Drama/Theatre Performance in Education through the Use of Digital Technologies for Enhancing Students’ Sustainability Awareness: A Literature Review

Abstract

The use of digital technologies in drama performances in education that address the sustainability issues that plague today’s world is highly acknowledged globally by the scientific community since digital technologies offer a variety of ways to provide students with an interactive and engaging learning experience. This article aims to present a literature review on drama/theatre performance in educational environments by applying digital technologies to increase students’ sustainability awareness. More specifically, this article presents a state-of-the-art study on the recent developments concerning digital drama performance and explores how the cultivation of sustainability consciousness by students in all educational contexts can be achieved. Additionally, it provides valuable insights into how combining digital drama performances and sustainability issues could improve crucial 21st-century skills for students at all levels of education. The dataset was collected using the Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases. This review is mainly interested in identifying the research gaps since the current literature focuses primarily on digital technologies in drama/theatre education. However, developing the sustainability awareness of students by performing digital drama seems to be under researched. The results of this study directly impact a wide range of educational experts, such as drama teachers, drama faculty members, drama education researchers, scholars, and theatre practitioners, including art critics, culture specialists, stage designers, drama directors, managers, consultants, and policymakers, to influence them to reflect and reconsider the potential benefits of introducing drama/theatre performance lessons in the official curriculum programs to motivate students to become aware of critical sustainable issues.

1. Introduction

New technologies have played a pivotal role during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis and throughout the rest of the pandemic era and have significantly affected a broad spectrum of activities in all aspects of life and scientific fields, including education. The wide use of digital technologies is an essential vehicle for the digital transformation that characterizes the 21st century and portrays the shifting paradigm that has created innovative ways of thinking and working across many sectors. This study uses the word paradigm as a set of norms, approaches, and philosophical and ontological attitudes that have historically shaped education, including drama education.

When discussing digital transformation, Hamidi et al. argue that the literature refers to the transformation taking place in business activities, processes, competencies, and models to make use of the changes of digital technology and their effects in life [1]. But digital transformation is expected to have crucial outcomes on business and on society as well and the core area of education, which is referred to as “sustainability” [1] (p. 723). Education employs digital transition and application of digital technologies to raise awareness among students about significant ecological and environmental challenges. Sustainability is one of the main competencies that derive from incorporating digital technologies and platforms in education to mitigate sustainable development problems worldwide.

Sustainability is undeniably a rather ubiquitous and broad term that has gained tremendous popularity in scientific discourse since it has appeared in many scientific publications and official political documents, which will be further discussed. When discussing sustainability in education, we see it from a broader perspective and refer to the strategic measurements and management of educational organizations and institutions of all levels sensitive to environmental, social, and financial issues and their attempt to propose sustainable solutions. Drama performances with innovative digital technologies are adapted from educational systems for sustainable development and are expected to be used as a tempting teaching method. Digital drama/theatre is deemed as an effective teaching mode for students to construct new knowledge and enhance their concerns regarding sustainability in education and in their present and future lives generally.

There are a great variety of sustainable digital education teaching tools, such as “videos and other multimedia materials, virtual activities, games, educational animations, or simulations” [2] (p. 2). The categories of digital theatre and performance also include other emerging new technologies, such as augmented reality, virtual reality, gamification, and immersive theatre, to name only some of the many possible models and teaching modes of digital liveness [3]. In this sense, a digital teaching and learning paradigm shifts from a teacher-centered to a more student-centered educational environment. Drama/theatre performance is mediated through digital technologies since it is created through different digital means and infrastructure. Many web-based platforms create a space where drama/theatre is created, edited, distributed, stored, and retrieved through technological tools [3].

To achieve the goal of engaging drama/theatre performances with the use of digital technologies aiming for sustainability consciousness in education, a literature review of empirical studies was conducted. The aim of the literature review is to synthesize and present the current trends of applying drama-based activities through digital technologies to cultivate the sustainability awareness of students at every educational level. We left no stone unturned and thoroughly searched and studied a plethora of scientific articles concerning different methodologies, educational contexts, and digital tools used in drama/theatre education to highlight students’ 21st-century skills with the aim of achieving a more sustainable future and a more prosperous world for all human beings. We intend to encourage drama practitioners, educators, faculty teachers in drama education, drama developers, and experts to use digital drama pedagogies and methodologies in their courses and classes. The insights from this research might be valuable for various educational organizations and institutions that prepare students for a sustainable future with increased digitalization as a critical modality and practice in their everyday lives. Also, we hope this research will serve as a springboard for further reflection and adjustment of modern curricula to cultivate ecological awareness among students.

Specifically, Section 2 includes the theory on drama education, technology incorporation, and sustainability. Section 3 includes the research questions; Section 4 includes the materials and theoretical models; Section 5 includes the results; Section 6 includes the discussion; Section 7 includes the limitations and the future research recommendations; and Section 8 includes the concluding remarks.

2. Theoretical Underpinnings

2.1. Drama and Digital Drama Education

Drama is the art of narrative performance on stage by synthesizing body language, props, dance, and music. Özgen and Erbay present the opinions of drama leaders who give their definitions of drama and perceive it more as an educational teaching strategy, lifestyle, art, creativity, and socialization and who pay attention to the relationship between drama and education as a collaborative and hands-on learning technique [4]. Drama education is the development of professional drama talents through various drama methods and techniques, along with the popularization of drama education among students [5,6]. It is the application of pedagogical strategies, methods, and techniques to educate students in cultivating drama and theatrical acts. It includes not only performing actions but designing drama-based activities as well. Through drama activities, school institutions encourage students to participate in the process of dramatic experience and express themselves, also enabling them to feel a sense of being on stage, contributing to the all-around development of children [7].

In recent years, the scientific community has stressed and recognized drama education’s value. Drama education is an art discipline that allows children’s personalities to shape and develop physically and mentally. Additionally, it cultivates students’ imagination and ability for group work, fostering language skills, body coordination, creativity, and better growing up [8]. It is based on students’ life experiences and drama methodologies like role playing and improvisations performed by groups of students. Consequently, drama can be conceptualized as the use of theatrical techniques, such as role playing, improvisation, and animation, through which students learn via dialogues, movements and sound, verbal and non-verbal styles, and kinesthetic movements.

The use of drama-based activities in educational contexts offers significant opportunities for compelling experiential intercultural learning experiences since students interact and develop active listening competencies, empathy, respect for classmates, and other social and affective skills. More significantly, educational drama may be a feasible way to motivate students to process new ideas and to be less passive when absorbing new information [9]. This leads to the development of creative skills for students, life skills that are considered to be of extreme importance for their personal and professional lives.

Drama integrates fact and fiction and activates cognitive effects and socio-emotional outcomes, such as empathy, when dealing with global injustice [10]. Unesco describes many critical characteristics of education for sustainable development, interdisciplinary, holistic, and value-focused competencies, and skills, such as problem solving, critical thinking, and decision making, among many alternative options [11]. This explains the interconnectedness of drama education with the potential of sustainable development in education since both are triggered by adopting life skills that are useful in the 21st century. Previous research has claimed that working within a dramatic educational environment might allow students to develop skills and attitudes necessary for being active citizens, facilitate learning for sustainability purposes [12,13], and increase motivation for critical reflection [14]. Art-based activities in drama education, such as dramatic play, improvisations, dramatization, role playing, and pantomime, have created an effective learning environment [15].

We live in a challenging post-pandemic era and are obliged to face many multi-faceted environmental difficulties throughout the modern world. The multidimensional crises modern societies face today lead to a challenging way of life and cause rather heated scientific discourse, urgently demanding a new consideration and an in-depth analysis and reflection of how to transform education to deal with such crises. Among those crises, we can detect an ecological, economic, or even cultural crisis and, most recently, a health crisis that has affected our lives on a global level. Due to COVID-19, educational procedures at all levels were temporarily interrupted and remote emergency education was installed and led to the use of technology-based tools, platforms, and applications. Online lectures, videos, tutorials, virtual learning platforms, and online conferences are standard educational tools to educate and raise awareness on a topic [16]. In this sense, the landscape of education in many scientific domains in the last decade has altered, owing to the extensive use of innovative technologies, which have promoted radical changes within educational contexts. Also, it is considered that despite the increasing awareness and the great progress that has been made, for example the increased use of renewable energy, protection for endangered species, and actions for environmental protection, world problems still continue to persist, such as waste management, pollution control, and many others. One of the potential solutions identified by experts is the use of digital technologies in drama education performances at all levels—primary, secondary, and tertiary education.

Drama is a performance using words and gestures that allows people to see the relationship between their own lives and society. It is also used as a tool that can improve life in society through people’s imagination [17]. It can be argued that drama is an art form, an enjoyable personal and social learning experience. Through the apprenticeship’s experiential, communicative, and playful nature, the students’ aesthetic culture and the acquisition of knowledge, skills, attitudes, and perceptions that make them creative and active human beings can be promoted. The authors of [17] have supported that drama has been linked to the way people live and can be used as a tool to examine people’s lives in accordance with their imagination. Therefore, drama in science has been used as a tool to manage learning at individual, community, and social levels.

The significance of implementing drama as an art form is acknowledged since more research has been carried out incorporating a STEAM curriculum rather than a STEM curriculum; this means adding arts to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics [18]. Another systematic literature review provides evidence of the rapidly expanding use of innovative technologies in the STEAM context [19]. Although the findings emphasize the development of knowledge in STEAM-related disciplines and the development of 21st-century skills in students, a targeted emphasis on the development of an understanding of the arts seems to be significantly missing. According to the reviewers, that means that more research should be conducted concerning the transdisciplinary approach of STEAM and its effects on cultivating students’ aesthetics [19].

In terms of drama education, due to the digitalization of education, there seems to be an urgent shift from performance constituted within a physical and “in-person” learning environment in traditional classrooms to an otherwise online space, which becomes not only a digital space for performing actions but rather a space where performance happens entirely digitally [3], especially during the pandemic crisis. This has raised a lot of challenges in acquiring access to different online learning platforms and using various technological tools in drama/theatre education. There is a plethora of terms to describe the various forms of online drama performance, such as digital drama/theatre, online drama/theatre, virtual drama/theatre, interactive drama, life drama, multimedia performances, creative online drama, and hybrid theatre that have emerged even before the outbreak of the pandemic. Those terms will be used interchangeably in our review and serve as synonyms, even though they are not. Online drama/theatre education is deemed a form of discipline that is carried out through the use of interactive technologies in online learning environments.

Another study examines experts’ opinions on the use of dramatic art/dramatic expression and creative drama techniques in preschool education. According to the researchers, working with drama should be part of every teacher’s work, and children should be encouraged to find independent solutions and develop skills of communication [20]. In Thailand, it is emphasized that among the seven elements needed for a 21st-century education, the need for students to express their creativity and imagination can be reinforced through drama and role playing [21]. According to research about computer technologies and design, role playing is a widespread drama technique that is used in an improvisational context of representing characters and behaviors through creative activities in theatrical performances and, thus, interpreting real-world situations. In parallel, the impact of innovative trends on the development of digital art was investigated and important trends, such as virtual art, concept art and character design, 2D animation, 3D printing and painting, artificial intelligence art, and UX/UI design were identified [22].

2.2. Sustainability, Sustainable Education, and Drama Education

Concerning the impact of economic development on the environment and the waste of resources, many political documents and global policy papers launched the idea of sustainability in all facets of life and education. In this regard, at the dawn of the 21st century, educators and policymakers proposed the term “Education for Sustainable Development” (ESD), which was officially presented by the United Nations (U.N.). UNESCO declared the decade from 2005–2014 as the U.N. decade for Education for Sustainable Development, aiming to solve environmental and socio-economic problems through education [11].

In 2010, UNESCO developed the “Seoul Agenda: Goals for the Development of Arts Education”, a policy articulation on arts education that was supported by almost all governments in the world, which refers to resolving the world’s social and cultural issues. For example, the Australian curriculum emphasizes sustainability as one of the priority areas for study that connects and relates relevant aspects of content across learning areas and subjects [23]. Another vital policy document developed by the General Assembly of the U.N. is entitled “Transforming Our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” [24]. In this document, educators introduced, explained, and reflected on ESD’s importance in achieving 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in which education plays an immense role in shaping people’s lives. Another essential document is the “Global Action Plan for Education for Sustainable Development”, which provides a framework with the aim to create a more peaceful and sustainable world, in which all individuals and communities must be equipped and empowered with skills, knowledge, and values. Although the importance of culture is implied, no cultural dimension was detected in these political documents, and none of the SDGs referred directly to the option of implementing culture into sustainable development plans [25].

In 2015 there has been an important policy paper called “Education 2030: Towards Inclusive and Equitable Quality Education and Lifelong Learning for All”, which was adopted during the World Education Forum in Incheon, the Republic of Korea, aiming to highlight the pivotal role of education as a guide for the achievement of SDGs [26]. All these papers denote the great importance given by the respective governments on sustainability issues. In this regard, education has proven to promote sustainable knowledge, behaviors, skills, attitudes, and values amongst future generations to be the key to achieving all SDGs, including sustainability in future education, which concerns not only primary and secondary education but is also vital on all education levels [27]. More importantly, ESD is included in SDG Target 4.7, that by 2023 “all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and culture’s contribution to sustainable development” ([28] (p. 14)). This SDG Target’s outcome is the emphasis attributed to sustainable education’s sociocultural dimension and raises the scientific debate that this is not only an environmental issue but a profoundly social and political one.

Sustainability as a concept has been extensively explored by scholars and policymakers in official political documents. It can be seen from different perspectives, and since it is an ambiguous concept, it is difficult for experts to address a single definition. Eizaguirre et al. indicated more than one hundred definitions of sustainability practitioners and scientific scholars used to shed light on the concept. Qualitative education is assumed to be a core contributor to achieving sustainability goals [29]. Both sustainability curricula and educators can play an immense role in developing awareness of practicing the concept of sustainability in the context of education [30]. Generally, sustainability can be understood as actions, activities, and approaches that impact the existence and well-being of the human race, and concerns environmental, economic, social, and educational areas for improving living conditions for future generations [31]. Sustainable education is forced to manage many complex fundamental environmental, social, and economic challenges. Each of these problems, such as climate change, ocean pollution, soil erosion, unsustainable consumption patterns, urbanization, depletion of biodiversity, poverty, unjust distribution of wealth, and hunger, is too complex. However, the interrelation between them requires an even higher level of complexity for political and scientific analysis.

There has yet to be a consensus among scholars concerning the concept of sustainability due to its breadth and the diverse areas it includes. Most studies refer to certain aspects of sustainability: (a) the environmental aspect, which suggests preserving ecological systems for future generations; (b) the economic aspect, which is articulated around promoting growth in economic factors and wealth equality for all humans without causing any damage to the environment; (c) the social aspect, which implies social well-being, gender equity, quality, and inclusive education; and (d) educational aspect, which concentrates on educational inclusion, gender equity, and lifelong learning. All these fundamental dimensions of the sustainable development agenda lead us to believe that educational sustainability focuses on all the transitions necessary to live in a prosperous and ecologically sustainable world and refers to the imposed behaviors and changes needed to foster more sustainable communities. Furthermore, examining the dimensions of sustainability launched by higher education institutions, five pillars of sustainability are outlined: social, economic, environmental, human, and technical [32]. The social aspect is evaluated to be of major importance for sustainability since it is linked with the attempt of digital transformation in all sectors of life [33], including education and additionally the technical aspect which drives the use of digital technologies in the daily life is emphasized. It also emphasizes the technical aspect which drives the use of digital technologies in daily life. In this sense, teachers nowadays are urged to design technology-enriched learning environments for their students to harmonize with sustainability declarations in education. The sustainability concept and the digital transition of modern societies have marked a tipping point toward identifying new directions and possibilities that were impossible to consider in the past [34]. Another study also evaluates the social aspect of the significance of sustainability since its acceptance is linked with education at university level [35].

Drama for developing students’ awareness of sustainable development can be adopted at all educational levels, including higher education. For example, Keles [36] developed a course plan in Turkey to enable undergraduate students to learn more about sustainable life and sustainable production using a three-faceted drama method: warming-up activities, improvisation, and role playing and evaluation discussion. Through these procedures, the students were encouraged to think profoundly about the life cycle approach and the concept of sustainable production and developed skills for education for sustainable development. Moreover, ref. [37] claims that the students are not only readers in classrooms but are transformed into actors and are thus able to take on actions to deal the social and ecological problems. This happens due to the nature of drama/theatre as a teaching strategy, since students get involved and show their sensitivity towards socio-environmental matters to which their attention is drawn by creating a whole theatrical play and attempting to think of any possible solutions to such problems. For example, ref. [38] proposes that students are provided with a safe space to participate in certain actions, take on responsibilities and adopt the role of environmental scientists, trying to investigate the crucial issue of climate change. Climate change could be considered as an environmental and a social problem as well since its results affect the whole of society. In a similar way, ref. [39] admits that the arts could be perceived as engaging practices that lead to a holistic comprehension of self, others, and the environment and empower students with emotions such as sensitivity and ethical motives towards the environment.

Both the current literature and the official political documents of recent years show the interrelationship between drama/theatre educational performances, sustainable education and sustainability and demonstrate the important role of drama/theatre studies for the treatment of environmental and social problems. Also, they highlight the value of drama and the significant role of drama teachers and especially the role of students, who have the opportunity to holistically comprehend the nature of such environmental problems and express themselves through preparing, interacting, acting, and demonstrating theatrical acts/plays concerning immense problems that affect our planet.

3. The Rationale of the Study

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, which was detected in the years 2019–2021, the restricted measures of confinement, and the consequent suspension of the daily operation of educational institutions, there seemed to appear an urgent need for the integration of new technologies and, in particular, innovative emerging digital technologies in the daily educational process. Among others, one of the domains in which digital technologies were extensively applied was drama/theatre education with a focus on sustainable development aligned with SDGs’ agenda for a sustainable future. Also, with the advent of the 21st century, modern societies face many global crises and environmental problems leading to a rather peculiar lifestyle that demands critical reflection, innovative ideas, alternative solutions, and deep urgent transformations in every aspect of our lives.

The pedagogical value of applying drama-based activities using digital technologies for sustainability issues is under discussed in the contemporary scientific literature. For this reason, having taken all those mentioned above into severe and profound thought, it is considered extremely important to conduct a thorough literature review on these crucial scientific topics trying to cover research gaps and propose future research endeavors [40]. The core purpose of the present review is to present a state-of-the-art study on these issues and, ultimately, to stimulate scientific dialogues. Particular attention is placed on analyzing drama/theatre performances in educational settings through digital technologies to sensitize students to vital issues of ecological and environmental interest. Also, recognizing the literature shortage in discussing and combining drama/theatre performances in education through the application of digital technologies and the development of students’ ecological consciousness led the three authors to review the recent academic papers concerning these matters. This research directly impacts a wide range of drama teachers and drama faculty members, drama researchers, and theatre practitioners, including art critics, culture specialists, stage designers, drama directors, managers, consultants, and policymakers. The findings of this review could encourage multidisciplinary educational teams, researchers, trainers, and educational system protagonists to comprehensively explore the key elements of digital drama/theatre performances and how they can be applied in virtual educational environments to promote students’ learning outcomes on sustainability issues.

Since the first crucial step in such a review study is to establish clear and relevant research questions [41], the analysis and synthesis of the review aim to address the following research questions (R.Q.):

• RQ1: What methods and assessment tools have been used to investigate the application of digital technologies in drama/theatre educational environments?
• RQ2: What are the digital technologies and theatrical methods applied in performing drama/theatre in all educational settings?
• RQ3: What are the effects of using digital drama-based activities for increasing sustainable skills/competencies and environmental citizenship of students?

As regards RQ1, the methodological approaches used in the reviewed studies and the assessment tools utilized to collect the data were included in our review. As far as RQ2 is concerned, we investigated the modern digital tools and emerging digital technologies used in drama/theatre education to improve drama performances in virtual classes. Concerning RQ3, we attempted to explore what are the pedagogical impacts/effects and the developing skills of the 21st century that are deemed necessary elements for the enhancement of sustainability awareness of young students.

To answer the research questions posed, a literature review of scientific studies in this field was conducted and specific inclusion criteria were applied. The analyzed literature included a range of research findings. When the research focused on the digital drama performances applied for educational purposes, the number of articles was quite restricted due to the novelty of the field. However, with a large amount of the analyzed data, this research offers a valuable analysis that could become fertile ground for further scientific discussion and research.

4. Materials and Methods

A literature review of academic studies published between the years 2014 and 2023 was conducted using the Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases. Reviews play an integral role in the synthesis of prior published work under a certain thematic topic, describe current state-of-the-art research, provide an in-depth discussion, critically evaluate different methodological approaches or even propose future research agenda [42]. The studied period was limited to those years and especially during the last five years, which is justified and attributed to the COVID-19 crisis, and since we intended to demonstrate the emergence of digital dramatization in the educational process and the focus on the environmental issues that all human beings are genuinely concerned. The following steps are comprised in the present research: (1) search strategy, (2) selection, (3) quality assessment, (4) data extraction, and (5) data synthesis (see Figure 1).

In the first step (search strategy), the term “drama education” was searched by using search engines, such as Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar to obtain a general impression of synonyms related to this concept and to the application of digital technologies in drama/theatre education for sustainability purposes (see

Table 1. Key concepts and closely related concepts.

Key Concepts	Closely Related Concepts
Drama education	Drama performance, art performance, theatrical performance, theatrical actions, dramatization
Digital drama	Virtual drama, online drama, interactive theatre, online performance, digital performance act, digital art performance, drama pedagogy
Sustainability	Sustainable development, sustainable goals, sustainable awareness, sustainable consciousness
Educational Level	Primary Education, Secondary Education, K-12 Education, High School, Middle School, Intermediate School, Higher Education, Further Education, Graduate School Education, University Education, Tertiary-level Education, Vocational Education

). Through this initiative’s preliminary phase, we discovered that the drama performance concept seems well defined. Additionally, some authors used the term “drama performance” as an alternative way of referring to “theatre performance”, “applied theatre”, and terms included the digitalization of conducting drama performance in education, such as “digital drama performance, “art performance”, “dramatization”, “theatrical performance”, “virtual drama”, “online drama”, “online performance”, “digital performance act”, “digital art performance”, and “digital drama pedagogy”. The two terms “digital drama performance” and “digital art performance” were found in most of the searches. Then, databases Web of Science, SCOPUS, and Google Scholar were searched, with the search string (“drama performances” or “theatrical performances” OR “digital drama” OR “virtual drama” OR “online drama” AND “sustainability” OR “sustainable development” OR “sustainable development goals”, OR “sustainable awareness”, OR “sustainable consciousness”) AND (“education”), identifying, respectively, 428 records (Web of Science, SCOPUS) and 995 records (Google Scholar) (see Figure 1). All Web of Science and SCOPUS records also showed up in the Google Scholar search.

In the second step, the three co-authors independently screened the remaining 1423 publications’ titles, abstracts, and duplicates. Around 1072 articles were excluded, and the remaining 351 studies were examined for further information. We considered setting up exclusion and inclusion criteria to be of extreme significance since such action adds value to the selection results’ transparency and reproducibility. We scrutinized each document and excluded those that needed to provide relevant information to our research focus. As we intended to synthesize practices on drama education with the aid of digital technologies for sustainability purposes, the inclusion and exclusion criteria were identified, as can be seen in the following Table (see

Table 2. Inclusion and exclusion criteria.

	Inclusion Criteria	Exclusion Criteria
Study design	Empirical studies (qualitative research, quantitative research, case studies, observational studies, mixed-methods research), meta-analyses, bibliographic reviews, systematic literature reviews	Non-empirical studies (e.g., reports, editorials, thesis, doctoral dissertations)
Date of publication	Articles published between the years 2014–2023	Articles published before 2014
Participants	Aged from 3 years old to university students	Adults
Type of selected articles	Books, journal articles, conference papers, book chapters	Editorials, book reviews, theses, dissertations
Written language	English	All other languages
Delivery mode	Distance/Online education	Traditional education, face-to-face- education
Research themes	Drama education, drama performance, digital technologies, sustainability	No reference to drama education, digital technologies, sustainability
Education level	Pre-primary education, primary education, secondary education, higher education, vocational education	Adult education

). A total of 236 studies did not fit our predetermined criteria, thus these were also excluded. One hundred and fifteen (n = 115) full-text versions were carefully and thoroughly reviewed in relation to the clarity of their empirical evidence.

A thematic analysis procedure then was followed (see Figure 1). Each researcher individually took notes and read each study several times to ensure correct understanding of its content, research methods, procedures, and the main findings highlighted by the authors. All the information obtained was then compared and discussed until a consensus was reached. From the 115 articles, 88 studies did not contain clear empirical evidence on the use of digital technologies in drama/theatre education to increase students’ sustainability awareness. We also decided to remove these.

In the next step, the dataset’s quality was assessed in association with the research questions. To answer the research questions on specific educational issues and design aspects of digital drama performance and their learning outcomes for students in line with the tendency to achieve sustainability goals in educational settings, all studies meeting the inclusion criteria were included in our study. More importantly, for addressing research questions, we included all articles that referred to the use of digital technologies in performing drama experiences or drama performances with the scope of sustainability concern for young students. This final data set consists of 27 documents and was further analyzed to provide aggregated data on the research questions of the literature review.

This qualitative thematic analysis aims to illustrate the concepts of sustainable development in education associated with applying digital technologies in dramatic/theatrical performances, based on all levels of educational praxis. The result of this interpretative process is to obtain valuable ideas on using innovative digital technologies in drama education, which can be used in future research attempts. Theoretically, it involves references to digital technologies in drama performances and sustainability issues in the educational field, such as quality in education, inclusion, and lifelong learning, as well as the main problems human beings face in the modern world. Methodologically, in an initial phase, we analyzed the dataset characteristics, such as the geographical distribution of the countries where the reviewed studies were conducted, their methodologies and assessment tools, years of publication, forms of documents, target groups, educational levels, and many other aspects. Then, the thematic analysis is concentrated on the use of digital technologies in drama/theatre educational contexts and the pedagogical implications of the 21st-century skills that might be cultivated through their application.

To sum up, the reviewed studies are selected through a process with pre-arranged inclusion and exclusion criteria. No intended bias is applied to the selected studies, and although most studies come from European countries, this is simply the result of the selection process.

5. Results

RQ1: What methods and assessment tools have been used to investigate the application of digital technologies in drama/theatre educational environments?

5.1. Methods and Assessment Tools

5.1.1. Dataset Characteristics

Of the 27 articles selected for the literature review, only one study was published in 2014 (3.7%), two studies in 2017 (7.4%), three studies in 2018 (11.1%), two studies in 2019 (7.4%), two studies in 2020 (7.4%), three studies in 2021 (11.1%), ten studies in 2022 (37%), and four studies in 2023 (14.8%). However, there has been an increased proliferation of digital drama performances for enhancing sustainability issues as the years passed. Additionally, all of the articles were published in high-indexed international scientific journals, international conferences, and book chapters (see

Table A1. Author(s), Publication Year, Journals/Conferences/Chapters of the reviewed articles.

Author(s)	Publication Year	Journals/Conferences/Chapters
Heras and Tàbara [43]	2014	Sustainability science
Liu, Lin, Wu, Chen and Chen [56]	2017	25th International Conference on Computers in Education
Gałązka [53]	2017	INTED
Hatton and Nicholls [62]	2018	Ethnography and Education
Davis [71]	2018	International Journal of Education & the Arts
Akyol, Kahriman-Pamuk and Elmas [46]	2018	Journal of Education and Learning
Andrikopoulou and Koutrouba [50]	2019	Education Sciences
Křepelková, Činčera and Kroufek [67]	2019	Sustainability
Moreno-Fernández [37]	2020	International Electronic Journal of Environmental Education
Lehtonen, Österlind and Viirret [49]	2020	International Journal of Education & the Arts
Möller, Unterberg and Jörissen [60]	2021	Visions of Sustainability for Arts Education: Value, Challenge and Potential
Kupaysinovna [44]	2021	Turkish Journal of Computer and Mathematics Education (TURCOMAT)
Vasileva and Pachova [57]	2021	Arts, Sustainability and Education: ENO Yearbook
Liyanawatta, Yang, Liu, Zhuang and Chen [63]	2022	British Journal of Educational Technology
Thao, Yen, Khang, Khoi and Quyen [51]	2022	Nurture
Gong [8]	2022	Advances in Multimedia
Karaosmanoglu, Metinnam, Özen and Adigüzel [47]	2022	International Online Journal of education and Teaching
Zourna and Papavassiliou-Alexiou [70]	2022	Doing Democratic Education in School and University
Hussin and Bianus [54]	2022	International Journal of Heritage, Art and Multimedia
Özgen and Erbay [4]	2022	Journal of Teacher Education and Lifelong Learning
Li, Li, Han and Zhang [52]	2022	Sustainability
Raphael and White [58]	2022	Science and Drama: Contemporary and creative approaches to teaching and learning
Pirbhai-Jetha and Ramsamy [68]	2022	6th International Conference on Advance Computing and Intelligent Engineering: ICACIE
Sovhura, Ivashchenko, Strelchuk, Pyvovarova and Tykhomyrov [59]	2023	ACM Journal on Computing and Cultural Heritage
Ødegaard [64]	2023	Learning Science Through Drama: Exploring international perspectives
Fanouraki and Zakopoulos [48]	2023	Journal of Interactive Media in Education
Webb and Layton [45]	2023	Arts and the Market

in Appendix A). The studies, most of them research papers, are presented in various forms of documents: peer-reviewed scientific papers (n = 19), conference papers (n = 3), and book chapters (n = 5). The majority of the geographical distribution of the reviewed studies were carried out in European countries (n = 12), with fewer having been conducted in Asian countries (n = 10), three (n = 3) in Australia, only one in Africa, and one study does not mention the country of origin.

5.1.2. Methods and Assessment Tools

This section assesses the methodological approaches and the evaluation tools used to collect data. The studies included in this review reveal that research on the application of digital technologies in drama/theatre in education is dominated and emphasized by research structures that are varied significantly on methodological grounds. Empirical studies appear to be the most frequently mentioned (80%), followed by literature reviews (16%), for example [43,44,45]. Only two studies do not refer to the use of samples.

The majority of empirical studies (n = 8) created practice-led research, merely based on a case study methodological approach to produce data of qualitative nature, for example [46,47], either small-scale case studies [48] or larger-scale case studies methodologies [47]. Most of the articles developed and relied on a case study methodology, for example [4,49], and used semi-structured interviews for producing interpretative qualitative data feedback [37].

There are some studies (n = 4) that applied strictly quantitative methodological tools to extract quantitative/numerical data. Indeed, the researchers of such studies conducted questionnaire surveys and collected quantitative data from both drama teachers and students, for example [8,50,51,52].

Also, we found examples of studies (n = 5) that followed a mixed methods research scheme, using both quantitative and qualitative methodologies and research tools, for example [53,54]. The studies of mixed-methodology results are important in that the triangulation of the results allows for a better and deeper understanding, thereby improving the validity of their conclusions [55]. It is worth mentioning that research conducted by [56] applied a pre- and post-test experimental design through the filling of questionnaires at the beginning and at the end of the school year, observations of students’ interests, and the impression of the Digital Interactive Learning Theatre via interviews with drama teachers leading to experimental results.

It is noteworthy that in a reviewed article [45] firstly a literature review on digitalization, digital skills in Higher Education, and digital performance was conducted, followed by a pilot desk-based study, which analyzed the publicly available program documentation for the presence of digital skills in the performing arts sector. Also, research that methodologically constituted a form of practice-led research was carried out [57]. A survey that is also worth mentioning is [58], which is described as a self-study research describing two educators who collaborated on a student’s learning experience: a drama pedagogue and a science/sustainability educator. Also, in [59] a multi-faceted and three-staged methodology design was adopted. More specifically, the first stage involves the theoretical collection and analysis of existing approaches in the field of culture and arts focusing on the use of digital technologies in the theater. The second stage contains continuing research on digital technologies and media resources, that expand the possibilities of creative development. And finally, the third stage encompasses systematizing and classifying the material obtained in the analytical study of digital technologies in theater productions. This study is crucial since it provides practical and theoretical value information.

The drama/theatre performances were evaluated by various sample sizes/numbers of participants/learners (varied from n = 28 to n = 1207), and drama teachers/faculty members (varied from n = 12 to n = 330). The total number of students who participated in the empirical studies was 1.890, and the total number of drama teachers/faculty members was 521, which is a moderately-sized grouping.

5.1.3. Target Groups and Educational Levels

According to the data collection, most of the target group’s population are participants from higher education (n = 7) either in pre-, undergraduate, or post-graduate classes or primary education (n = 5). The number of articles that focused on preschool/early childhood education is less and not a considerable amount (n = 3). At the same time, there are only two studies conducted in secondary education, a finding which testifies to the need for more research in this educational context. It is noticeable that the rest of the studies need to mention the educational level of participants. Also, the people who participated in the empirical studies are students in school education, students in higher education, drama educators and drama faculty members, or students and drama teachers.

RQ2: What are the digital technologies and theatrical methods applied in performing drama/theatre in all educational settings?

5.2. The Digital Technologies and Drama Techniques in Digital Drama/Theatre Performances

The application of digital technologies should be understood in the context of the general digitalization that characterizes our lives in many crucial sectors, like the economy, work, labor, and education. Drama education, arts, and aesthetics contribute not only to understanding the digitality of our world but also shape it toward cultural sustainability [60]. The use of digital means in drama performance education is not a new phenomenon, and it is rendered in a variety of terms, including “digital performance”, “new media performance”, “multimedia performances”, “interactive digital performance”, “cyber theatre”, “virtual theatre”, “online drama”, “hybrid theatre”, and the newly appointed term “digital drama/theatre”.

Digital drama is not just a combination of digital technologies with classic methods of drama performance. It can be perceived as a concept of a new aesthetic epistemology that aspires to unite a great range of digital media and tools with traditional drama performance methods. We are inclined to use the broader term “digital drama” because it is not limited to the digital existence of innovative technologies but imply a huge variety of digital tools. Digital performance should not be understood as a means to replace or substitute traditional theatre-based activities due to the pandemic crisis but as an alternative complementary and supportive method for potential future disclosures [45]. The same authors claim that “digital skills and competencies are also central to achieving political aspirations for finding innovative global and local solutions to address social, economic and environmental problems” [45] (p. 3), thus leading to the implementation of digital technologies for sustainability purposes.

Especially during the pandemic, drama practitioners and teachers thought of the importance of using blended pedagogical strategies and pedagogies as a necessity due to the COVID-19 crisis. They also decided to combine media knowledge, technology, methods of applying and handling video cameras, and video editing techniques to ensure the sustainability and quality of the hybrid theatre [54]. Similarly, Karaosmanoglu et al. [47] carried out an interpretive qualitative research design to determine the opinions of drama teachers regarding the digital platforms where online drama lessons were held and the Web 2.0 tools used during the pandemic situation. Drama educators in the same research transformed the drama activities to be applied on digital platforms, showing their preference for Zoom since online platforms offer characteristics of screen sharing, breaking out rooms, sending and receiving messages, voice and video communication and interaction, and teamwork, essential elements in performing drama lessons. Also, Web 2.0 tools and applications, such as Padlet, Menti, Kahoot, and Canva are used to evaluate online lessons, obtain or receive feedback and determine their students’ preparedness. Also, teachers show their preference for using applications on digital platforms, like Wordwall, WordArt, and LearningApps, as well as Google Drive and the PowerPoint program. This could be attributed to the collaborative and playful nature of online drama activities, which primarily involve skills of communication, cooperation, and interaction in acting.

Cooperation and interactivity between students could also be increased by using blogs in teaching drama courses and providing them with opportunities to further develop their dramatic and digital skills in and outside the school environment [48]. The perceived ideas of teachers are that blogs enable social interaction and provide students with motivation and stimuli. In the previous case study [48], students in a post-graduate study course learned about the available interactive software (for example, H5P v. 1.22.1) and the opportunities they offer to create and edit interactive videos, presentations, games, and many others. Additionally, under reviewed research [48], the students were informed about free web programs (Microsoft’s Video Editor, Kahoot, Padlet, Wordwall, etc.), which allowed them to create and edit interactive content and learning activities and be involved in quiz-based games. Moreover, students were asked to embody interactive elements in their blogs, like creating their interactive videos with drama-related topics, acting as screenwriters, directors, and actors, using their smartphones to record short scenarios, playing scenes with their choreography and editing them, using the preferred music and implementing sound. They also had the option to prepare interactive groups, use external links connecting to videos, animations, moving images/scenes, links to Google Drive, allow collaborative writing with Google Docs and file sharing (Google Drive, Google Docs), and prepare various exercises, such as polling and e-quizzes, ‘find the word’ activities, ‘fill in the blanks, and word matching (Kahoot, H5P, Wordwall). Pedagogically, all those applications and platforms used in the specific course empowered students to work collaboratively, interactively and organize and construct new knowledge.

In a review of scientific sources, the researcher studied the experience of using digital technologies to teach fine arts in developed countries, such as Finland and South Korea, to increase the effectiveness of art education in schools in the developing educational system of Uzbekistan [44]. Results indicated that integrating digital technologies into art education improves students’ readiness for the future and helps them explore a new world of art. More specifically, in the Finnish educational system, students are inspired to explore art, the environment, and ecological cultures through visual images. Students discuss aesthetic, ecological, and moral ethics in the environment, art, and visual culture, and lead to choices about a sustainable future in choosing tools and ways to create images. Similarly, South Korean students are encouraged to create core competencies and skills, such as creative thinking, communication, reflection, and aesthetic sensitivity through dramatic forms and digital technologies in arts. Digital technologies are currently one of the imperative dominants of sociocultural transformations, thus leading to the necessity of integrating digital technological tools in drama performance [61].

As technology has blossomed, the stigma imprinted on drama has also increased, giving students and participants a more immersive experience. In this sense, students now have the opportunity to evolve into fully immersive environments through virtual reality, augmented reality, or mixed reality technologies that require active audience interactions and interactivities between students and audiences. This means that participant students in a digital drama performance transfer from their real-life context into the digital dimension of drama context and are lured into a fantastic story or a particular problem. The technologies used for addressing the needs of performance call for specific digital skills and competencies for creating immersive live dramatic experiences. Such new trends and technologies in digital drama performances include innovative emerging technologies, such as gaming platforms, virtual/augmented/mixed reality, motion capture technology, artificial intelligence/robots, smartphone apps, or other digital media techniques [45].

The environmental and ecological effect in education is considered of utmost importance since it focuses on constructing new identities of environmentally active citizens with ecological responsibility. From this perspective, students are encouraged to gain a deeper and broader comprehension of the interconnectedness between humans and the environment, which may lead them to try and resolve significant problematic situations on our planet. This could be achieved through the application of digital theatrical performances of experiential nature, the use of digital tools and instruments, collaborative documents (e.g., Google docs), dramatization, and collaboratively written scenarios based on specific ecological themes such as sustainable development, climate change, management of poverty, power consumption, renewable energy resources, and inclusive education followed by performance role playing, and thus achieving the cultivation of students’ ecological awareness.

It must be pointed out that even though drama and its performing methods appear to be contradictory to all kinds of digital practices in many educational discussions, nowadays, due to the digital transition in educational systems, more and more digital tools and platforms are called to be applied in drama education. A case study in Australian educational contexts as part of a larger digital rolling role drama project called “The Water Reckoning Project” focused on sustainability issues, namely water shortage, and investigated any shifts deriving from the implementation of such a digital rolling role model [62]. Students created characters, participated in sustained collaborative role play, and acted as experts and researchers. In this regard, knowledge was co-constructed as students were involved in the drama’s episodes, artefacts, and creative works. Students’ engagement in the drama process was heightened through drama strategies such as the mantle of the expert through improvisations, the teacher in role, devising processes, and collaborating role-based inquiry. The project enabled students to critically and creatively be engaged with significant issues of global sustainability relevance. Findings also reveal the students’ awareness of creating digital content for other students globally, which added value to their drama work. Also, the use of digital technologies and digital platforms provided strategic tools and could be operated for constructive discussion and reflection about human action and sustainability, leading students to be more responsible about real-world environmental problems. The positive effect on students’ learning and their engagement in the learning process through collaborative activities in digital drama education is emphasized in a recent study [63]. Students are urged to understand drama through creating, performing, participating, watching, and interacting through collaborative dramatic-oriented activities.

According to recent research, students, especially at the elementary level, feel motivated when using digital elements in drama performances. A pre- and post-test experimental design in Taiwan elementary education introduced interactive digital elements into the theatre performance and expected to maintain students’ motivation in the long-term use of digital interactive learning theatre [56]. Additionally, the researchers adopted the idea of immersion to determine if students would be absorbed in the situated scenarios when conducting drama-based learning. Students showed positive attitudes towards learning using digital interactive learning modes and kept passionate, motivated, inspired, and emotionally involved. To keep students interested and motivated, the authors proposed adding interactive elements and virtual props to the digital drama performances to increase the sense of novelty and interaction.

Through multimedia technology, drama knowledge is more visualized and situational, encouraging students’ enthusiasm to participate in the drama learning process [8]. In this study, the researcher focused on applying a three-dimensional interaction technology mode for kindergarten children (voice interaction technology, image interaction technology, and somatosensory interaction technology). The experimental results show that the majority of teachers in preschool drama education are very satisfied with the integration of drama art and interactive devices, which make the drama process more dynamic, increase the fun characteristic of drama, enrich the sense of the picture, and make children quickly enter the learning situation. Proper guidance from teachers is suggested; otherwise, children cannot work cooperatively, are immersed, ignore knowledge acquisition, reduce their enthusiasm to learn, and thus result in harmful effects of drama activities and low scores [8].

Also, role playing is referred to as a didactic method to be used in teaching online drama. “Role-play is used here as an improvisational act of representing characters and behaviours of someone or something as an explorative and creative activity in a dramatic context” [64] (p. 70). Through role play, students can interpret real-world situations with different perspectives and create a new understanding [64]. The abovementioned researcher further explores how drama can play a significant role in science education and transdisciplinary learning related to sustainability issues. However, the paradox is to align drama with science education. Science education has a tradition of focusing on cognitive aspects, whereas drama also includes affective and performative qualities [64].

In addition, one of the methods applied in online drama education is digital storytelling. Digital storytelling is creating “short stories that allow students and educators to enhance their information-gathering and problem-solving skills and their ability to work on a collaborative team” [65] (pp. 427–428). In a case study [66], the authors introduced digital storytelling utilization in preschool education to raise awareness of local cultural heritage and sustainability issues. More specifically, linear digital storytelling in a video format, representing a local cultural myth about watermills, revealed accepted positive attitudes of students and teachers in using digital storytelling as part of the educational process. The application of mobile technology and digital storytelling is considered a powerful and effective educational tool with various benefits for students. They promote the acquisition of new knowledge and could be characterized as drivers for developing cultural literacy, information literacy, visual literacy, and media literacy. Also, they enhance students’ motivation, interest, self-reflection, imagination, and creativity of young children and their engagement in the learning process [66]. Similarly, in a qualitative research conducted by [67], the impact of a global storyline program in the creation of sustainability skills and consciousness of primary school students were examined. The findings of this study revealed an improvement in students’ personal skills and sensitivity towards environmental problems, and a socially improved class climate. However, the results of the study highlighted the difficulty of students’ self-efficacy in alleviating global matters in real life. Also, teachers characterize such sustainability programs as time consuming and suitable for older students.

In a theoretical, analytical, conceptual, and typological framework on the use of digital technologies in theatre, managed to determine the essence and peculiarities of the integration of methods of using digital technologies in the modern practice of performing art, as well as investigated the variations of innovations offered in this field. Results demonstrated that using innovative digital technologies, multimedia, robotics, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence and their peculiarities is a novelty in education and has altered how drama is performed. Digital technologies are deemed powerful tools since they harmoniously combine visual and sound effects and graphics to create a unique, complex, and rich production, promoting interactivity and immersion in the educational drama process [59].

RQ3: What are the effects of using digital drama-based activities for increasing sustainable skills/competencies and environmental citizenship of students?

5.3. Evidence of the Creation of 21st-Century Skills through Digital Drama for Sustainability

Sustainability through the application of drama pedagogies and techniques successfully and directly engages students in comprehending their interrelations with the environment and its global challenges. Thus, in today’s complex world, engaging students and drama educators with deep thought is crucial to develop perceptions and awareness of sustainability in education. Also, digitalization and post-digitalization in the context of aesthetics and cultural education are explored in a research study [53], which investigated the impact drama may have on participants’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes related to sustainable development. Drama allows students to imagine alternative ways to a more optimistic view and adopt more sustainable practices regarding sustainability matters. In this way, many affective and cognitive skills are created and promoted among students. Notably, empathy is promoted through integrating different identities. Also, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, as well as meta-thinking and meta-reflection skills, are stimulated, which are core ingredients of quality education, as a major parameter in sustainable education. The teamwork and sharing nature of drama involves interaction between students since it creates contact, communication and cooperation, negotiation and compromise skills, and participatory decision-making.

In a quantitative survey [50], the researchers searched teachers’ views and attitudes towards drama-based activities when conducting environmental education programs and the expected cognitive, socio-affective, and behavioral benefits for students involved in drama performances. According to the survey’s main findings, teachers’ positive attitudes towards the use of drama activities in environmental education are indicated since when environmental education is based on drama-based activities, it has a significant impact on students. In particular, it increases resourcefulness, creates greater understanding, empathy, and willingness to engage in social actions, and share responsibility, commitment, and sensitivity. Drama education is linked to the cognitive domain of improving the learning potential, promoting positive attitudes towards lifelong learning, collaboration, and responsibility, skills that are interrelated to the sustainable goals of education. These results comply with research in Finland about the promotion of the cognitive and affective domains in drama education [49]. The researchers elaborated on the potential of drama as an art-based approach to sustainability, emphasizing climate change from a cognitive and affective point of view. The findings highlighted the significance of drama as a learning experience for students and their emotional engagement. Using drama as a research process provided a deeper comprehension of the challenges of climate change. Drama performance seems to have a positive impact on students’ behaviors and attitudes concerning the increase of social interactions and sustainability competencies, as well as the improvement of fruitful cognitive dialogues, critical thinking, and more importantly, emotional, cultural, and self-awareness of the interconnectedness regarding big sustainable issues.

Also, the affective domain of education is boosted by the use of drama-based activities, which is linked to the interaction developed between peers and between students and drama teachers, the invigoration of collaborative learners’ empathy, and the acceptance of diversity. In the affective domain, promoting emotional intelligence, creating a safe environment for expressing students’ feelings, and eliminating offending behaviors are promoted. These findings are in accordance with Moreno-Fernández’s research [37], in which the researcher investigated teachers’ opinions about motivation and values of applying drama as a didactic resource to favor the treatment of socio-environmental problems. Teachers perceive theatre as a pedagogical approach that ameliorates the dynamization of the classes, imagination, interactions between students, group socialization, teamwork, and most significantly, cultivation of emotional feelings towards tackling serious environmental problems.

Researchers have begun to analyze students’ positive attitudes towards the application of digital drama according to the current literature [46,51,52,56]. In a case study, students provide a positive indication of the digital drama in achieving many social skills, like team spirit, interpersonal communication, ability to coordinate, empathy, emotional intelligence, and conflict resolution aptitudes, elements practical at the workplace [68]. The results of this study show the importance of implementing technology tools and resources in drama education since it has gained momentum during the pandemic and the meta-covid period. But sustainability awareness should be raised among teachers too, with the aim of preparing, designing, and organizing proper drama activities that will promote sustainable consciousness of students in their institutions for their future occupational lives [46]. Both drama teachers and students deal with the potential of investigating sustainable issues through creating dramatic contexts, and this perspective may activate the values necessitated for a prosperous, sustainable future.

The basis of the actor–audience relationship involves crucial visual, auditory, and kinetic experiences, which are still maintained in digital theatre. However, “they do not occur directly in the same space, the process of adapting is done in such a way so that emotional awareness, sympathy, and empathy continue to occur either directly or indirectly between the actor and the audience” [54] (p. 19). Also, this research indicates teamwork, raising awareness about the environment, value-shaping towards ecological issues, and enhancing students’ interest in participating in environmental protection actions. All of those are under claims for preparing students to be tomorrow’s active participants and citizens for sustainable development [15].

Similarly, regarding the cognitive domain, another extensive quantitative survey was carried out in a Vietnamese context [51]. The researchers examined how the digital drama technique affects students’ learning English as a foreign language and in parallel, investigated differences and similarities in teachers’ and students’ perceptions. Both groups of participants appreciated the technique and perceived positive impacts. However, students considered it more beneficial for improving linguistic competencies in writing, grammar, and reading. At the same time, teachers stressed the importance of the digital drama technique in assisting students to develop their creativity in ideas. The value of the digital drama technique was highlighted due to the differentiation of adopted roles since students are directly involved in the drama process as writers, main characters/authors, etc. In contrast, teachers adopt a more observatory, guiding, and evaluating role. Being involved in the whole drama process, students become more independent and take on more responsible actions, thus being prepared to deal with real-life problems. Those findings are partly in accordance with [52] empirical study, in which the researchers examined the attitudes of students and faculties towards hybrid, online, and face-to-face learning and preferences about learning modes in performing arts educational activities. Both students and faculties are interested in multimedia workshops and show willingness to participate in activities such as professional development or training activities. Also, they show moderate feelings about using digital platforms, as they tend to be used for exchanging content (dissemination and submission) rather than facilitating collaborative work. The study revealed mixed results as to whether online/hybrid learning could provide more convenience for learners in art performing.

UNESCO also describes the learning objectives that are interrelated to the U.N.’s sustainability goals that belong to the development of three main domains: cognitive, socio-emotional, and behavioral. According to the literature, many of these ESD characteristics have also been detected in drama education. To achieve all those salient features mentioned before, a transdisciplinary approach is proposed to achieve better learning outcomes, such as designing collaboration between drama pedagogists and sustainability/science teachers [69]. In a self-study design, the co-authors described how two educators—a drama pedagogue and a science/sustainability educator—managed to collaborate, combining drama and science to produce a learning experience for their students [58].

Though it may seem to be a paradox to align science education with drama education, using drama pedagogical elements as educational tools in sustainability issues imply a transdisciplinary approach, which is typical enough in science education for socio-scientific matters but still represents the main idea of drama education, this is translated to exploring and experiencing affective dimensions [64] and leads to the creation of critical competencies. Based on Zourna and Papavassiliou-Alexiou’s storytelling [70], Ødegaard [64] introduces a pedagogical drama framework for sustainability issues. Firstly, she suggests implementing little dramas of individuals to motivate students to explore their values and make their choices. This involves in-depth understanding and empathetic reflections on people’s norms and values in their negotiation of sustainability matters. Understanding the consequences of one’s choices also requires self-awareness and anticipatory competency. Then, middle stories that evolve at interpersonal and sociocultural levels with a focus on explaining power relationships and organizing the society, in which the participants experience, learn, and reflect, individually and as a group, cultivating strategic and problem-solving competencies and anticipatory thinking, since the participants reflect on the societal outcomes of everyday decisions. Finally, she presents big, symbolic stories of sustainability that raise essential questions and shape imagination about what can and cannot be achieved in the world. Participants primarily deeply understand their sustainability values and then extensively collaborate and exchange critical views in making a common play for solving significant sustainable problems.

Also, in modern democratic schools, drama pedagogy could be used as an appropriate experiential teaching and learning method through theatrical techniques and practice students into living in a democratic environment, getting involved in collective or autonomous decision-making processes. Zourna and Papavassiliou-Alexiou [70], in their study, suggest that by employing drama methods in education, many social skills, such as self–awareness, creativity, problem solving, decision making, conflict resolution, and others, can be developed among students through their involvement, emotional engagement, and reflection during drama workshops. Participants in drama performances are called to face multidimensional dilemmas and problems, design and redesign, share thoughts and emotions in drama, meet alternatives, and move on to decision making and collective actions in drama performance preparation before facing them in real life. Similarly, Vasileva and Pachova [57] agree that theatre and drama-based education can significantly contribute to developing the necessary cognitive, affective, and behavioral attitudes and skills necessary to transform societies into more sustainable ones aligned with the SDGs in education.

However, although digital drama performance and the importance of digital technologies in the arts sector and drama education have been investigated in the recent literature, there needs to be more content relating to digital aesthetic identity. This means that there is little specific detail concerning soft “baseline” (transferable), namely working with computers and communicating via emails and the Internet, and “specific” (technical) digital skills, such as competency in the use of specific technologies in the use of technologies in performing art sector [45]. For this reason, the latter two researchers proposed a three-layered digital skills framework for drama education, including: (a) specific “technical skills” related to the application of digital technologies, devices, systems, software, and internet media solutions for performance; (b) baseline “transferable” digital skills, referring to collaborative work; and (c) digital aesthetic identity, related to digital construction of self. Also, they highlight the central role of using media/computer-mediated technologies in developing digital transferable skills associated with ways of working digitally and collaboratively in educational drama performances. Thus, students need to be taught about the available technologies and how to apply them and develop specific digital identities within the boundaries of technology-driven opportunities and gain readiness to use them in drama practice, being creators of the drama process and taking an active part in the whole drama experience. Accordingly, drama education has the potential to create communities of learning where knowledge is embodied and performed. Using participatory methodologies offers fertile ground for sustainability innovation, and participants become knowledge actors. They are being transformed from former passive audiences and spectators of the drama of sustainability to protagonists of their own stories and imagine their futures [43].

It should also be noted that by using environmental and art-based pedagogies, students are connected with the local environment and start to build their sustainability consciousness and deep knowledge about it. Davis [71], engaged children in a primary school setting in learning about their local environment to reinforce their cognitive and affective responses and learning. She designed an art-based project, named “Tree Mappa”. The project concentrated on celebrating significant local trees, which could be significant because of their endemic nature and their historical and cultural role in an ecosystem. Many details about local knowledge and issues raised awareness about the wider environment and sustainability issues for young children.

But the participation of students in drama performances for the treatment of socio-environmental problems is sometimes constrained due to potential difficulties, especially in primary education. Moreno-Fernández [37], presents as challenges the time available, finding adapted works for a primary school related to socio-environmental contents, the reluctance of some pupils to participate due to shyness or embarrassment, the large number of students in the classrooms, and the lack of adapted works to address specific socio-environmental problems especially at primary school level. Similarly, Özgen and Erbay [4] mention the difficulties experienced by drama leaders arising from educational institutions, parents, and children, respectively, as issues concerning the lack of sufficient knowledge, education, and experience in drama. Finally, drama educators have to face and solve problems arising from technology or internet infrastructure and they have to deal with difficulties concerning how to make games or physical activities suitable for digital platforms [47]. Indeed, drama teachers can enrich their drama-content experience for their students by applying digital platforms and incorporating video conversations, videos, and presentations, writing on whiteboards, using chat comments, and many others.

Nevertheless, many efforts have been made to provide new dynamics of group work, and a plethora of digital drama activities have been designed to perform experiential actions, digital role playing, improvisations, and gamified-based learning activities. All these can be attributed to the hygiene crisis that urged drama tutors to rethink and reevaluate traditional methods of applying drama. It led them to an urgent pressure for innovation, online delivery modes, and digital media, even in digital drama performance in all educational environments.

6. Discussion

The present review is considered extremely important since it tried to cover a gap in the literature concerning digital drama education for sustainability purposes. We thoroughly searched in Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases in our attempt to review the extant literature to deeply comprehend the interconnectedness between drama performance in all educational contexts through the application of digital technologies for achieving students’ sustainability consciousness and social welfare. The results indicate that drama performances in education with the incorporation of digital technologies for creating sustainability awareness of students are in their infancy, and more research is suggested. Nevertheless, nowadays it is accepted that a learning process enriched with technological elements allows students to think creatively and critically, develops their problem-solving skills, and makes them better communicators and collaborative learners [72].

Several digital technologies can be used in performing drama performances in educational contexts. Video- and audio-recording equipment are introduced to capture performances and rehearsals for later review and analysis, virtual and augmented reality to create immersive experiences for students to explore different theatrical environments and scenarios [3], and online collaboration tools to enable students to work in groups remotely and collaborate on scripts, rehearsals, and performances. Additionally, technological systems such as digital sound and lighting systems are used to enhance the audio and visual aspects of theatrical performances. Digital projection and visual effects are applied to create stunning visual effects and projections that can help bring performances to life. Social media platforms are used to promote performances and connect with school audiences. Digital theatre and experiential actions, as well as the use of digital tools and instruments, for example, Google Docs, collaboratively written scenarios based on specific themes, such as sustainable development, climate change, poverty reduction, sustainable consumption, and many others, and then directing and performing scenes could empower students to work collaboratively and interact each other, and as a result discover new knowledge. There seems to be a positive effect in the learning outcomes and by engaging students in the learning process in drama performance they become protagonists of the learning experience by collaborating with their peers [63] and improving their social skills [67]. In this way, they are involved in a diversity of activities, such as script writing, scenery making, directing, and acting, and thus reflect critically about the major environmental problems of our world, trying to propose feasible solutions and practicing higher level thinking skills.

Also, digital scriptwriting and editing software are incorporated to create, edit, and share scripts with other students and teachers. Using digital drama-based activities in education can have a significant impact on increasing sustainability competencies and have a multitude of potential effects. First of all, digital educational drama can increase awareness among students about the importance of environmental sustainability practices and the impact of human activities on the environment, help them realize the effects of their actions on the environment, and motivate them to positive changes. Students are educated about the consequences of unsustainable practices and are encouraged to take action to protect the environment. Thus, students can actively participate in creating and sharing messages about environmental sustainability. They can work collaboratively and communicate effectively with classmates while promoting their sense of responsibility towards the environment. Also, they can develop helpful social and communication skills and teamwork among learners, such as active listening and clear expression of ideas that are essential for dealing with sustainability issues. Digital drama techniques can make learning more engaging and interactive, leading to better information retention and greater interest in sustainability issues. Through applying digital drama-based activities, students are provided with an interactive and immersive learning experience that assists them to stay stimulated and focused on sustainability topics, which can lead to better learning outcomes.

Additionally, through the use of digital media and technological tools that offer interaction, communication, interactivity, interconnection, and collaboration experiences in alignment with the experiential nature of theatrical actions or events, students are invited to collaboratively write theatrical scenarios or scripts, act out roles, think critically, etc., about solving sustainability issues not only within the real-time education in the classroom but also online by creating online learning communities. Taking into consideration that globalization and digital transformation is a reality nowadays and several virtual communities have arisen in the educational environments, drama teachers and students could implement new digital tools to create drama content, exhibit, and distribute it if their intention is to remain functional and follow the imperatives of modern society [73].

Also, digital drama-based activities can be personalized and customized to meet learners’ individual needs and interests, making the learning experience more relevant and meaningful. They can also provide students with opportunities to be involved in creative real-world problem solving and improvisation concerning sustainability challenges, such as climate change, resource depletion, etc. In this way, students can think critically about all these issues, develop their analytical skills and understand the complexity of environmental problems and the need for interdisciplinary approaches to address them and explore new perspectives and ideas related to future welfare. As a result, they lead to developing decision-making skills as they analyze these significant matters and consider potential solutions. Creativity and innovation are increasingly promoted among students, encouraging them to think outside the box and develop innovative solutions to environmental challenges. Digital drama enhances cognitive, psychomotor, and affective skills, such as critical thinking, problem solving, creativity and imagination, independent thinking and decision making, awareness and clear expression of emotions, and merely social skills, such as communication, cooperation, and group work, as highlighted in recent studies [4,74,75,76].

More importantly, digital drama activities enable students to develop empathy and be emotionally engaged toward the environment and other living beings. Thus, they are encouraged and motivated to become more sentimental and be involved in voluntary environmental actions. By exploring different perspectives and experiences, learners can develop a deeper understanding of the importance of sustainability and its impact on people and the whole planet. All these are supposed to lead to students’ changed attitudes and behaviors, leading to more sustainability-friendly citizens. The complex nature of contemporary environmental issues can be a motivator for students to adopt environmentally friendly attitudes and practices in their everyday lives through acting in a collaborative and sustainable way. Engagement with ESD would be a result of developing a positive attitude towards sustainability through the education of future teachers as well [77].

Overall, the drama educational performance with the application of digital technologies is the pathway to foster students’ awareness and deep understanding of sustainability matters while also developing the skills and competencies needed to address these issues for a prosperous future environmental citizenship. In order to be harmonized with the technology boom and the pedagogical shift to a more student centered and engaged pedagogical scheme, there is an urgency for drama educators to adopt interdisciplinary collaboration with other disciplines, such as games, virtual/mixed reality, and artificial intelligence aiming to provide immersive opportunities and prepare students and drama teachers for similar future crisis or disruptions of the learning process. Among the most critical skills gained in drama performance is the establishing empathy for others’ feelings, ideas, and behaviors while recognizing both themselves and other group members [36].

In general, the recent research on the application of digital technologies in drama/theatre education has been paid little attention. In the post-pandemic era and due to the digital transformation in many sectors of our lives, it has become imperative to rethink education and incorporate innovative technologies, digital applications, software programs, and social media in all levels of education and nearly all scientific disciplines, including drama education for streamlining sustainability awareness of students.

7. Limitations and Future Research Recommendations

Being forced to face the social and economic crisis and globalization issues, there is an urgent vision and a clear need to create a new philosophical lens of life now and in the future and promote holistic learning in drama education by introducing innovative pedagogical tools like digital technologies. This pedagogical transition leads to a paradigm shift from a student-centered to a more community-centered pedagogy and an interconnected world concerning all human beings and natural ecosystems. Notably, sustainability is a multidimensional, highly emotional, and complex challenge for which novel methods for transformational learning need to be tested and developed [43]. In this way, considering the main findings and results of our research, we propose an agenda with some suggestions and recommendations for future research:

• We suggest considering redesigning the official curricula to integrate the goals and dimensions of sustainable development into digital drama education to cultivate the ecological awareness of students. Reviewing and updating online education programs to meet the expectations and needs of participant students in online environments for sustainability education is deemed pivotal for achieving great ecological results. It is suggested to include more time for applying digital dramatization activities across multiple disciplines to be aligned with the SDGs for future prosperity worldwide. Alternatively, we prompt for the integration and evolvement of either digital or hybrid and mixed drama performances in educational environments;
• Although there has been an exhaustive debate for both the possibilities and the challenges of the implementation of digital technologies in education, there still seem to be several drawbacks for educators and educational institutions. Nowadays, the reality is that there is an overall digitalization of society which affects education as well. On that ground, it is suggested that many steps should be taken in this direction. Thus, it is recommended to aim at digital up skilling for students and drama teachers to exploit digital opportunities in creating, sharing, and delivering drama content in educational settings;
• To achieve the prospects mentioned above, it seems crucial to redesign the training and professional development of drama educators and teachers to introduce drama education for sustainable development. Indeed, considering that many teachers are technologically illiterate, adopting and applying digital technologies should be boosted to adjust to the new teaching modes. Consequently, drama teachers and faculty must enrich their pedagogical scheme with more digital drama elements and resources for addressing sustainability concerns;
• Owing to the experiential nature of digital drama education, which is based on digital communication and interaction, drama teachers should work collaboratively, discuss and exchange valuable ideas and techniques, attempting to find feasible solutions to overcome problems arising due to the online character of delivery drama education. To achieve this, they should be equipped with the necessary skills and drama techniques;
• Furthermore, drama teachers are urged to create an interdisciplinary interconnectedness of drama pedagogical philosophy, digital technologies, and sustainability awareness of their students, which will appear to open up new horizons and pathways of interdisciplinary knowledge between theatrical digital and sustainable features in drama/theatre education;
• Despite our initial intention to conduct a thorough literature review, in the field of future research agenda, we intend to continue with a qualitative case study/field research applying all the results of the present review. More specifically, it would be fruitful to carry out either a small-scale or large-scale study trying to accompany the issues of sustainable development in education through the application of digital dramatic techniques;
• Another recommendation is to conduct mixed-method empirical research investigating teachers’ or faculty’s views, attitudes, and readiness to incorporate digital drama performances in their teaching mode;
• Finally, research can be conducted to investigate the pedagogical impacts of creative role-playing, improvisations, and gamified-based activities in digital drama classes and the quality of dramatic products oriented by students in their attempt to address the ecological problems to achieve SDGs.

8. Concluding Remarks

The focus of the present study is twofold: firstly, to present the development of the current literature regarding the application of digital technologies and tools in online drama/theatre educational performances and then to show how sustainability awareness of students in all educational levels can be achieved. More specifically, the goal is the everyday use of digital technological media/tools and theatrical actions/dramatization actions as methods/approaches to enhance the educational process and the students’ ecological consciousness about all the seemingly intractable problems plaguing the modern world. One of the most significant findings of this study is that the combination of technology and theatrical activities through experiential actions can contribute to the development of 21st-century skills and the sustainability awareness of students. This combination might bring more results and enhance life skills since there has been an apparent shortage of research in this specific scientific field.

We tried to represent the stigma of students being engaged and participating in educational environments that promote theatrical expressions, communication, and cooperation to acquire an experiential relationship with the drama text production, theatrical roles, and highlighted values. In this regard, the foundations for aesthetic cultivation are laid, and the initiation into dialogue and the acquisition of knowledge and skills, attitudes, and perceptions that make them creative human actors are achieved. Mainly, online drama education aims simultaneously at producing an aesthetic result and its corresponding reception by its recipients (students, teachers, etc.) but also at developing stimulation, artistic emotions, and entertainment, essential ingredients for the psycho-emotional development of students.

This literature review highlighted aesthetic education to raise awareness of key issues of global importance, such as sustainability and ecology, to acquire 21st-century skills or “life skills” that are linked to the development of emotions and social awareness for sustainable sensitivity. Also, creating modern and innovative cultural events highlights interdisciplinarity, interculturality, and collaborative and experiential learning among students. Scientific research has proved that educating young students of all ages on pathways toward a more sustainable way of living is of paramount significance now and in the future. In the aftermath of the pandemic, drama education has been transformed into digital drama education and has been enriched with creative strategies and technological means to ensure the sustainability scope of education according to the SDGs of the U.N. The implementation of digital technologies, despite the multitude of potentials, and opportunities they offer in drama education, should be accompanied by appropriate digital resources and vital digital competencies and 21st-century skills to produce, share, and deliver drama performances digitally for ensuring sustainability in educational contexts.

The most significant outcome of the present review is that the mixture of interdisciplinary subjects of drama, digital technologies, and sustainability in education allows students to combine live improvisation and role-playing theatrical performances and actions with digital tools and applications to cultivate sustainable consciousness. Nevertheless, digital technologies should be perceived as something other than a panacea that automatically and effectively leads to the construction of new knowledge about a more sustainable future.