Readers Theater and the “Receivement Gap”: The Impact of Theater-Based Instructional Strategies on African American Male’s Reading Achievement

Abstract

International assessment data consistently indicate that when compared to their peers from other major developed nations, American students, irrespective of their race, underperform in reading and mathematics (Darling Hammond, 2010; NCES, 2011; PIRLS, 2011; PISA, 2009; TIMSS, 2011). Within an American context, African American males generally have the lowest reading scores as compared to their White peers (Husband, 2012; NCES, 2011; Schott Foundation, 2010; Spellings Report, 2006). Existing research indicates that these disparities in academic performance are a result of inequalities in access to quality education and differences in the treatment of students, which are deeply imbedded in historical patterns of racial, gendered, and class discrimination. However, past studies also indicate that these same students optimize their learning experiences and become high performers when they receive high quality instruction and school enrichments. Thus, this chapter examines the use of Readers Theater as an instructional model that may help to enhance the school achievement of student groups, such as African American males. The chapter documents the challenges that Black males face in schools and proposes performing arts education as a mediating mechanism and reading enhancement tool. Additionally, it includes an in-depth description of Readers Theater and examines several studies on this instructional method and its potential impact on African American males and their reading skills.

Citation

Walton, C.W. and Wiggan, G. (2014), "Readers Theater and the “Receivement Gap”: The Impact of Theater-Based Instructional Strategies on African American Male’s Reading Achievement", African American Male Students in PreK-12 Schools: Informing Research, Policy, and Practice (Advances in Race and Ethnicity in Education, Vol. 2), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 283-302. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2051-231720140000002031