Effect of Creative Drama on Academic Achievement: A Meta-analytic and Thematic Analysis

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of creative drama on achievement through the use of quantitative and qualitative research methods. In the quantitative section of the research, the meta-analytic method was used and an attempt was made to include all studies of creative drama carried out between 2000 and 2014 at the national and international levels. As a result, 40 studies (8 articles, 28 Mas, and 4 PhD theses) complied with the inclusion criteria, which consisted of examining the effect of creative drama on academic achievement and including statistical values to calculate the effect size. Studies were further separated according to the characteristics of grade level, subject field, and implementation period. The Comprehensive Meta-Analysis statistical program and the MetaWin program were used to calculate effect size. In the qualitative context of the study, data collected through documentary review based on the content analysis of the thematic examination of the articles and theses were analyzed through the Maxqda 11 program. Meta-analytic findings indicated that creative drama had a significant and positive effect on academic achievement and the qualitative findings indicated that it had influential outcomes on a variety of domains in general.