Reimagining Theatre in Education for Transformative Learning in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: A Human-Centred Pedagogical Framework Aligned with NEP 2020 for Future-Ready Education

Abstract

The rapid diffusion of artificial intelligence (AI) into classrooms has intensified debate over what forms of learning genuinely prepare students for an uncertain future. This conceptual paper argues that Theatre in Education (TIE), long valued for cultivating empathy, embodied cognition, and critical reflection, offers a necessary human-centred counterweight to the efficiency-oriented logic of AI-driven instruction. Drawing on transformative learning theory (Mezirow, 1991, 1997), critical pedagogy (Freire, 1970; Boal, 1979), and constructivist learning traditions (Dewey, 1938; Vygotsky, 1978), the paper synthesises recent empirical and policy literature on drama pedagogy and generative AI in education, following a narrative-synthesis methodology, to propose an integrated Human-Centred Pedagogical Framework. The framework positions embodied theatrical practice, critical-reflective dialogue, and AI-augmented scaffolding as complementary rather than competing pedagogical resources. Three tables and three figures a comparative synthesis of pedagogical postures, a summary of key empirical studies, a policy-alignment matrix, a framework diagram, a competency-comparison visualisation, and a process model for teaching AI ethics through applied theatre -illustrate how the framework addresses gaps left by purely technological or purely traditional approaches. The paper concludes with practical implications for curriculum design, teacher preparation, and future research, arguing that future-ready education must deliberately safeguard embodied, relational, and reflective learning as AI becomes ubiquitous