A study on applicability of creative drama method in architectural education

The study is conducted based on the assumption that creative drama method will be able to be employed efficiently in the process of architectural education including theoretical and applied lectures, which will yield a different viewpoint to architectural education. The purpose of the thesis study is to determine the effects of employing creative drama as a teaching method in architectural education on students' academic success, permanence of knowledge they obtain, their attitude toward creative drama method. The study in which a mixed method consisting of quantitative and qualitative research methods is employed is carried out as part of the lectures Environmental-Behavioral Knowledge and Basic Design. For the quantitative analysis of the study, pretest-posttest control group method, one of the real experimental methods, is employed. The research is conducted with experimental and control groups. Some measurements on the groups are performed before and after the experiment. Quantitative data is obtained by means of "achievement test", "mid-term exams", "mid-term exercises and tasks" and "persistence test". Qualitative data is obtained from focus group discussions that are made with experimental group students. The revealed data is evaluated through content analysis. According to the findings from the research, it is concluded that creative drama method is useful in increasing academic success of the experimental group students of Environmental-Behavioral Knowledge and Basic Design lectures and keeping permanence of their knowledge. Moreover, the qualitative data obtained from the focus group discussions made with the experimental group students through content analysis bears this conclusion out. In line with the conclusion from the study, it can be said that creative drama is a teaching method that must be benefited from in order that architectural education achieves its targets.