The effect of drama method on student achievement, attitude and permanence in social studies course for fifth grade

The objective of the present study is to construct drama activities related to the use of drama method in the instruction of topics in the middle school fifth grade Social Studies course, "Learning About Our Region" unit, and to investigate the effect of the drama activities on student achievement, retention and student attitudes towards the course and to determine the student views on the applications of the method. The study was conducted with the fifth grade students in Mezre secondary school located at Elazığ city center during 2013-2014 academic year fall semester. The study is a mixed study, perusing both quantitative and qualitative data. In the quantitative dimension of the study, quasi-experimental design with pretest-posttest and control group was used, while interview technique was utilized in qualitative dimension. A study (n = 38) and a control group (n = 33) were used in the study. In the study group, lessons were instructed with the drama method, while in the control group, lessons were instructed with teaching methods and techniques provided in the curriculum. An achievement test, attitude scale and interview form were used as data collection tools in the research. Both parametric and non-parametric tests were utilized in the analysis of the data obtained in the study. The quantitative dimension of the results obtained in the study were analyzed with the SPSS 17.00 software. The parametric tests of Paired Samples Statistics t-test and Independent Samples t-test were used where the variance distribution was homogeneous to control whether the data exhibited normal distribution in order to analyze the collected data accurately. In cases where the variance did not exhibit a normal distribution, Mann-Whitney U test, a non-parametric counterpart of the abovementioned tests, was used. In data analysis, arithmetic mean ( ), standard deviation (SD), percentage and frequency values utilized. Statistical significance level of P *<.05 was accepted when evaluating the statistical results. Study findings demonstrated that there was a statistically significant difference between the study group and the control group based on the mean posttest success score favoring the study group. It was also found that there was a statistically significant difference between the study group and the control group based on the mean final test scores favoring the study group. In terms of the attitudes of the students towards the social studies course, there was no difference between the groups. In the qualitative data analysis, NVIVO 8 software was used for interpretations. Furthermore, different results were achieved concerning the benefits of the application, activities enjoyed during the application, the situations where problems were encountered, and the recommendations to increase the effectiveness of the application. Accordingly, it was proposed to use this method in different courses and grade levels and to rearrange the classroom environment appropriately for the applications. Keywords: Social Studies, drama method, student achievement, attitude.