The effect of creative drama method applied in social studies course on students' learning styles, relationships with students and their academic achievement

The study aimed to determine the relationship between social studies lessons taught using the creative drama method and the learning styles of sixth-grade students, to measure its effect on their academic achievement, and to identify their views on the application. The study was conducted during the 2023-2024 academic year with 20 experimental and 20 control group students from 6th grade at a secondary school in Muratpaşa district, Antalya Province. The first three learning outcomes of the 6th grade social studies course's 'Life on Earth' unit were taught using the creative drama method in the experimental group. In the study, which was designed according to the convergent parallel mixed design method, the Perceptual Learning Style Preference Scale adapted into Turkish by Tabanlıoğlu (2005) and an achievement test prepared by the researcher were used to collect quantitative. Qualitative data collection tools include researcher diaries, compositions prepared by students, posters, pictures, and slogans. The SPSS 23 software package was used to analyse quantitative data, while content analysis was used to analyse qualitative data. In the analysis of quantitative data, normality tests were performed, and for groups showing normal distribution in terms of skewness and kurtosis values, the Paired-Samples T-Test and Independent-Samples T-Test were used; for groups not showing normal distribution, the Mann Whitney-U Test and Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test were used. According to the analysis results, it was determined that the experimental group students' pre-test learning preferences were auditory learning and kinesthetic learning, but they changed this situation in their post-test by raising their kinesthetic learning sub-dimension scores and placing it first in their main learning preferences. In the comparisons of the gender variable between the experimental and control groups of students on the scale; in the kinesthetic learning sub-dimension, p<.042 was found in favour of the experimental group for male students in both the experimental and control groups, in the auditory learning sub-dimension, p<.024 was found in favour of the experimental group for female students in the experimental group and male students in the control group, and the experimental group female students and control group male students in the kinesthetic learning sub-dimension with p<.003 in favour of the experimental group. The average increase in the pre-test and post-test comparison of the achievement test was higher in the experimental group, and the significance level was found to be p>.065. In qualitative data analysis, it was determined that the students participating in the application felt the emotions of 'enjoyment and embarrassment' the most in the theme of 'student feelings towards the course,' and that they experienced 'enjoyment and meaningful learning' in the theme of 'the contribution of the course to students.' In the analysis of the researchers' diaries, under the theme of 'emotional environment of the class,' students experienced the most 'fun and embarrassment,' under the theme of 'social environment of the class,' they achieved 'willingness-unwillingness, adaptation, comfort, active participation,' and under the theme of 'Learning environment of the class,' they made positive progress in "readiness, meaningful learning, and behavioural change,' but struggled with 'not understanding the purpose of the lesson and creativity." However, by the end of the process, positive progress was observed in these two areas. The research results were discussed and interpreted in the context of theoretical explanations, and recommendations for future research and applications were presented in light of the results.