Determining the opinions on the impact of stories in Greek mythology on the design and applications of BİLSEM students

Mythology is a collection of religious and legendary narratives that societies create by feeding on their imagination and experiences within their historical processes. Mythological narratives have inspired various fields such as history, religion, literature and philosophy. It is thought that these narratives containing extraordinary elements, can be evaluated as an important pedagogical tool in the context of visual arts education, as they capture children's interest and contribute to the development of their imagination. The aim of the research is to explore the perspectives on the effect of stories in Greek mythology on the design and application skills of BİLSEM students in the visual arts course. In the research, a basic qualitative research design was used. The study group consists of 10 students aged 11 and 12 who were selected through the "general mental ability test" at the Science and Art Center in Ergani, Diyarbakır in the 2023–2024 academic year. A four-week application process was carried out within the scope of the research. The known works of the prominent painters of art movements ranging from cave Wall paintings to the present day were presented to the students through slides. Then, after the applications carried out by reading mythological stories, the opinions of the students were taken and analyzed. A semi-structured interview form was developed to collect the students' opinions. Additionally, an application evaluation form was developed to obtain expert opinions in the study. The obtained data was analyzed with the content analysis method. Based on the findings from the interview form, it was concluded that the students found mythological stories entertaining and educational; they developed their imagination and helped them to express themselves. Furthermore, based on the data obtained from the interview form, it was observed that the use of mythological stories with two and three-dimensional techniques had positive impacts on the students. According to the findings from the expert opinions, it was determined that there were significant differences between the pre-application and post-application studies. It was concluded that mythological stories improved the students' world of images and creativity and contributed to their progress in various design principles such as line, shape, texture, form, space, and balance. In the light of all these findings, it can be said that the use of mythological stories in visual arts classes has positive effects on the students; they increase their creativity and interest in the course. Some suggestions were made according to the results of the study. Keywords: Art Education, Mythological Stories, Student Practices, BİLSEM.