Neuroscience And Learning In Education
October 13, 2026
Theatrical action as an active methodology for learning: convergence between neuroscience and education
Theatrical Action as an Active Methodology for Learning: Convergence between Neuroscience and Education
Maria da Glória de Carvalho e Silva Estevam Guimarães; Maria Fernanda Celli de Oliveira
DOI: 10.22167/2675-6528-202603245
Article derived from a Course Conclusion Work (TCC), with content based on the student’s original work and adapted to the editorial format of the E&S Magazine with the support of the ResumeAI tool, an artificial intelligence solution developed by Instituto Pecege for textual synthesis and organization.
Summary
This research proposed the use of theatrical action as an active learning methodology for elementary school students (grades 6-8), grounded in neuroscience, theater, and pedagogy. The study investigated the potential of theatrical practice as a pedagogical strategy to enhance the comprehension and retention of theoretical content. The objective was to structure and propose a pedagogical intervention based on the collective creation of theatrical scenes as active learning, comparing it with traditional expository teaching practices. An experimental study was conducted, with a qualitative and quantitative approach, involving fourteen 7th-grade students. Participants underwent objective and essay-based pre-tests on cerebral lobes, hippocampus, and amygdala. The control group (7 students) participated in an expository lecture, while the experimental group (7 students) created collaborative theatrical scenes. Performance and observation data were analyzed. At the end of the investigation, the experimental group demonstrated better retention of concepts and functions compared to the control group. It was concluded that theater has great potential as an active methodology for student development in the school context, and can be applied in different subjects by mobilizing engagement, emotion, reason, and problem-solving, in addition to assisting teachers in developing lesson plans.
Keywords: active learning; student engagement; pedagogical methodology; educational neuroscience; educational theater.
1. Introduction
The human brain is recognized as the most sophisticated mechanism for processing concepts and ideas, as highlighted by Relvas (2023). Learning, in its essence, is a complex process that integrates cognitive, emotional, and environmental factors, as observed in studies by Vygotsky and Damásio (2011). However, the contemporary educational landscape faces significant challenges. Recent data indicate that Brazil ranks among the last positions in PISA for mathematics, science, and reading (G1 Educação, 2023). Furthermore, students’ disinterest and difficulty in engaging in the classroom are pointed out as primary obstacles, along with indiscipline and lack of family participation (Folha de S. Paulo, 2024). In an environment saturated with digital stimuli that provide high dopamine release, schools find increasing difficulty in capturing and maintaining students’ attention (USP, 2024). Given this reality, it becomes imperative to seek pedagogical methodologies capable of offering meaningful experiences and enhancing interest in studies.
In this context, theatrical action emerges as a promising active methodology for learning, based on principles from neuroscience, theater, and pedagogy. The literature in the field corroborates the relevance of emotion in the learning process, with Damásio (2000) proposing that emotions are structuring agents that impact memorization, reasoning, and learning. Relvas (2023) complements this view, articulating concepts from Piaget and Vygotsky, and emphasizing that reason and emotion are complementary, with emotions acting as “initiators” of the act of learning. Neuroscience demonstrates that synapse formation, essential for learning, involves both emotion and stimulus repetition. The very structure of theatrical practice, which demands affect and continuous rehearsals, aligns with this principle of synaptic production.
Despite the existence of pedagogical and theatrical practices that challenge individuals to solve problems, such as Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed and Dorothy Heathcote’s Mantle of the Expert (MOE) method, knowledge about their application and effectiveness appears to be limited. This limitation stems, in part, from a lack of specific training for teachers in different areas and from structural issues, such as overcrowded classrooms and reduced class time. Although research exists on theater and neuroscience (Calvert, 2010), on content acquisition through theater (Hauer, 2005), and on the use of theatrical games in education (Neves, 2018), there is still a scarcity of studies with specific evidence on the relationship between theater and learning from a neuroscience perspective in the school environment. There is a gap in understanding how theatrical action can be systematically integrated into the curriculum to optimize the teaching-learning process.
This research is justified by the need to explore and validate innovative approaches that can reverse the scenario of disinterest and low content retention among students in Ensino Fundamental II. By proposing significant classroom experiences, capable of enhancing engagement and understanding, this study aims to offer material that can assist other teachers in implementing active methodologies, considering the reality of public schools. Thus, the general objective is to investigate the potential of theatrical action as an active learning methodology, articulating foundations of neuroscience and education, through quantitative and qualitative analysis of its effectiveness in the construction and retention of knowledge.
2. Material and Methods
The present study was characterized as an experimental research, adopting a mixed methodological approach, of a qualitative and quantitative nature, as recommended by Gil (2008). The central objective was to investigate the potential of theatrical action as an active learning methodology, articulating foundations of neuroscience and education, through the analysis of its effectiveness in the construction and retention of knowledge.
The unit of analysis consisted of fourteen 7th-grade students from Ensino Fundamental II, selected from a municipal school located in the interior of São Paulo. The participants were divided into two equitable groups: a control group, composed of seven students, and an experimental group, also with seven students.
The theme addressed in the pedagogical intervention was the functioning of brain zones, including cerebral lobes, hippocampus, and amygdala. The theoretical content used as reference for the elaboration of the activities was extracted from the book “How the Brain Learns”, by Cosenza and Guerra (2011), and from the book “The Neurobiology of Learning for a Humanizing School”, by Relvas (2023).
The methodological design proposed a comparison between the two groups. The control group was subjected to traditional expository classes, while the experimental group participated in activities focused on the collective creation of theatrical scenes, transposing theoretical content into scenic practice.
For the control group, the pedagogical intervention was carried out in two fifty-minute classes. In the first class, a text about the brain, neurons, and cerebral lobes (occipital, parietal, temporal, frontal) was read, followed by a teacher’s explanation and a dialogued discussion. The second class continued with reading and explanation, addressing the hippocampus and amygdala, also with a dialogued discussion.
In the experimental group, the intervention also took place in two fifty-minute classes. In the first class, the text about the brain, neurons, and cerebral lobes was read, with a focus on the collective creation of scenes. Students were instructed to create theatrical scenes to represent neurons forming synapses and the functions of different cerebral lobes, using dialogues and body movements. The scenes were rehearsed and presented to their peers.
In the second class of the experimental group, the text reading focused on the topics of hippocampus and amygdala. Subsequently, students were asked to create theatrical scenes to represent the functioning of these brain structures, with an emphasis on the expression of emotions and memories. The scenes were rehearsed and presented to the other participants.
Data collection was structured in three sequential stages. Initially, an initial assessment was applied, composed of pre-tests with objective and essay questions, to both groups. Then, the pedagogical intervention occurred, as described for each group. Finally, post-tests were applied, using the same assessments as the pre-test, to measure knowledge retention after the activities.
Data collection instruments included assessments (pre-tests and post-tests) and systematic observation records. The researcher made detailed notes on students’ engagement, participation, and progress during classroom and playground activities, using the school’s existing infrastructure.
The data analysis considered two dimensions. The quantitative dimension was carried out by comparing the number of correct answers and errors obtained in the pre-tests and post-tests of both groups. For the organization of this data, spreadsheets from Microsoft Excel software and tables from Microsoft Word were used.
The qualitative dimension consisted of the analysis of observations recorded by the researcher, focusing on students’ engagement, collaboration, creativity, demonstration of content understanding, and artistic expression during the activities. These observations were organized into spreadsheets, using previously defined categories to facilitate pattern identification.
Regarding ethical considerations, all collected information was recorded anonymously, ensuring the confidentiality and protection of participants’ identities. Names of students, faculty, or institutions were not mentioned. The project was submitted to and approved by the Research Ethics Committee (CEP), ensuring that all stages of data collection with the students followed current ethical standards.
3. Results and Discussion
This research sought to compare the effectiveness of two pedagogical approaches in the construction and retention of knowledge in students of Ensino Fundamental II: a traditional expository methodology and an active approach based on the collective creation of theatrical scenes. The central theme, the functioning of brain zones, was chosen because it is not a subject usually explored in the 7th grade, minimizing participants’ prior knowledge and facilitating the assessment of learning. The results obtained, both quantitative and qualitative, indicated notable differences in the performance and engagement of the groups, corroborating the potential of theatrical action as a pedagogical tool.
In the quantitative dimension, the analysis of pre-tests and post-tests revealed superior performance of the experimental group compared to the control group. Students in the control group, subjected to the expository lecture, showed variations in the difference between pre-test and post-test results ranging from -1 to 4 points. For example, Student 1 had a reduction of 1 point, while Student 4 obtained an increase of 4 points. These data suggest inconsistent content retention and, in some cases, even a decrease in knowledge after the traditional intervention.
In contrast, the experimental group, which participated in the creation of theatrical scenes, demonstrated a significant and more consistent improvement. The differences between the pre-test and post-test results for this group ranged from 4 to 10 points. Student 4, for example, achieved an increase of 10 points, and Student 5, 7 points. These numbers indicate that the active theatrical methodology promoted a more effective and comprehensive retention of concepts and functions, surpassing the performance of the control group in objective and essay assessments.
The qualitative analysis, based on systematic observations by the researcher during classes, complemented the quantitative findings. In the control group, it was observed that, despite some students expressing initial interest in the neuroscience topic, overall participation was discreet. There were moments of distraction, side conversations, and play unrelated to the content. The teacher had to intervene to regain attention, and some students reported difficulty understanding the content, considering it complex. This dynamic resulted in low performance on the post-test, confirming the difficulty in retaining information.
For the experimental group, the experience was markedly different. Upon receiving the text with the instruction to create a theatrical scene, the students engaged in an active and collaborative reading, with the clear objective of transposing the content into dramatization. They invented characters to represent the different parts of the brain, such as the hippocampus and the amygdala, and developed dialogues and actions that playfully explained their functions. This process stimulated immediate interest, collective decision-making, role organization, and the shared construction of the staging, with the teacher’s mediation.
The collective creation of theatrical scenes demanded from students active and constant attention in decision-making, elements that, according to David (2021), are fundamental for engagement and synapse formation. Unlike the passivity observed in the control group, the theatrical activity demanded the participation of “body and mind”, transforming the challenge of transposing scientific concepts into bodily movements and dialogues into a playful and emotionally engaging process. This approach aligns with Relvas’s (2023) perspective, which emphasizes emotion as an essential foundation for learning, acting as an “initiator” of the learning act.
The pedagogical proposal of the theatrical action also connects with the idea that the brain remains attentive to what it judges important, according to Cosenza and Guerra (2011). The need to create a narrative, define characters, and resolve scenic conflicts kept the students in the experimental group in a state of active attention. The aesthetic and narrative decisions, which occurred in the present moment, were judged relevant by the participants, resulting in a process that engaged and entertained, while at the same time provoking sensations and emotions that facilitated the recording and memorization of the content.
Repetition, a crucial element for synapse formation and memory strengthening, according to Relvas (2023), was intrinsic to theatrical practice. Scene rehearsals, which required the repetition of gestures, intonations, and lines, were not merely mechanical, but rather a process of refinement and interpretation. This investigative repetition, as described by Ciane Fernandes when discussing Pina Bausch’s work, allowed students to experiment with different forms of action and staging, producing new perceptions and deepening their understanding of the content, rather than just memorizing it.
The connection between theater and neuroscience is also manifested in the Brechtian perspective, which conceives theater as a game of ideas that invites an active and reflective stance. This approach, by proposing a sense of estrangement and distancing from realistic representation, stimulates students to reflect critically and actively participate in the construction of the scene’s meanings, which aligns with the studies by Damásio, Dehaene, and Cosenza and Guerra on active attention as a pillar of learning. The collective creation of scenes, inspired by Boal, valued the active participation of subjects, allowing them to observe, experiment, and reformulate their actions, dialogue, and make decisions, elements that Dehaene (cited by David, 2021) associates with active engagement and feedback in learning.
Stanislavski’s notion of “physical action,” which connects the actor’s work to the body and its actions, resonates with Damásio’s (2025) studies on the non-division between mind and body. Theatrical action, by requiring students to transpose theoretical concepts into gestures and movements, acts as an agent that constantly reminds us that reason, cognition, and emotion go hand in hand in the construction of knowledge. The interpretation of characters, such as the amygdala or the hippocampus, required students to collectively investigate the actions and reactions that would express brain functions, generating engagement and knowledge, even for observers, through the activation of mirror neurons (Villa, 2016, apud Rizzolatti and Craighero, 2004).
The playfulness and “make-believe” present in theatrical action, as in Dorothy Heathcote’s Mantle of the Expert (MoE) method, also proved effective. By imagining themselves as experts on the subject, students were challenged to solve problems and express themselves, mobilizing emotion, interpretation, and creativity. This approach, which aligns with Vygotsky’s guidelines (apud Hauer, 2005) on learning through play, amplified their protagonism and motivation, promoting interdisciplinarity by studying neuroscience through art.
The research also considered the reality of public schools, using existing infrastructure and basic resources. The Brechtian approach, which dispenses with large scenographic resources and costumes, focusing on scenic play and critical observation, proved adequate for the 50-minute class time and resource availability. This adaptability reinforces the replicability of the methodology in different school contexts, promoting a more inclusive education that embraces the diversity of ways of existing and learning, as pointed out by Boal (2019) and Lima (2025), without imposing “neurotypical” standards of expression.
Despite the promising results, the study faced some limitations. The experiment was conducted with a small number of participants (14 students), which differs from the reality of classrooms with more than 30 students and restricts the generalization of the findings. Furthermore, the researcher teacher acted as the sole implementer of the intervention, which may have influenced engagement and results, and made it impossible to verify under the guidance of different instructors. The students’ prior theatrical experience, since the 6th grade with the same teacher, can also be considered a limitation, although access to this knowledge is a right provided for in the BNCC.
Another important limitation was the impossibility of conducting a longitudinal evaluation, which restricts the analysis of long-term knowledge retention. However, the study demonstrated that the active theatrical methodology is replicable in 50-minute classes, making it viable for the reality of teachers in Ensino Fundamental II. The pedagogical intervention proposal, articulating neuroscience, theater, and education, offers material that can assist other teachers in implementing active methodologies, enhancing students’ interest and understanding.
In summary, the findings of this research indicate that theatrical action, by integrating engagement, emotion, reason, and problem-solving, promoted more active learning and superior knowledge retention in the experimental group. The methodology proved to be an effective pedagogical strategy for student development, capable of mobilizing students’ attention and participation, and consolidating learning in a meaningful way, responding to the objective of investigating the potential of theatrical action as an active learning methodology.
4. Conclusion
This research sought to investigate the potential of theatrical action as an active learning methodology, articulating foundations from neuroscience and education to analyze its effectiveness in knowledge construction and retention. It was found that the pedagogical intervention based on the collective creation of theatrical scenes promoted significantly higher retention of concepts and functions in the experimental group, compared to the control group subjected to traditional expository practices. Quantitative findings indicated consistent improvements in the performance of students who participated in theatrical activities, while qualitative analysis revealed active engagement, collaboration, and decision-making that transformed theoretical content into a playful and emotionally engaging experience. It was observed that the transposition of scientific concepts into scenic movements and dialogues, combined with the investigative repetition of rehearsals, enhanced synapse formation and memorization, aligning with neuroscience principles that highlight emotion and active attention as pillars of learning. The methodology proved to be an effective pedagogical strategy for student development, capable of mobilizing students’ attention and participation, consolidating learning in a significant way.
Despite the promising results, the study faced important limitations, such as the reduced number of fourteen participants, which restricts the generalization of findings to classrooms with a larger number of students. Furthermore, the researcher-teacher’s role as the sole implementer of the intervention may have influenced the results, making it impossible to verify under the guidance of different instructors. The inability to conduct a longitudinal evaluation also limited the analysis of long-term knowledge retention. However, the pedagogical intervention proposal, which articulates neuroscience, theater, and education, offers replicable material in 50-minute classes, assisting teachers in implementing active methodologies and enhancing students’ interest and understanding. For future studies, it is suggested to expand the sample, conduct longitudinal evaluations, and apply the methodology by different instructors, in order to verify its effectiveness in broader and more diverse contexts, contributing to the proposition of new research on the impact of theatrical scene creation on learning.
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