Drama as a pedagogical tool in technology education : A study of teachers’ perceptions of drama exercises when teaching ethics in technology

Sammanfattning: According to the National Agency of Education in Sweden, ethics should be a part of technology education in compulsory school (Skolverket, 2011), though research shows that technology teachers struggle with how they should teach ethics in technology (Kåreklint, 2007). The National Agency of Education also states that although drama does not have its’ own syllabus in Swedish grade school, it is encouraged that it is integrated in other subjects. The purpose of this study was to inquire how drama can contribute to the teaching of ethics in technology education in secondary schools. This was attempted to be fulfilled by answering the question " How do teachers view the usage of drama as a pedagogical tool when teaching ethics in technology education?" The inquiry was answered conducting three semi structured interviews with three different technology teachers from three secondary schools in Sweden. All teachers had previous to the interview received and conducted a lesson plan with their pupils, specifically developed for this study, where ethics in technology could be taught with a drama exercise. The interview was largely based on the teachers’ impression of this lesson. The result of the study shows that all participating teachers were very positive to the idea of using drama as a tool when teaching ethics in technology education. All teachers expressed that the lesson had gone well and they all answered that they could see themselves use drama as a tool again. The conclusion being that drama could be a viable option for teaching ethics in technology education.