Use of creative drama actvities in primary school digital citizenship education

The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of creative drama activities on primary school students' awareness of digital citizenship and their attitudes toward it. Additionally, the study explores the perspectives of primary school students regarding the incorporation of creative drama activities in digital citizenship education. An embedded mixed-methods design, a recognized approach within mixed research methodologies, was employed for this study. Participants included 4th-grade students enrolled in a state primary school. Data were collected using a digital citizenship awareness test, an attitude scale toward digital citizenship, a student interview form, and student diaries. The data obtained were analyzed through dependent sample t-tests and content analysis methodologies. The quantitative findings indicate that creative drama activities significantly enhanced primary school students' awareness of digital citizenship and fostered positive attitudes toward it. Analysis of the qualitative findings revealed three emergent themes: the advantages of creative drama activities, recommendations for the implementation of these activities, and the digital citizenship competencies gained. Qualitative findings demonstrated that creative drama activities effectively facilitated students' understanding of digital citizenship dimensions, including digital ethics and digital security. Furthermore, these activities were found to cultivate an engaging learning environment while promoting students' collaborative skills, creativity, and critical thinking abilities. The study concludes that creative drama activities can be employed effectively in the context of digital citizenship education at the primary school level.