Abstract:

Creative writing has gained importance in recent years as a learning tool that not only improves students’ language skills but also supports their self-expression, critical thinking, and creative abilities. As such, numerous studies have addressed the effect of creative writing activities used in the instruction process on various learning outcomes from different perspectives. These studies have particularly highlighted their effect on student attitudes, often through quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method research approaches. However, upon examining the literature, there is a considerable need for studies that systematically address the effect of creative writing activities on student attitudes. To fill this gap in the literature, the present study examines the effect of creative writing activities on student attitudes. The study employed a meta-analytic approach, combining effect sizes obtained from experimental and quasi-experimental studies. Additionally, moderator analyses were conducted to examine whether the effect of creative writing activities on student attitudes significantly varied based on education level and study type. Further, a meta-regression analysis was conducted to reveal the effect of the experiment duration on student attitudes. Initially, studies that satisfied the inclusion criteria defined within the scope of the study were identified for the meta-analysis. In this context, 15 studies published between 2003 and 2023 that examined the effect of creative writing activities on student attitudes were included in the meta-analysis. The data analysis was conducted using the R statistical package program. Effect sizes were combined using the random effects model, and Hedges’ g coefficient was considered in calculating the effect size values. The analysis results indicated that creative writing activities have a positive and moderate effect on student attitudes (g = 0.752, 95% CI [0.478, 1.026]). This result implies that students who participated in creative writing activities have developed more positive attitudes towards both the course and writing in general. According to the moderator analyses, the educational level and study type were non-significant moderators. The meta-regression analysis results revealed that the experiment duration in the groups where creative writing activities were conducted significantly predicted students’ attitudes. The results obtained in the study were discussed considering the literature, and various recommendations were provided.

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