Exploring cognitively challenged children’s response to puppet theatre addressing grief, within a group intervention

M.Ed. (Educational Psychology)There is a dire need within the South African context for psychological interventions (Landsberg, Kruger & Nel, 2005). Keeping this in mind, group interventions may prove to be a most beneficial and effective choice as it provides the opportunity to address several individuals systematically and simultaneously (Babbie, 2011). Smaller groups provide an opportunity of learning from others and the comfort of knowing that you are not alone. I was therefore interested in exploring cognitively challenged children’s response to puppet theatre addressing grief, within a group intervention. The theoretical framework employed in this study is the socio-cultural framework. Based on the work of Lev Vygotsky, which deals with the concept that the cognitive development of a child depends upon his/her response to the influences of the culture and society he/she is born in (Berk, 1997). His observation was that the social interaction brings about a gradual change in the way a child thinks, feels and behaves and this is variable from one culture to another. I take these views of knowledge being actively and continuously constructed and reconstructed with the impact and influence of social environments (Donald, Lazarus & Lolwana, 2010) in order to explore the collaborative understanding of grief. The aim of this study was to explore cognitively challenged children’s response to puppet theatre addressing grief, within a group intervention. Puppet theatre presented an opportunity to work with children through ‘play’, thus forming an alliance with the children in a non-threatening manner (Granot, 2005). With the focus being on the puppets, not on the children, their responses to grief was observed and resulted in group discussions. As Glăveanu (2010) points out, creative acts are simultaneously forms of externalisation and cultural expression. Malchiodi (1998), stresses the importance of considering developmental delays, especially with the cognitively impaired, when working creatively with children. The research followed a phenomenological research design through purposive sampling of seven children from a Gauteng (South Africa) school for children with cognitive challenges. Data was collected through the means of unstructured group interviews and observations. In observing their experiences with puppet theatre in a group intervention, the aim was to explore their responses and understanding of grief. Narrative analysis of the data collected provided themes to guide my findings. The study found that group intervention did prove useful with creating awareness amongst the cognitively challenged participants by allowing them to connect with their emotions. Puppet theatre also proved effective in externalizing cognitively challenged children’s exploration of grief. Through the emergence of this research communities will be better informed to the value of group intervention and the advantages of puppet theatre with cognitively challenged children