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Humanities and Social Sciences Communications volume 13, Article number: 308 (2026)
2304
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Social emotional skills and moral development are fundamental skills that significantly influence a child’s process of becoming a healthy adult. The development of these skills from an early age contributes to personality growth and the formation of a healthy and happy individual. In addition to academic achievements, children’s social-emotional development, moral understanding, and acquisition of values are also important in their individualisation process. Creative drama, as a widely used method in multidimensional learning, can be an effective tool to support the development of these skills. Drama activities that provide experiential learning contribute to social skills, emotion regulation, moral development, and may enhance children’s awareness while engaging them in enjoyable learning experiences. In this study, the research question was: “Do the creative drama trainings received by children have an effect on their social-emotional and moral development?” A one-group pretest-posttest experimental design was used. Within the scope of the research, 20 hours of drama practice were carried out with 15 volunteer children aged 8-11 years. Pre-test and post-test data were collected and analyzed using SPSS 23. The analyses examined changes in social emotional and moral development following the intervention. Results indicate that creative drama education was associated with increases in children’s emotional awareness, empathy skills, and moral reasoning. Creative drama participation was linked to statistically significant improvements in social-emotional and moral development scores. The programme appeared to improve students’ performance, and participants reported increased awareness as a result of the activities.
Social and emotional skills are often described as invisible competencies that form the foundation of social functioning (Steponavičius et al., 2023). Social emotional learning is the process of acquiring skills and qualities related to social, emotional and academic development of children and young people throughout their lives (Kabakçı & Korkut Owen, 2010). These skills, as abstract psychological constructs, are typically assessed indirectly rather than through direct observation (Coryn et al., 2009). Social and emotional competences are considered essential for promoting childhood mental health, well-being, and developmental support (Denham & Brown, 2010; Weissberg et al., 2015). Since social emotional skills support students’ adaptation to school life in many ways, they are accepted as skills that have important effects in the educational process (Cristóvão et al., 2020). Many educators emphasize that social, emotional, and ethical skills should be considered alongside academic preparation, as learning is inherently social and collaborative. Children learn most effectively through interactions with teachers, peers, and family, rather than in isolation. Emotional skills can either facilitate or hinder learning. Research indicates that developing children’s social and emotional competence positively affects educational motivation, behavior, risk-taking, and school attachment (Devaney et al., 2005).
ocial-emotional learning occurs not only in school classrooms but also in homes and other social contexts, encompassing all areas of a child’s life (Cantor et al., 2021). Individuals have a number of life tasks in the context of social and emotional learning. These tasks can be defined as being a productive individual in society, integrating their own thoughts and behaviours, and meeting their personal and social needs (Kabakçı, 2006). We can say that social emotional development occurs in children through maturation and learning. This development includes the ability of the child to be in harmony with himself/herself and his/her environment, to express himself/herself in a good and correct way and to control his/her emotions (Saarni, 2001). Social emotional learning skills are pedagogical tools that help children realize developmental tasks, promote personal growth, and prepare for the future (Norris, 2003). In fact, these skills aim to gain competence in skills that are designed to develop healthy and successful social relationships, psychological and personal well-being, and school success. It is crucial to support children’s social-emotional and moral development during critical periods of growth. Failure to address these needs may slow development and create challenges in individual and group interactions, emphasizing the importance of protective and educational interventions in early childhood (Tunceroğlu, 2024). In order to meet the labour demands of our age, it is necessary to focus on the development of students’ social-emotional skills in addition to improving their academic skills (Alzahrani et al., 2019). Social, emotional, and practical skills not only enhance academic achievement but also strengthen social bonds, increase motivation, and provide multidimensional support (Lopes & Salovey, 2004).
Creative drama is an effective method that supports cognitive, sensory, and social development holistically (Liu, 2023). By engaging in role-taking, improvisation, and scenario-based interactions, children can experience real-life situations that help concretize and internalize abstract concepts (Hu & Shu, 2025). With this feature, drama is an important tool in developing children’s ability to both express themselves and understand the perspectives of others (Ihmeideh, 2015). Within the framework of the CASEL (Collaboration for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning) model, creative drama can be conceptualized as an arts-based pedagogy that operationalizes five core SEL competencies-self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making-through experiential learning processes. Role-taking fosters self-awareness and empathy, improvisation supports self-regulation and communication, and perspective-taking fosters social awareness and moral reasoning (Eisner, 2003; Hetland, 2013; Leynes, 2025).
Integration of drama and expressive arts in educational settings is increasingly recognized as a powerful pedagogical approach that enhances student motivation, engagement, and deep learning. Participation in drama holistically improves cognitive, emotional, and social dimensions by providing authentic, experience-based contexts that encourage creative thinking, collaboration, and self-expression (Arda Tuncdemir, 2025; Hu & Shu, 2025). Through role-play and narrative exploration, participants actively engage in meaning-making processes that support both self-regulated and authentic learning. This allows them to embrace learning goals, monitor their progress, and connect academic content to real-life experiences (Simón-Grábalos et al., 2025; Yu, 2023).
In the context of self-regulated learning (SRL), drama creates natural opportunities for metacognitive engagement and self-assessment. As students plan, enact, and reflect on dramatic performances, they engage in cognitive strategies related to goal setting, monitoring, and self-evaluation core elements of SRL frameworks (Elmabaredy & Gencel, 2024; Zimmerman, 2002). Furthermore, authentic and deep learning perspectives emphasize that meaningful understanding emerges when students construct knowledge through real-world, emotionally resonant experiences. By simulating authentic social situations and moral dilemmas, drama-based pedagogy fosters sustained motivation and deep understanding by enabling students to integrate academic concepts into personal and social contexts (Hu & Shu, 2025; Lombardi & Oblinger, 2007). Extending this framework from an educational inclusion perspective, creative theater can serve as a transformative tool for integrating diverse learning needs and promoting equity in the classroom. Inclusive drama practices bring together students of diverse backgrounds and abilities, fostering empathy, collaboration, and mutual understanding (Cardol et al., 2025). By engaging all students in collaborative creative artistic processes, theater based pedagogy not only fosters inclusivity but also contributes to emotional well-being, self-confidence, and academic persistence factors closely linked to intrinsic motivation and self-regulated learning (Arda Tuncdemir, 2025). Academic studies on drama education, by integrating self-regulated, authentic, and deep learning with theoretical foundations, provide a more holistic and comprehensive understanding of how creative theater can enrich academic learning processes.
Within this integrative framework, creative drama functions not only as an expressive arts activity but also as a structured learning context that translates socio-emotional mechanisms into observable behaviors. These mechanisms are closely related to the subscales measured in this study (self-regulation, empathy, and communication). Therefore, the study is theoretically grounded at the intersection of SEL theory and arts-based learning approaches (Koç & Sungurtekin, 2023). In the context of social-emotional development, creative drama is defined as a process that nurtures children’s self-confidence, empathy and communication skills. For example, children who take on different roles in drama activities learn to manage their own emotions and strengthen their social skills through active listening and adaptation practices within the group (Toivanen et al., 2013; Türkan & Dinç, 2020; Uzunöz & Demirhan, 2017). The drama process naturally fosters the development of self-awareness and social awareness, which are key components of emotional intelligence. In addition, its “safe space for experience” allows children to explore and express their emotions freely and without fear of making mistakes (Heathcote & Bolton, 1994). This plays a critical role in increasing the social participation of especially introverted children.
Moral development, which is intertwined with social-emotional development, is another focal point of creative drama. According to Kohlberg’s (1981) moral reasoning theory, children’s understanding of concepts such as justice, fairness and responsibility is possible through concrete experiences (Kohlberg & Power, 1981). Creative drama offers an ideal platform to provide these experiences. For example, when a dilemma with the theme of ‘sharing’ or ‘justice’ is enacted in a drama activity, children will both question their own values and expand their moral perspectives by observing the perspectives of others. Narvaez (2014), by examining the neurobiological basis of such interactions, revealed that experiences gained through drama shape children’s moral decision-making mechanisms (Narvaez, 2014). Therefore, moral reasoning in drama emerges as a higher-order socioemotional process that integrates empathy, perspective-taking, and ethical decision-making, aligning with both SEL and arts-based learning frameworks (Nucci, 2001; Winner et al., 2013). From a holistic pedagogical perspective, creative drama aligns with both SEL/CASEL frameworks and arts-based learning theory by integrating emotional exploration, moral reasoning, and active engagement. Therefore, this study aims to investigate how drama-based education impacts the social-emotional and moral development of elementary school students within this integrative framework. In this context, drama is not only a theoretical teaching tool, but also a laboratory that enables ethical values to transform into behaviour (Nucci, 2001). This situation also contributes to understanding the multidimensional effects of the drama process. For example, the fact that a child both empathises and produces a fair solution in a drama activity shows how social-emotional and moral development feed each other. From this point of view, this article aims to provide suggestions for practice by supporting the synergistic effect of creative drama on both developmental areas with theoretical foundations. Participants firstly recognise themselves through drama activities. It becomes easier for an individual who knows himself/herself to understand and accept others. The common aim in creative drama practices that help to realise this is to support the social development of the individual (McCaslin, 1990).
The conceptual framework of this study integrates the SEL competencies proposed by CASEL with arts-based learning theory to explain how creative drama processes (role-playing, improvisation, perspective-taking) activate core socio-emotional mechanisms (self-regulation, empathy, communication). These mechanisms are also reflected in the subscales measured in this study. This framework provides a coherent theoretical basis for interpreting the methodological approach and discussion (Leynes, 2025). In drama, there is always improvisation, lines are not written and memorised. Group members have the opportunity to experience different roles. Group members are under the guidance of a teacher, not a director. No costumes or materials are needed in drama; time, space and enthusiasm are sufficient (Arieli, 2007). Drama offers a rich learning environment by mobilising the body, emotions and senses. Through drama, they can gain self-confidence, develop literacy skills, and increase their knowledge and creativity (Young, 2017). There are many studies showing that creative drama helps to improve the social skills of participants with different characteristics (Abacı et al., 2015).
Creative drama has increasingly been recognized as a powerful pedagogical approach for promoting students’ social-emotional development and enhancing inclusivity in educational settings. Recent studies demonstrate that integrating drama with other art forms, such as music, theatre, and visual arts, creates learning environments that encourage self-expression, collaborative interaction, and social integration (Koç & Sungurtekin, 2023; Wang, 2024). Moreover, inclusive creative arts practices have been shown to improve learners’ communication skills, confidence, and sense of belonging, particularly for students with diverse learning needs (Marie & Bailey, 2023). Systematic reviews further reveal that such arts-based pedagogies facilitate social transformation by expanding opportunities for active participation and creative expression (Juan-Morera et al., 2022). In line with global educational trends, fostering creativity in the classroom supports divergent thinking and holistic student development, emphasizing the need for innovative approaches that prioritize inclusivity and equity in learning environments.
Overall, creative drama serves as both a theoretical and practical pedagogical tool, allowing ethical values to transform into observable behaviors. This integrative framework demonstrates the synergistic effects of drama on social-emotional and moral development, as children learn to empathize and generate fair solutions simultaneously. The study aims to provide practical suggestions based on these theoretical foundations.
In the sequential explanatory design, which is one of the mixed research methods, quantitative data collection tools are used first and then qualitative data collection tools are used. (Karasar, 2011). In this study, in which it was examined whether the creative drama trainings received by children had any effect on social-emotional and moral development, a mixed design was used. In the quantitative dimension of the study, it was decided to use the pretest-posttest one-group quasi-experimental design. In the qualitative dimension of the study, at the end of the study, the opinions of the students about their creative drama training and their social-emotional and moral development were taken through semi-structured interviews. In line with the conceptual framework based on Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and CASEL’s core competencies (self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making), the drama-based activities were designed to foster emotional expression, empathy, and collaboration. Creative drama techniques such as role-playing, improvisation, and perspective-taking were intentionally integrated to activate socio-emotional mechanisms like self-regulation, communication, and moral reasoning. Thus, the methodological design was directly aligned with the theoretical framework connecting art-based learning processes to measurable SEL outcomes.
The drama practices prepared by the researcher were determined as independent variables and social-emotional and moral development as dependent variables. For this reason, the research was started with a single group pre-test consisting of volunteer participants. A 20-hour drama practice was carried out with the group. After the drama practice, a post-test was applied to the group. After these applications, analyses were made and the data were interpreted. The symbolic image of the design created within the scope of the study is given in Table 1 below.
The sample used in the study was determined as “convenience sample”. The study was composed of volunteer participants. The study group consisted of 15 primary school students. The students in the study group were 8, 9, and 10 years old, 10 of them were girls (66.70%) and 5 of them were boys (33.30%). Information about the study group is given in Table 2.
In this study, it was aimed to determine the effect of drama practices on social-emotional and moral development in children. For this purpose, it was decided to use the “Social-Emotional and Moral Development Scale (SDAGO)” test tool.
Social-Emotional and Moral Development Scale (SDAGO): The SDAGO scale developed by (Ji et al., 2013) was adapted into Turkish by (Bozgün & Baytemi̇r, 2019). 4-point Likert scale was used in the scale. The scale consisted of 28 items. The scale consists of “Positive Social Behaviour (6 items)”, “Honesty (5 items)”, “Self Development (4 items)”, “Self Control (4 items)”, It consists of 6 sub-dimensions including “Respect at School (5 items)” and “Respect at Home (4 items)” sub-dimensions. There are no reverse coded items in the scale. In the original study of the scale, Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient was calculated as “84 for positive social behaviour, 78 for honesty, 81 for self-development, 75 for self-control, 88 for respect at school, and 81 for respect at home, while the overall reliability of the scale was calculated as 89”.
Semi-Structured Interview Form: To create the semi-structured interview form, the relevant literature was first reviewed. Following the literature review, the researcher developed a semi-structured interview form. In preparing the interview questions, principles such as easy-to-understand, non-multidimensional, and non-guiding were taken into account (Bogdan & Biklen, 1997). The prepared interview form was submitted to field experts for their opinions to assess its usefulness, clarity, and applicability. Following expert consultation, the interview form was finalized. These questions were administered at the end of the 20-hour drama program. The interviews were conducted individually with the participating children (n = 15), and responses were recorded in written form. The collected qualitative data were then analyzed thematically to support and enrich the quantitative findings. This information has now been explicitly presented in the Data Collection section. The interview questions are presented below:
What did drama education provide for you?
How did you feel during the drama activities?
How did drama activities change your emotions?
How did drama activities change your perspective on the people around you?
How will drama activities contribute to your social relationships?
Drama training was carried out by the researcher at Iğdır University Children and Youth Library. Care was taken to ensure that all students were active in the drama training activities. For the application, the researcher planned the drama activities as 2 weeks and 20 lesson hours. Drama activities lasting two hours a day for ten days were planned. The research started with a pre-test with a single group. A 20-hour drama practice was carried out with the group. At the end of the ten-day application, a post-test was applied. Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the [Iğdır University Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Board] Ethics Committee (Approval No: 00940842). In addition, written permission was obtained from the relevant üniversite administration where the study was conducted. Participation was entirely voluntary, and written informed consent forms were collected from parents/legal guardians of all children. During the implementation phase, each session followed the CASEL-based structure, emphasizing self-awareness, empathy, and interpersonal communication. Drama techniques such as improvisation and role transitions were used to help children explore moral dilemmas and emotional regulation in social contexts. This ensured that the teaching process not only reflected but also operationalized the socio-emotional mechanisms identified in the conceptual framework. It was aimed to increase the social-emotional skills of the students by having them take various roles in the activities in the prepared plans, to analyse the actions of these roles, to work together by undertaking the given tasks, to share the emotions they felt during the activities and the thoughts that arose in them. This approach integrated the principles of arts-based learning and creative engagement, ensuring that measurable outcomes on the SEL subscales (e.g., self-control, empathy, respect) were directly linked to the experiential learning process during the drama sessions. In our study, the teaching plans prepared using the creative drama method were organized based on studies in theses and articles and were developed in accordance with psychosocial support practice guidelines. Samples lesson plan illustrating exemplary teaching situations is provided in Appendix 1 (www.hayatadestek.org).
Drama training was implemented by the researcher at Iğdır University Children and Youth Library.
Application:10 sessions, 2 hours per day, total 20 hours
Technics: Role-playing exercises, scenario-based dilemmas, and group improvisations.
Researcher: Facilitator guided all activities; no public performance was conducted.
Materials: none required; time, space, and enthusiasm sufficient.
Fidelity: monitored via attendance, engagement, adherence to scenarios, and observation of group dynamics.
Objectives: enhance social-emotional skills, moral reasoning, empathy, self-expression, and cooperative problem-solving.
All data collected from the participants within the scope of the research were transferred to digital media. The data were tested by means of SPSS23 package programme. A significance level of 0.05 was adopted in the interpretation of the results. With the data obtained, the effects of independent variables on dependent variables were tried to be tested. In this context, the analysis techniques applied to the dependent and independent variables within the research; t test for dependent samples, t test for independent samples and ANOVA analysis were performed. In the findings section, the results of the analyses of the research are interpreted. In the interviews with the students, their answers to the questions were recorded. Then the answers were grouped by converting them into common codes. The answers were tabulated and presented.
Normality test was applied to determine the choice of parametric or nonparametric analysis. Since the normality of the research was ensured, parametric tests were used. The test results are given in Table 3.
The results of the analyses of the data obtained from the pre-measurement and post-measurement of the children participating in the study are presented in this section. Descriptive data of the study are presented in Table 4.
The pre-test mean was (X = 77.20) and the post-test mean was (X = 106.13). This indicates an increase of 28.93 points after the application. The fact that the standard deviation (SD) values were (6.82) in the pre-test and (4.62) in the post-test indicates that the homogeneity within the group increased (the scores became closer to the average) after the application. The creative drama programme significantly increased children’s social-emotional and moral development scores. This result supports the hypothesis that drama activities support children’s emotional expression, empathy and moral reasoning skills (Adıgüzel, 2018). The internal consistency of the scale was very high (Cronbach’s α = 0.98), indicating that the instrument is reliable for assessing children’s social-emotional and moral development. Items-level analyses also showed good reliability, with corrected items-total correlations ranging from 0.60 to 0.89 and Cronbach’s α if items deleted ranging from 0.97 to 0.98.The results were analysed with dependent sample t test to determine whether there is a change between the results of the research. The results were analysed with a dependent sample t-test to determine whether there was a change between the results of the research. Table 5 presents the pre-post differences including Δ scores and effect sizes.
As seen in Table 5, there was a statistically significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores of the study group (p < 0.001). Since p < 0.05, the difference between the pre-test and post-test is statistically significant. There was a significant progress in children’s development after creative drama training. These test results show that creative drama has a strong effect on children’s social-emotional and moral development. The effect size (Cohen’s d = 6.29) and statistically significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores proves that the training provided development in areas such as emotional awareness, social skills and compliance with rules. Although this magnitude indicates a substantial change, it should be interpreted with caution due to the design characteristics of the study. In interpreting the unusually large effect size (Cohen’s d = 6.29), it is important to consider potential inflation due to small sample bias and testing effects, especially given that typical educational interventions rarely exceed large-effect benchmarks identified in meta-analytic research (Hattie, 2008). In order to determine the effect of gender on the research results, an independent sample t-test was applied for the pre-test and post-test. The results of the analysis are presented in Table 6.
When the pre-test and post-test scores were compared according to gender, no significant difference was found in both cases. Since the significance level was (p > 0.05), it can be said that gender did not have a determining effect on the scores before and after the application. The effect of creative drama on social-emotional and moral development was similar regardless of gender. This finding shows that drama activities are equally inclusive and effective for girls and boys. In the study, two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied to determine whether there was a difference when we compared the results of the participants’ gender and class. The results of the analysis are presented in Table 7.
Analysis of variance (ANOVA) results show that the gender variable did not independently create a significant difference (F(1,9) = 0.18, p = 0.68). However, the effect of the grade variable showed borderline significance (F(2,9) = 3.33, p = 0.08). This finding suggests that learning outcomes may vary depending on the grade level and that students in different grades may be affected by the application in different ways (Piaget, 1952). In addition, the interaction between gender and grade was found to be statistically significant (F(2,9) = 8.53, p = 0.008, η² =.65). This finding shows that although gender alone does not create an effect, when combined with grade level, it can create differentiated effects on students’ performance. In cases where gender and grade level are considered together, the effect of creative drama practice may change. For example, the reactions of boys and girls at a certain grade level to drama activities may differ. This interaction suggests that classroom dynamics or developmental stages may trigger gender-related differences (Nucci, 2001). Research findings show that creative drama is an effective tool in supporting children’s social-emotional and moral development.
The qualitative dimension of the research consists of the questions presented to the participants. The answers given by the participants to the questions were noted, organised and converted into numerical data with frequencies by identifying common points. The questions asked and the statements created based on the answers are presented below.
We can classify the answers given by the participants as “The importance of being happy (2), respecting my friends (4), the importance of living together (3), obeying the rules (2), trusting ourselves (2), valuing our loved ones (2)” (Fig. 1).
What did drama education give you?
These answers show that creative drama supports children’s skills of empathising, strengthening social relations, obeying rules and developing self-confidence. Our study is supported by the studies of some researchers who have shown that creative drama provides children with gains such as realising social roles, cooperating and developing a sense of responsibility (San, 1990; Winston, 2013).
The answers given by the participants: “happy (4), free (3), discoverer (2), patient (2), helpful (3), curious (1)” (Fig. 2).
How did you feel yourself with drama activities?
These answers support that the creative drama process gives children positive emotions. It also shows that children develop social-emotional characteristics such as exploring, feeling free, and helpfulness. According to Vygotsky’s (1978) sociocultural development theory, through interactive activities, children gain emotional experiences and their cognitive development processes are positively supported (Vygotsky & Cole, 1978).
The answers given by the participants were grouped as “I calmed down (2), I learnt to be patient (2), I learnt to respect others (3), I realised that I should be happy (3), I realised that I should care about myself (2), I learnt the importance of being helpful (3)” (Fig. 3).
How did the drama activities change their emotions?
These responses reveal that the participants’ self-control, respecting others, recognising and regulating their emotions were supported by the creative drama activities. In particular, the change in moral and social values such as patience, calmness and respect for others reveals the importance of creative drama in terms of character development.
The answers given by the participants were grouped as “We should observe their rights (4), We should care about their feelings (4), We should respect them (4), We should spend good time with them (3)” (Fig. 4).
How did your perspective on the people around you change with drama activities?
When the answers given by the participants are analysed, it is seen that the activities carried out with creative drama increase empathy and social awareness in children, and children become more sensitive to the rights and feelings of others. Kohlberg (1984) revealed that children develop an awareness of interpersonal relationships and social order in the process of moral development. Drama activities can contribute to children becoming more sensitive and respectful towards others (Kohlberg et al., 1984).
The answers given by the participants were grouped as “I will love my friends more (2), I will listen to my family more (2), I will obey school rules more (2), I will be more polite (2), I will share more (3), I will be more helpful (2)” (Fig. 5).
How will drama activities contribute to social relations?
When these answers given by the participants are analysed, it is seen that creative drama increases the awareness of obeying social rules, strengthens children’s social skills, and improves their relations with family members and friends positively. Studies showing that interaction-based methods such as creative drama develop children’s sense of social adaptation and responsibility support our research (Baldwin, 2012).
This study was conducted to examine the effects of creative drama activities on children’s social-emotional and moral development. The findings showed that creative drama education significantly increased children’s emotional awareness, empathy skills and moral reasoning skills. Creative drama significantly increased children’s social-emotional and moral development scores. The programme provided a significant improvement in students’ performance. The interview data of the participants also reveal the effectiveness of the study. Qualitative data obtained from the participants who stated that they gained awareness also support the quantitative dimension of the study. In a study, it was determined that creative drama education strengthens children’s social-emotional development and increases their empathy skills, and this result supports our study.(McAvoy & O’Connor, 2022).
When the gender variable was taken into consideration, it was seen that the effect of creative drama education was independent of gender. This finding reveals that drama activities are equally effective and inclusive for both boys and girls. However, the fact that gender and class variables create a significant difference when they are considered together shows that different results can be obtained depending on the grade levels of the students. This may indicate that creative drama activities should be customised according to the dynamics and developmental differences in the classroom. In another study, it was stated that the reactions of children in different age groups to creative drama activities changed and that class levels were an important factor in this process (Trawick-Smith, 2019).
The findings of the study indicated that participation in drama activities enhanced children’s emotional expression, empathy, and moral reasoning skills, consistent with previous research. Furthermore, creative drama practices were found to improve children’s social skills by promoting greater interaction within the group. (Tharinger et al., 2022).
Through drama, children were encouraged to take on different roles, make choices and were involved in learning processes. Drama supported the personal development of children. Social emotional learning skills were effectively acquired by the participants through drama (Gao et al., 2022). So, drama seems to be an excellent tool for children’s personal and social development. Social emotional learning, which is vital for all children, can be easily taught through drama (Usakli, 2018). Kavcar (1985), as a social process, drama supports the development of social skills by encouraging communication, interaction, and teamwork (Kavcar, 1985; Sağırlı & Gürdal, 2002).
In recent years, participatory theatre and creative drama have been increasingly recognized as effective pedagogical tools for enhancing literacy, empathy, and inclusive learning. For instance, Giera (2025) demonstrated that participatory theatre projects can significantly improve reading competence and expressive abilities among secondary-level students. Similarly, empirical findings reveal that drama education not only fosters critical thinking but also enhances collaboration and communication skills (Giera, 2025). Within tertiary education, numerous studies in nursing contexts have confirmed the positive impact of creative drama on empathy, creative thinking, and mental health literacy (Molu & Baş, 2024; Tok & Kesgin, 2024). Moreover, drama has shown substantial benefits for values education in primary school settings, reinforcing its versatility across educational levels (Kara & Kayıran, 2024). Together, these studies offer a robust, contemporary theoretical foundation for adopting creative and inclusive drama-based pedagogies across diverse learning environments.
Creative drama activities emerge as an effective pedagogical approach for supporting children’s social-emotional and moral development. Therefore, it is recommended that creative drama practices be systematically integrated into pre-school and primary school curricula. Additionally, drama education programs should be introduced at an early age and adapted to different educational levels to maximize their developmental impact. Conducting comparative trainings across various age groups and educational settings would provide a more comprehensive understanding of the effects of creative drama. Future research can also explore different sample sizes and cross-cultural participants, which would help to elucidate the universal applicability and broader relevance of drama-based interventions.
This study has several limitations that should be considered when interpreting the findings. First, the relatively small sample size (n = 15) limits the statistical power of the analyses and restricts the generalizability of the results. Second, the study was conducted within a single educational context, and therefore the findings may not be representative of different populations or institutional settings. Third, the study employed a single-group pre-test–post-test design without a control group. This design limits the ability to draw causal conclusions, as the observed changes may be influenced by factors such as maturation, testing effects, or contextual influences rather than the intervention alone. In addition, the repeated administration of the same measurement instrument may have contributed to practice or response familiarity effects. Furthermore, the very large effect size observed in the quantitative results should be interpreted with caution. Given the small sample size, the absence of a control group, and the repeated measurement structure, the magnitude of the effect may have been inflated.
Finally, although descriptive and inferential statistics were applied, potential biases related to self-report measures and contextual factors may have affected the accuracy of the results. Therefore, the findings should be considered exploratory rather than definitive. Future research with larger and more diverse samples, as well as controlled experimental designs, is recommended to validate and extend the present results.
The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Iğdır University, Iğdır, Türkiye
Cigdem Cam Turkan
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The study adhered to the ethical principles outlined by the institutional research committee and complied with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its subsequent amendments. Expedited ethics approval for the study’s questionnaires and methodology was obtained from the Iğdır University of Türkiye’s Institutional Review Board (IRB: 00940842) on January 13, 2023.
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Cam Turkan, C. Observed changes in social-emotional and moral development following creative drama activities in primary school children. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 13, 308 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-026-06983-w
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