Abstract
The aim of this study is to examine and determine the extent to which educational drama, as an innovative teaching approach, can cultivate critical thinking of students in primary school. Based on the principles of educational drama, 15 theatrical workshops were designed in relation with and corresponding to the culture and interests of the specific age group. The experimental method that was followed, was designed and implemented in three discrete stages including: the pre-research stage, the main research stage and the results extraction stage. The sample comprising 400 students aged 8-10 has been drawn from six different primary schools in Greece, the subjects of which were randomly selected. Five critical thinking skills were studied, including subtraction, induction, observation, reliability, detection and troubleshooting skills. The qualitative and quantitative data collected was next triangulated in order to lead to the desired result. The results confirmed the main research hypothesis, hence educational drama, as an innovative method, can enhance students' critical thinking in primary school.
Highlights
In the 21st century teachers are required to adapt to contemporary data of the times and modernize the teaching methods that they apply in the classroom. Huss (2019) suggests that it is important for teachers to work together in order to be able to acquire and develop the necessary skills
The aim of this study is to examine and determine the extent to which educational drama, as an innovative teaching approach, can cultivate critical thinking of students in primary school
The relationship between educational drama and critical thinking is based on the fact that educational drama, as an innovative tool, can cultivate and contribute to the development of the five (5) main skills of critical thinking which, as mentioned above, include observation, inductive and subtraction, reliability, detection and troubleshooting
Summary
In the 21st century teachers are required to adapt to contemporary data of the times and modernize the teaching methods that they apply in the classroom. Huss (2019) suggests that it is important for teachers to work together in order to be able to acquire and develop the necessary skills. Huss (2019) suggests that it is important for teachers to work together in order to be able to acquire and develop the necessary skills. It is considered to be important to enrich their teaching approaches and evaluate their work so that they constantly become better through the experiences that they gain. Children and young people are at the core of this need for change as in the future it will be they who will be called upon to judge what needs to be changed in society and one way to do that is to learn how to think efficiently and effectively. According to Facione and Facione (2013) if you teach people how to make the right decisions and equip themselves with the right skills, they will in turn improve their future and become active members of society. Teaching a student to think critically may not guarantee a life full of happiness, but it certainly offers them the foundations for better route of progress in all areas and is clearly better than burdening them with the heavy load of bad consequences of their poor decisions and choices
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