The Effect of Creative Reading and Creative Writing Activities on Creative Writing Achievement

Abstract

Today, there is a need for creative individuals in every area who read, comprehend what they read, can make inferences, have high-order thinking skills and are able to express their thoughts. Individuals begin acquiring the foundations of these abilities in elementary school. Therefore, including new approaches to reading and writing that enable the development of creativity and thinking skills in individuals seems to be a necessity in the Turkish classes in which particularly reading and writing skills are taught at elementary school level. The primary aim of this study is to examine the effect of creative reading and creative writing activities on elementary fourth graders' creative writing achievement. Pretest-posttest experimental design was adopted in the study that was conducted in an elementary school with a middle socio-economic status in the Buldan district of Denizli in the fall term of the 2015-2016 school year. In the experimental group (n=16), creative reading and creative writing activities were implemented in the Turkish classes as two class hours each week during 14 weeks, whereas the Turkish curriculum of the Ministry of National Education continued to be used in the control group (n=16). According to the findings revealed in the study, it was revealed that creative reading and creative writing activities positively affected elementary fourth graders' creative writing achievement. Creative writing activities should be supported in elementary schools.