Staging set plays for o-level literature instruction: a case of the lion and the jewel production’s audience from selected schools

Abstract

The study investigated staged set plays for their contribution to teaching and learning Literature at O-Level. It was guided by three objectives: to examine the audience‘s expectations of the staged set play, to determine the intentions of the drama groups in staging the set play, and to evaluate the extent to which stage productions enact the aims of teaching literature at O-level. Adopting the constructivist approach to learning, the study took the qualitative paradigm to collect and analyse data. A total sample of 71 respondents participated and data was collected by way of interview, observation, and focus group discussions. The data was analysed basing on the interpretive data analysis mode. It was established that the audience expected to be helped to learn the play, the performers intended to facilitate teaching and learning Literature, and that the teaching technique of staged set plays contributes to the achievement of some aims of teaching Literature at O-Level. It was concluded that improvement in the staging of set plays would lead to increase in teacher’s use of the same for teaching Literature at O-Level. The study also found that there were no formal guidelines or regulations streamlining the staging of set plays. The study hence pointed out the necessity for formal guidelines to be introduced to regulate the performers so as to ensure that the financial gain from staging set plays does not override the intention to facilitate the teaching and learning of Literature.