Examination of children's theater texts in the context of Social Studies lesson learning areas

Dating back thousands of years, theater is at the forefront not only for its artistic function but also for its educational function. In addition to aesthetic pleasure, it can teach people educational lessons through other people's situations. Theater, which is described as the mirror of society, is closely related to the Social Studies, which aims to raise good and responsible citizens. However, when the literature is searched, studies on the use of theater in Social Studies education are quite limited. In this study, it was aimed to examine children's theater texts in the context of social studies course learning areas. The data obtained through document analysis method were analyzed by content analysis. In the study, 169 children's theater texts were reached out of 303 local children's theater texts in the current library list of 2023. Thirty-five of the local children's theatre texts were directly associated with the learning areas in the Social Studies Curriculum. In the light of the findings, it was concluded that children's theater texts that can be associated with the learning areas in the Social Studies Curriculum can be used in Social Studies education. According to the results of the research, suggestions were made for the active use of children's theater texts in social studies education. These associated local children's theater texts can be used practically in Social Studies education and their effect on student achievement can be examined. In addition, suggestions were made for examining local children's theater texts in the libraries of state theaters in other cities and for writing children's theater texts that can be used directly in Social Studies teaching. Keywords: Theatre, Social Studies, Learning Areas, Children Theater Texts