Abstract:

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the social skills teaching program prepared through drama technique is effective on improving the basic skills, basic speaking, advanced speaking, initiating an interaction, continuing an interaction, working at a group, self control, coping with aggressive behaviors, accepting the results, giving instructions, emotional and cognitive skills of children with intellectual disabilities. In order to determine the effectiveness of the instruction experimental design with pre-test and post-test was used. The research group was consisted in eight students in total. Two classes, in which the students have the prerequisite skills for drama, were chosen from special education classes of the schools with mainstreaming programs, in Bolu. One of these classes was randomly determined as the experimental group. The pre-test data were obtained asking the teacher of this class to fill in the social skills evaluation scale. The social skills teaching program was developed with the sub-categories of the social skills evaluation scale for 69 social skills. The instruction program was implemented in 30-35 minutes sessions every week day and 69 sessions in total. The post-test data were obtained asking the teacher of this class to fill in the social skills evaluation scale for each student after the implementation of the program. As a result, the social skills teaching program, prepared through drama technique, was effective on teaching social skills to children with intellectual disabilities.

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