| Volume 25 Number 1 | January 5, 2024 |
“Intervention on a String”: What is the Impact of Puppetry as an Intervention Tool on the Communication Skills and Self-Esteem of Children, Including Children with Disabilities and Additional Challenges?
Leanne Guihot-Balcombe
University of Newcastle, Australia
Citation: Guihot-Balcombe, L. (2024). “Intervention on a string”: What is the impact of puppetry as an intervention tool on the communication skills and self-esteem of children, including children with disabilities and additional challenges? International Journal of Education & the Arts, 25(1). http://doi.org/10.26209/ijea25n1
Abstract
“Intervention on a String” sought to examine puppets and puppetry in the education domain. This research project sought to examine puppets in the classroom to see if their inclusion helped raise levels of student engagement, socialisation, and participation. Moreover, this project sought to understand how and why puppets, as pedagogical tools, might foster communication and social skills that help build relationships and potentially increase self-esteem in young people. Puppets have been used throughout the ages for entertainment as well as for the transmission of cultural stories, histories, and traditions, and have been described as an effective means of communicating with children (Bernier & O’Hare, 2005; Blumenthal, 2005; Sposito et al., 2016). However, an extensive examination of the literature surrounding puppets and puppetry in education showed that there is little research-based evidence surrounding their educational impact and benefits (Krögera & Nupponen, 2019).
