Teaching Innovation and Performance-Based Learning in Film and Television Acting Programs: The Mediating Role of Reflective Practice and the Boundary of Industry Collaboration

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.57125/FED.2026.09.09

Keywords:

teaching innovation, performance-based learning, reflective practice, industry collaboration, screen-acting education.

Abstract

Digital tools, blended formats, and competency-based curricula are reshaping screen-actor training, yet the mechanism by which pedagogical innovation improves performance remains underexamined. Integrating experiential learning, reflective practiceand constructivist-alignment theory, this study tests a model in which teaching innovation raises performance-based learning directly and through reflective practice, with industry collaboration moderating the innovation–performance relationship. A survey returned 294 responses; after removing five zero-variance straight-liners under a predetermined rule, we analyzed 289 students and instructors in film and television acting programs using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) with 5,000 bootstrap resamples. Teaching innovation raised performance directly (β = 0.215) and indirectly through reflective practice (indirect effect = 0.114; complementary partial mediation), with strong constituent paths (TI → RP, β = 0.424; RP → PBL, β = 0.270). As hypothesised, industry collaboration significantly moderated the relationship (interaction β = 0.155, p = .003): the return on innovative teaching more than doubled between average and high collaboration, and collaboration also had a positive direct effect (β = 0.148). The model explained 31.7% of the variance in performance and 18.0% in reflective practice. Reflective practice is the operative mechanism, and industry collaboration is both an independent driver and a boundary condition that amplifies innovation’s return.

References

Aldaghlawy, H. J. (2024). A proposed system for using augmented reality technology in actor training. Basrah Arts Journal, (28). https://doi.org/10.59767/2024.02/28.10

Aquilina, S. (2019). Cultural transmission of actor training techniques: A research project. Theatre, Dance and Performance Training. https://doi.org/10.1080/19443927.2018.1538018

Athiemoolam, L. (2022). Exploring the value of reflective practice in drama pedagogy for the development of critical consciousness. The International Journal of Humanities Education, 21(1), 39–51. https://doi.org/10.18848/2327-0063/cgp/v21i01/39-51

Babbie, E. (2021). The practice of social research (15th ed.). Cengage Learning.

Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator–mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51(6), 1173–1182. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.51.6.1173

Barzegar, K., & Boushehri, A. (2026). Beyond workshops: How longitudinal mentorship deepens faculty reflective practice. Reflective Practice. https://doi.org/10.1080/14623943.2025.2605719

Bates, A. W. (2019). Teaching in a digital age: Guidelines for designing teaching and learning (2nd ed.). Tony Bates Associates.

Biggs, J., & Tang, C. (2011). Teaching for quality learning at university (4th ed.). Open University Press.

Bozia, E. (2018). Reviving classical drama: Virtual reality and experiential learning in a traditional classroom. Digital Humanities Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.63744/7mnevt4w4kzq

Bridgstock, R. (2011). Skills for creative industries graduate success. Education + Training, 53(1), 9–26. https://doi.org/10.1108/00400911111102333

Cerda-Smith, J. (2026). Critical decision-making: Bridging critical reflection and action. New Ideas in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.newideapsych.2025.101206

Dawson, K., Cawthon, S., Ihorn, S., & Judd-Glossy, L. (2018). Drama-based instruction in the visual arts: A teacher’s action research journey. Journal for Learning through the Arts. https://doi.org/10.21977/d913118860

Dennis, R., O’Neil, M., & Berger, K. (2024). Actor as expert: Developing an improvisational actor training approach for social work students. Applied Theatre Research, 12(1), 65–81. https://doi.org/10.1386/atr_00087_1

DeVellis, R. F. (2017). Scale development: Theory and applications (4th ed.). Sage.

Donaldson, C. (2026). The double-edged sword of real-world projects in entrepreneurship education. Entrepreneur and Innovation Exchange. https://doi.org/10.32617/1364-69e2427fd0d0d

Donelan, K. (2016). Reflective practice in drama education. In The Routledge Companion to Drama in Education. Routledge.

Guaman-Quintanilla, S., Everaert, P., & Chiluiza, K. (2022). Impact of design thinking in higher education: A multi-actor perspective on problem solving and creativity. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 33, 845–870. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-021-09724-z

Guile, D., & Unwin, L. (2019). Vocational education: Learning and working at the intersection of national and workplace systems. In The Wiley Handbook of Vocational Education and Training. Wiley.

Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2014). Multivariate data analysis (7th ed.). Pearson Education.

Hayes, A. F. (2013). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach. Guilford Press.

Hmelo-Silver, C. E. (2004). Problem-based learning: What and how do students learn? Educational Psychology Review, 16(3), 235–266. https://doi.org/10.1023/b:edpr.0000034022.16470.f3

Huang, B., & Hew, K. F. (2018). Implementing a theory-driven gamification model in higher education flipped courses: Effects on out-of-class activity completion and quality of artifacts. Computers & Education, 125, 254–272. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.06.018

Iqbal, J., & Sidhu, M. (2021). Acceptance of dance training system based on augmented reality and technology acceptance model (TAM). Virtual Reality. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10055-021-00529-y

Joshi, A., Kale, S., Chandel, S., & Pal, D. K. (2015). Likert scale: Explored and explained. British Journal of Applied Science & Technology, 7(4), 396–403. https://doi.org/10.9734/bjast/2015/14975

Kennelly, J. (2014). Creating more ‘elbow room’ for collaborative reflective practice in the competitive, performative culture of today’s university. Higher Education Research & Development, 33(5), 951–965. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2014.911259

Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Prentice Hall.

Kolenko, A. (2025). Digital transformation in actor training: Integrating VR practice and spectral analysis tools into theatre pedagogy. International Scientific Unity, 333–336. https://doi.org/10.70286/isu-29.10.2025.010

Kriz, W. C., & Mack, O. (2025). Experiences with experiential learning: Learning from our own experiential and conceptual insights. Pedagogical Inquiry and Practice. https://doi.org/10.31542/7dfgf661

Landon-Smith, K. (2020). A pedagogy for twenty-first century actor training: Intracultural theatre practice which embraces pluralistic identity and plays with difference. Theatre, Dance and Performance Training. https://doi.org/10.1080/19443927.2020.1788267

Laurillard, D. (2012). Teaching as a design science: Building pedagogical patterns for learning and technology. Routledge.

Leigh, J. (2016). An embodied perspective on judgements of written reflective practice for professional development. Reflective Practice, 17(1), 72–85. https://doi.org/10.1080/14623943.2015.1123688

Loveday, K., Neumann, D., & Hassall, L. (2021). The peak performance experience in professional screen acting. Current Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-01522-z

Mann, K., Gordon, J., & MacLeod, A. (2007). Reflection and reflective practice in health professions education: A systematic review. Advances in Health Sciences Education, 14(4), 595–621. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10459-007-9090-2

Massyn, L., & Areskoug Josefsson, K. (2026). A bibliographic mapping of work-integrated learning in South Africa. Current Issues in Work-Integrated Learning. https://doi.org/10.64775/ciwil.2026.62499

McNamara, A. (2021). Flipping the creative conservatoire classroom. Theatre, Dance and Performance Training, 12(4), 528–539. https://doi.org/10.1080/19443927.2020.1864462

Mentini, L. (2024). Negotiating between the accountability and the innovation mandates: Evidence from Italian schools. Nordic Journal of Studies in Educational Policy, 10(3), 199–218. https://doi.org/10.1080/20020317.2024.2385120

Mickel, L. (2021). Performance practice as research, learning and teaching. Teaching in Higher Education, 29(2), 489–501. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2021.2000385

Preacher, K. J., & Hayes, A. F. (2008). Asymptotic and resampling strategies for assessing and comparing indirect effects in multiple mediator models. Behavior Research Methods, 40(3), 879–891. https://doi.org/10.3758/BRM.40.3.879

Rosseel, Y. (2012). lavaan: An R package for structural equation modeling. Journal of Statistical Software, 48(2), 1–36. https://doi.org/10.18637/jss.v048.i02

Schön, D. A. (1983). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. Basic Books.

Sharp, M. (2024). Enacted emotionality: A missing concept for directing affective screen acting? Media Practice and Education, 26(4), 478–494. https://doi.org/10.1080/25741136.2024.2395147

Ülgen, S., & Forslund, M. (2026). University–industry collaboration involving micro and small enterprises: Critical factors across phases. Industry and Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1177/09504222261430212

Walmsley, B. (2013). A reflective perspective on the challenges facing research-led teaching in the performing arts. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 37(3), 397–413. https://doi.org/10.1177/1474022212473944

Yende, S. J. (2024). Perceptions of performing arts graduates, lecturers, and employers on the role of internships in employability. African Perspectives of Research in Teaching & Education, 8(4). https://doi.org/10.70875/v8i4article7

Downloads

Published

2026-09-02

How to Cite

Song, B., Wang, Z., Bai, O., Nachiangmai, S., & Luo, W. (2026). Teaching Innovation and Performance-Based Learning in Film and Television Acting Programs: The Mediating Role of Reflective Practice and the Boundary of Industry Collaboration. Futurity Education, 6(3), 142–161. https://doi.org/10.57125/FED.2026.09.09