Breathing Empowerment And Belonging Into The Lives Of At-risk Adolescents: A Narrative Inquiry Into Theatre Education In Hawaiʻi

Abstract

The aim of this research is to contribute to the growing body of scholarship that untangles the link between theatre education and the development of non-cognitive factors, such as belonging and empowerment, for at-risk adolescents. This study offers a unique opportunity to explore the advantages of culturally responsive pedagogy due to the cultural and socio-economic diversity of Hawaiʻi's youth. Fifteen theatre educators and teaching artists from across Hawaiʻi participated in this qualitative narrative inquiry research, sharing their experiences of working with at-risk high school students. They discussed how theatre education benefited their students, and the data generated from these interviews informed performance text development. The study found a strong connection between the Hawaiʻi Department of Education's HĀ framework and the skills developed and taught in theatre classrooms and performance spaces. This study emphasizes the importance of theatre education, funding, and implementation in schools and communities, and calls for more inclusive pedagogy.