too young to think about elections
Q5: Instead of asking hearing impaired pupils direct questions like: “do you use sign language, it would be better to say “how good is your signing?”
Q6: Instead of asking hearing impaired pupils if they think Sign Language is developed, it would be convenient to ask them if they use it everyday. The reason is that they do not like to be given the impression that they are different from hearing pupils. Hearing impaired pupils at Sandfields Comprehensive School prefer to lip-read people rather than to wear cochlear or radio aids or to use sign Language. They just do not like to feel they are different from people.
Appendix B
| Yes | No | Exp | Posi Exp | Neg Exp | Data | ||
| Q2 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 0 | A1 | |
| Q2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | A2 | |
| Q2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | A3 | |
| T0TALS | 84% | 15% | 84% | 84% | o% | West of Morocco | |
| Q3 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 8 | A1 | |
| Q3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | A2 | |
| Q3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | A3 | |
| Totals | 76% | 23% | 84% | 23% | West of Morocco | ||
| Q4 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 8 | A1 | |
| Q4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | A2 | |
| Q4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | A3 | |
| Totals | 0% | 100% | 84% | 23% | West of Morocco | ||
| Q5 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 0 | A1 | |
| Q5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | A2 | |
| Q5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | A3 | |
| Totals | 84% | 15% | 84% | 84% | 0% | West of Morocco | |
| Q6 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 9 | A1 | |
| Q6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | A2 | |
| Q6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | A3 | |
| Totals | 15% | 84% | 84% | 15% | 69% | West of Morocco | |
| Q7 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 9 | A1 | |
| Q7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | A2 | |
| Q7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | A3 | |
| Totals | 0% | 100% | 84% | 0% | 84% | West of Morocco | |
| Q2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | B1 | |
| Q2 | 69 | 4 | 62 | 56 | 6 | B2 | |
| Q2 | 69 | 67 | 100 | 21 | 79 | B3 | |
| Q2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | B4 | |
| Q2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | B5 | |
| Q2 | 15 | 3 | 18 | 15 | 3 | B6 | |
| Totals | 67% | 32% | 78% | 16% | 38% | South of Morocco | |
| Q3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | B1 | |
| Q3 | 49 | 24 | 70 | 39 | 31 | B2 | |
| Q3 | 69 | 58 | 121 | 65 | 66 | B3 | |
| Q3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | B4 | |
| Q3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | B5 | |
| Q3 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | B6 | |
| Totals | 57% | 37% | 84% | 46% | 57% | South of Morocco | |
| Q4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | B1 | |
| Q4 | 73 | 73 | 67 | 18 | 49 | B2 | |
| Q4 | 0 | 10 | 131 | 5 | 126 | B3 | |
| Q4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | B4 | |
| Q4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | B5 | |
| Q4 | 2 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 2 | B6 | |
| Totals | 32% | 44% | 95% | 18% | 75% | South of Morocco | |
| Q5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | B1 | |
| Q5 | 52 | 21 | 69 | 43 | 26 | B2 | |
| Q5 | 116 | 13 | 24 | 6 | 18 | B3 | |
| Q5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | B4 | |
| Q5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | B5 | |
| Q5 | 11 | 7 | 16 | 10 | 6 | B6 | |
| Totals | 78% | 18% | 48% | 26% | 22% | South of Morocco | |
| Q6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | B1 | |
| Q6 | 48 | 65 | 62 | 23 | 39 | B2 | |
| Q6 | 56 | 75 | 135 | 65 | 70 | B3 | |
| Q6 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | B4 | |
| Q6 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | B5 | |
| Q6 | 13 | 5 | 14 | 9 | 5 | B6 | |
| Totals | South of Morocco | ||||||
| Totals | 51% | 64% | 89% | 71% | 50% | ||
foukara 
