Education for the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Through Spoken Drama for Children

This study examines the potential of spoken drama as an educational approach for promoting the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) among children in Vietnam.The research is situated within a broader national effort to align with the 2030 Agenda while addressing the need for innovative, learner-centered pedagogies capable of fostering awareness, values, and sustainable behaviors in younger generations.Although prior studies have explored SDG education and dramatic arts separately, few have systematically integrated spoken drama with developmental psychology to build a structured educational model tailored to Vietnamese adolescents.This gap is the starting point of the present study.The research focuses on children aged 11 to 15, whose cognitive, emotional, and personality characteristics are highly compatible with interactive and experiential learning through drama.Using a qualitative design, the study employs the method of analysis and synthesis of secondary data drawn from theoretical literature on theatre arts, child psychology, and sustainable development.Through this analytical approach, the study develops a model that connects SDG-oriented content with artistic expression, psychological readiness, and community engagement.Findings indicate that spoken drama possesses three essential characteristics-co-creation between actor and audience, simultaneity of creation and appreciation, and integration of spatial and temporal arts-which collectively create strong educational potential.The study also highlights that adolescents' increasing abstract thinking, emotional depth, and capacity for selfawareness make them highly receptive to value-based and experiential learning delivered through drama.The most significant contribution of this research is the proposal of a four-component interactive educational model-content, artistic, psychological, and community components-that converts spoken drama into an ecosystem for SDG education.This model demonstrates how artistic experience can be harnessed to cultivate awareness, empathy, and responsible action toward sustainable development in Vietnamese youth.