Abstract:

Abstract This study examined the attitudes and opinions of Artvin Çoruh University teacher candidates regarding the use of creative drama instruction within social studies courses. The participant group consisted of 24 university students attending their junior year in the Social Studies teacher education program. Creative drama instruction was planned and implemented over 24 instructional hours between February 20th - May 22nd, 2017. A mixed method research design was utilised to measure teacher candidates’ attitudes according to a “Creative Drama Attitude Scale” developed by Adıgüzel (2006), and teacher candidates’ opinions were obtained through written responses to a researcher developed “Opinion Evaluation Form”. The study results revealed no significant difference between the pre/post-test attitude scale results, which was interpreted as teacher candidates’ having prior knowledge and positive impressions of creative drama instruction. Participants’ opinions revealed they viewed creative drama within social studies as an effective methodology and believed creative drama is appropriate for instruction of a variety of subjects. Teacher candidates emphasised that creative drama contributes to students’ learning, motivation, communication, and personal development. As a result, it is recommended that creative drama instruction be utilised within social studies courses and that social studies teachers and teacher candidates receive creative drama instructional training. Keywords: creative drama, social studies, active learning

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