Examination of the effect of drama education on multiple intelligence areas of children

ABSTRACT

This study was conducted to determine whether or not drama education causes any difference in the verbal-linguistic, mathematical-logical, visual-spatial, musical-rhythmic, bodily-kinaesthetic, intrapersonal and interpersonal intelligences of children. The sample group of the study consisted of 46 children (23 children in the experimental group and 23 children in the control group) attending the first grades of an elementary school located in the Çankaya district of the city of Ankara. As a result of the study, it was determined that there was no significant difference between the children in the experimental and control groups in terms of their pretest and posttest mean scores of the subscales of verbal-linguistic, mathematical-logical, visual-spatial, musical-rhythmic, bodily-kinaesthetic, intrapersonal and interpersonal intelligences in the Teele Inventory for Multiple Intelligences (p > .05). Regardless of the group, the difference between the pretest and posttest scores in the subscale of musical-rhythmic intelligence was significant (p < .05).

KEYWORDS:

• Drama
• multiple intelligence
• elementary school

Notes on contributor

Aysel Köksal Akyol is a professor at the Department of Child Development, Ankara University, Ankara. Her research interests include child development, early childhood education, creative drama, education in museum, Montessori approach and project approach. Some of her articles have been published in the following journals: Perceptual and Motor Skills, Educational Sciences: Theory and Practice, Anthropologist, Education and Science, Humanity and Social Sciences Journal, Bulgarian Journal of Science and Education Policy, and International Journal of Educational Reform (IJER). Some of her books include: Project approach in early childhood education (Anı Publishing, 2014) and Drama activities in early childhood education (Oluşum Publishing, 2007).