Meta-Analysis on the Effectiveness of Using the Drama Approach in Social Studies Course

Abstract

The aim of this study is to explore the effect size of the drama approach used in the social studies course on academic achievement through the meta-analysis method in the Turkish sample. The academic studies included in this study were searched at the following databases, namely, National Thesis Centre of the Council of Higher Education (YÖK), ULAKBİM TR Index, Google Scholar, and Scopus by using the keywords “creative drama”, “drama”, and “dramatization”. As a result of the database search, the meta-analysis was carried out with 31 academic studies, including 26 master’s theses, 2 doctoral dissertations, and 3 academic papers, all conducted on the effect of drama approach on academic achievement in social studies course. The data related to the studies included in the meta-analysis were analyzed by entering them into the CMA (Comprehensive Meta-Analysis) and MetaWin software programs. Due to the fact that the studies included in our meta-analysis were heterogeneous to one another, effect sizes were calculated according to the random effects model. In addition to this, grade levels, the weeks of application, and the number of samples were identified and analyzed as moderator variables. The results showed that the drama approach used in the social studies course had a positive and significant impact on students’ academic achievement. Nevertheless, the moderator analyses indicated that the grade level, the week of application, and the number of samples led to no change in the effect size on academic achievement. No publication bias was found in the studies included in the analysis. Based on the results of the study, we have made a number of recommendations for future research to be conducted on the drama approach for teaching purposes in the social studies course.