The Performing Arts’ impact on Socioemotional and Interpersonal Skill Development in Special Education Students: A Classroom Guide

Participating in the performing arts, specifically theatre, teaches students interpersonal and socioemotional skills by engaging them in activities that have benefits of learning how to actively listen, feel comfortable communicating, and personify emotions. Special education students are most often not offered the same opportunities as general education students. Most special education students have a difficult time with interpersonal skills and therefore, this thesis focuses on how the performing arts can benefit in the developmental process of interpersonal and socioemotional skills in special education students. This thesis was created to provide a different approach to social coaching for special education teachers. A guidebook was created in order to form an easy step-by-step guide for teachers to follow so they can integrate the performing arts into the special education classrooms.