The effect of creative drama in tourism education and training on student achievement, attitude, opinions, and retention of achievement: Example of hotel management course

This research aims to reveal the effect of the creative drama method on student achievement, attitude, opinions, and retention of achievement in tourism education. The study group of the study consisted of the students who took the Hotel Management course in the Tourism Management Department of Anadolu University. In the quantitative phase of the research, which is carried out by using mixed research method, quasi-experimental design is used, the experimental group who took the course of Hotel Management with creative drama method and the control group who took the course with the expression method, analyses were conducted to determine whether the achievement test (pre-test, post-test, and retention test) scores prepared for the Hotel Management course differed. Besides, analyses were conducted to compare the scores of the experimental and control groups on the attitude scale prepared for the Hotel Management course. Also, the content analysis of the participant diaries written by the students at the end of each course, the letters they wrote at the end of the semester and the interviews with the students were made regarding the qualitative phase of the research, the findings were discussed and interpreted. According to the findings, it was found out that the students in the experimental group increased the retention of the information they learned in the lesson, developed a positive attitude towards the course and had many gains in cognitive and affective fields. It has been seen that the creative drama of the hotel management course contributes to the development of the skills expected of the personnel working in the tourism sector. From this point of view, it is recommended to apply such teaching methods based on experiences at associate and undergraduate level. Keywords: Education and Teaching Methods, Creative Drama, Tourism Education, Tourism Management, Hotel Management