DEVELOPING SCHOOL ORIENTATION OF THE FIRST-GRADE STUDENTS IN PRIMARY SCHOOL THROUGH CREATIVE DRAMA

Abstract

In this study, the orientation of the first-grade primary school students to school was ensured by creative drama activities. Activities that lasted 21 hours were applied to ensure that the students adapted to the school, their friends, their teachers, school staff, and places in the school. Parents, classroom teacher, 19 students and two prospective teachers as observers participated in this study. Quantitative data were collected before and after the drama workshop by the “Objectives Attainment Evaluation Form” and this data were compared with the non-parametric tests. Qualitative data were obtained using written and individual interviews. This study contributed positively to students' communication and cooperation, recognizing the school and the class and realizing the school and classroom rules. The findings showed that school orientation studies improved social skills, such as empathy by increasing interaction between the school, the parents, and the students. The families participating in these activities stated that they understood their children better, felt like children, and they implied they remembered their childhood years. The current study displayed that creative drama activities significantly facilitated the orientation of the students to their schools.