The purpose of this research is the construction and psychometric evaluation of seven categories of recall and recognition tasks for the measurement of young spectators’ theatrical memory, based on the respective theatre codes of a specific performance for young spectators. The aim of those tasks is the evaluation of the young spectators’ mnemonic recordings on a level a) the actors’ representation of the characters on stage (acting), b) the visual frame of the performance, c) the audio code d) the lights, e) the dramatic text, f) the plot/action and g) the Shadow Theatre technique. The recall and recognition tasks were constructed according to the Classical Test Theory of Question Analysis on a sample of 5th Grade Primary School pupils (i.e. ten-year-old pupils), who had seen this specific performance addressed to young spectators and were evaluated with the Factor Analysis method. For the evaluation of the quality of the questions, we took into consideration the difficulty coefficient of each question, the discriminant coefficient and the evaluation of the correlation level of expert judges. For the psychometric control of the tests we examined the validity of their conceptual construct via inquiry factor analysis and the internal validity coefficient. The result of the above tasks was the creation of seven reliable and valid measurement tools, in which no gender effect is inferred.
Going to theatre, may be a unique experience for schoolchildren, which is indelibly etched in their memory. The Primary School pupil-spectator comes in touch with the theatre principles and is initiated in its world. S/he experiences its ritual and cohesively structured character within the frame of the collectivity that is required and with the particularity of the formation of the psychic mechanism and social conscience in this specific phase of the development of his/her personality, as well as the influence of a number of some other differentiating factors, thus leading to the establishment of a very special relation and interaction between the stage and the audience. S/he also focuses on the elements of the performance that attract his/her interest, are closer to his/her mentality, and challenge his/her attention and emotional stimulation. In this way, the mnemonic recording is activated. The theatre performance consists of a very rich environment for mnemonic traces because of its wealth of codes, their multiple combinations, and variety of functions. The actors' speech, the intense content of ideas and principles in combination with the challenging audiovisual stimuli of the secondary codes of the performance, the plot dynamics, and the director's techniques and practices, are elements that may initiate mnemonic recording. It is important on the other hand that the school invests in cultural activities such as the attendance of a theatre performance and includes them in the school curriculum. The teacher, as the best advocate of cultural education, the active mediator and coordinator of this visit, undertakes a large part of the responsibility for its successful and indelible mnemonic recording-from the difficult part of the selection of a performance to the care of the suitable conditions for the reception of the spectacle-thus creating the appropriate frame for the pupils to experience the acting event as a means of interaction, play, learning, communication and above all of the activation of the old and the creation of new memories. Therefore, the research interest of the present study focuses on the analysis of all the elements mentioned above, with the aim to examine and analyze the specific factors that influence the mnemonic recordings of the school audience.
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