The Development of Drama Education in the Early Childhood Program in Malaysia: Embarked from the Life History of three Malaysian Chinese Drama Teachers (Chinese)｜DaTEAsia Vol. 9

Drama education from the West has been developed in Taiwan and Hong Kong for many years. It has been introduced into Malaysian schools through Taiwan by Malaysian Chinese for 20 years. The study in the paper analyzes the drama-learning processes of three Malaysian Chinese kindergarten drama teachers. In examining the individual personal histories, the paper aims to review the development of drama education in early childhood education in Malaysia. Through interviews and the analysis of teaching plans and classroom observations, the research finds that three teachers’ early encounters with drama were somewhat related to the Chinese culture or school drama events. With their own personal interests, followed by informal or formal training and the need of their professional development, these three teachers have developed their own teaching styles. All of the three played crucial roles in the advancement of drama education in Malaysia. With the initiative of the new national ECE (Early Childhood Education) curriculum, there are needs to combine resources from different sectors, to promote dialogues among drama teachers or artists, or to make reference to curriculum models in ECE teacher-training programs in other Asian countries. These are necessary effects for solving problems encountered in the kindergartens and teacher training institutions.