An investigation into the effects of using creative drama in language education on gifted studets' motivation, attitude and anxiety

Human beings are social creatures, and the ability to communicate is one of the most distinctive features that separate them from other living beings. Communication is not limited to cultural or linguistic boundaries; throughout history, it has played a vital role in various fields such as education, health, trade, and art. Today, English is recognized as a Lingua Franca, being the most widely used common language across the globe and one of the essential tools for international communication. In line with this, English has been taught as a foreign language in primary schools in Türkiye since 1997. However, traditional teaching methods have proven inadequate in helping students achieve the desired level of proficiency in using the language effectively. Consequently, there has been a shift toward communicative, creative, and student-centered teaching approaches. One of these approaches is Creative Drama, which actively engages students in the learning process and supports cognitive, emotional, and social development. In this study, creative drama activities were applied over a period of eight weeks to a group of 26 ninth-grade students from a science high school in Van, Türkiye. The aim was to examine the effects of these activities on students' motivation, interest, attitudes and anxiety levels regarding English classes. The results revealed that students' motivation and attitudes toward English improved positively, while their anxiety levels decreased. These findings suggest that the creative drama method can be an effective tool in foreign language education.