Dramatization in Education

Dramatization in Education is a teaching method based on the enactment of a feeling, thought, situation, problem, or event before a group. Derived from the word “drama,” which means “to do” or “to act,” dramatization is defined as “playacting” or “making something experiential.” The primary goal in this method is not to perform theater art but to make the learning process more effective by allowing participants to engage through their own experiences. Students participate not merely by listening or discussing but by actively enacting how events unfold, observing them, and delving into their details. This approach aims to activate multiple senses in the learner, thereby enhancing the efficiency and permanence of learning.

Scope

Dramatization involves expressing a feeling or thought through movement, facial expression, voice, and speech. The method encompasses the process of better understanding a concept, lesson topic, or text; internalizing it through individual and group appropriation; transforming it into personal experience; and then expressing it outwardly through reflection. During this process, participants assume different identities, gaining insight into how others feel, think, and behave.

Internationally, this method is known by various names. In the United States, it is called “creative drama”; in the United Kingdom and Australia, “Drama in education”; in Federal Germany, “school play” (schulspiel) or “play and interaction” (spiel und interaktion); in France, “school theater”; and in Austria, “play.”

Theoretical Foundations and Approaches

The foundation of the dramatization method lies in the principle of learning by doing and experiencing. This principle is rooted in the educational philosophy expressed by the saying: “I hear and I forget; I see and I remember; I do and I understand.” While it is noted that visual perception accounts for approximately 75% of learning and auditory perception for about 13%, it is widely accepted that adding physical action to these senses significantly enhances learning outcomes.

Traditional and rote-based teaching methods are considered inadequate in developing students’ creativity, initiative, independent thinking, and problem-solving potential. Dramatization addresses this gap by offering a student-centered alternative that seeks to make the learning process active and enduring. From Jean Piaget’s perspective, the idea that in an educational situation, physical activity (movement within the physical environment) must precede discussion about that activity aligns closely with the structure of dramatization.

Some approaches critique the concept of “Drama in education” for limiting the method to a specific domain and instead emphasize the importance of “education through drama,” which provides more holistic contributions to the individual. According to this view, drama is not merely a teaching tool but an educational process in itself that develops an individual’s social, psychological, and critical skills.

Goals and Benefits

The goals and benefits achieved through the application of dramatization in education can be listed as follows:

• Active Learning and Retention: By engaging multiple senses, it activates learners and ensures more effective and lasting learning. It concretizes abstract events and situations, facilitating their comprehension.

• Cognitive Development: It makes complex and difficult concepts understandable. It develops students’ mental abilities such as attention, perception, and interpretation. It fosters problem-solving skills.

• Social and Emotional Development: It cultivates habits of teamwork and a sense of responsibility. It develops empathy (the ability to put oneself in another’s place), solidarity, and tolerance in students. It enables individuals to better understand themselves and others.

• Communication Skills: It enhances communication abilities such as speaking, listening, and narration. It promotes correct pronunciation, tonal modulation of voice according to emotion, and public speaking habits. It enriches vocabulary.

• Personality Development: It increases students’ creative potential and self-confidence. It provides opportunities for shy and introverted students to express themselves. It supports the development of self-discipline.

• Preparation for the Future: It informs and prepares students for real-life situations they may encounter in the future.

Application Process and Stages

The dramatization process generally follows specific stages and is guided by a leader or teacher. This process requires the teacher to be an effective group leader who can direct the activities. The application typically consists of the following stages:

1. Preparation and Warm-up Activities: This stage includes activities designed to help the group build rapport, establish a safe environment, and allow participants to relax physically and mentally. Music and rhythm may be used in these activities. The aim is to capture attention, evoke associations, and prepare participants for the main activity.
2. Enactment (Role-play/Improvisation): This stage forms the core of the process. It can be carried out either by adhering to a pre-determined text (text-based enactment) or without a script (improvisation). Improvisation involves individual and group creativity emerging from a defined theme or topic. Participants experience an event by enacting a situation, event, or character.
3. Evaluation and Discussion: After the activity, participants discuss the experience. In this stage, what was experienced and felt is expressed, identified, and interpreted. The discussion is guided by open-ended questions, and critiques are directed at the enacted roles rather than the individuals. This stage is crucial for reinforcing and solidifying what has been learned.

Application Areas

The dramatization method can be applied across many subjects in formal education, particularly at the preschool and secondary levels.

• Turkish Language and Literature: These subjects are the most suitable for applying the method. Reading passages can be dramatized, characters in texts can be enacted, and students can assume different identities. This enhances both reading comprehension and oral expression skills.

• History: Having students enact specific historical figures or events helps concretize topics and improves understanding and retention.

• Geography: A student can embody a mountain, river, or city and describe its characteristics. Such group activities also encourage research.

• Mathematics: Particularly at the primary level, it can be used to teach abstract concepts. For example, the concept of “borrowing in subtraction” can be concretized by having students physically enact the action of taking a ten from the neighboring place value.

Differences from Related Concepts

Although dramatization is closely related to theater, it differs fundamentally in key aspects. The goal of dramatization is not to produce an artistic product or to present a performance before an audience. The process itself—the experience and learning undergone by participants—is more important than the outcome. Theater is an art form that typically involves collaboration among director, actors, and designers, and is based on the staging of a pre-written script before an audience. In dramatization, there is often no written script; activities rely on improvisation and are open to participants’ creativity. Elements such as stage, set, or costume are generally unnecessary.

Current Situation in Türkiye

In Türkiye, the dramatization method is widely applied, especially in preschools. It is also used to some extent in primary schools but is nearly absent in later educational stages. Preschool programs incorporate storytelling, group discussions, and dramatic play to foster creative potential and oral expression skills.