Taking the values of responsibility respect, hardwork, sensitivity and solidarity to students through the creative drama method in the social studies course

In today's world, rapid changes and transformations in the fields of science,technology and in the social and cultural areas alter social expectations of each member of the society in a way that it shows values plays a crucial role as a foundation of society.In value education, approaches that include student-centered active teaching processes are adopted in the 21st-century educational understanding.Drama method emerges as a method in which students can actively participate in the teaching-learning process and find opportunities to express themselves better. The effectiveness of the drama method in values education, which is directly related to daily life, is stated by many researchers as one of the most effective methods serving this purpose. This method, used for the acquisition and development of values, is also of great importance in ensuring that students have positive feelings towards Social Studies and increasing their active participation in the lesson. In this context, the aim of the study is to determine the values of responsibility, respect, diligence, sensitivity, and solidarity through drama activities in the "Production, distribution, and consumption" learning area in the 5th-grade Social Studies class. In the study, the action research design, a qualitative research method, was preferred. The research group consists of 28 students from the 5th grade of a state middle school in Sinop province during the 2022-2023 academic year, and 14 voluntary participants, including parents of these students. The research group was determined through the convenient sampling method, one of the purposeful sampling methods. The data collection tools of the research include student pre and post-interview forms, student diaries, self-assessment and group assessment reports, activity observation reports including participant observer notes, and a parent interview form. Content analysis and descriptive statistical analysis were used in the analysis of the data. The results obtained from different data collection tools in the research have revealed that creative drama activities positively contribute to students' adoption of values such as sensitivity, solidarity, and diligence, especially responsibility and respect. Results also revealed findings suggesting that the value of diligence is more challenging to acquire compared to others. Despite concerns that the use of such activities in Social Studies classes may contribute positively to values education, there were opposing views indicating it could disrupt the lesson and create a negative learning environment. However, the research has yielded significant results showing that well-planned creative drama activities not only contribute to the targeted values but also enhance a variety of skills such as socialization, collaboration, creative thinking, and effective listening in students.