The study on the effectiveness of the social skill teaching programme prepared according to the drama method for the students with mental retardation

The aim of this study to determine whether the social skill teaching programme prepared according to the drama method is effective on improving the basic skills, basic speaking skills, advanced speaking skills, starting an interaction skills, continuing an interaction skills, working in a group skills, emotional skills, self control skills, coming up with aggressive behaviours skills, accepting the results skills, giving instruction skills and cognitive skills of the children with mental retardation.In determining the effectiveness of the instruction, experimental design with pre-test and post-test is used.The research group was composed of totaly eight students. In order to determine the research group, two classes, in which the students owned the prerequisite skills for drama, were taken from the special education classrooms of the schools, which conduct an inclusion programme, in Bolu. One of these classes was determined as the subject group randomly.The pre-test data were obtained by means of filling the social skills evaluation scale by the teacher of this class. Instruction programmes were prepared according to the drama method to fulfil the instruction of aimed social skills. The prepared instruction programmes were applied as the sessions of 30-35 minutes everyday and 69 sessions in total in weekdays. It was demanded that the teacher of the class, in which the students of the subject group was found, fill the social skills evaluation scales once more after the instructional sessions.As a result of this study, it was found that the social skill teaching programme prepared according to the drama method, is effective.Key Words: Social Skills, Individual With Mental Retardation, Drama