A Bibliometric Analysis of Creative Drama Studies in Education

Year 2025, Volume: 7 Issue: 1, 116 - 128, 30.06.2025

Orhan Aktaş , Muhammed Zeki Güz , Emine Özer , Bahadır Kılcan

https://doi.org/10.51535/tell.1668132

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine the studies on creative drama in education with bibliometric analysis method. The studies constituting the data of the study were obtained from Dimensions, WoS, Scopus and PubMed databases. For this purpose, an extended search was made with the words "creative drama" and "education" and 329 studies were combined in the R program. The combined data were filtered with the Biblioshiny package to consist only of articles in English and Turkish languages and the final number of studies to be analyzed was determined as 87. According to the findings obtained in the research; the year in which the most articles were produced between 1983 and 2024 was determined as 2022. The most cited authors were Hendrix, Eick and Shannon, while the most cited journal was Education and Science. The most used keywords in the studies were education, human, child and drama, and it was concluded that the trend in the studies was in the direction of education, human and women-themed studies. It is thought that this study will provide a general perspective to individuals and researchers interested in the field of creative drama in education.

Keywords

Creative drama , Education , Bibliometrics , R-studio

References

• Adıgüzel, Ö. (2006). The concept, components and stages of creative drama. Journal of Creative Drama, 1(1), 17-30.
• Alkhammash, R. (2023). Bibliometric, network, and thematic mapping analyses of metaphor and discourse in COVID-19 publications from 2020 to 2022. Frontiers in psychology, 13, 1062943. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1062943
• Annarella, L. A. (1992). Creative Drama in the Classroom. Washington D.C.: Office of Educational Research and Improvement.
• Arda Tuncdemir, T. B. (2025). The power of creative drama: integrating playful learning approaches in teacher education. Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance, 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1080/13569783.2025.2457745
• Aria, M., & Cuccurullo, C. (2017). bibliometrix: An R-tool for comprehensive science mapping analysis. Journal of informetrics, 11(4), 959-975. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joi.2017.08.007
• Armesto Arias, M., Neira-Piñeiro, M. D. R., Pasarín-Lavín, T., & Rodríguez, C. (2025). A drama-based intervention to improve emotional intelligence in early childhood education. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 40(1), 13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-024-00906-6
• Athiemoolam, L. (2018). The value of drama-in-education as a decolonising pedagogy through embodied drama strategies in a higher education classroom. Journal of Education (University of KwaZulu-Natal), (72), 55-72. https://doi.org/10.17159/2520-9868/i72a04
• Aubusson , P. J. and Fogwill , S. (2006) .Role play as analogical modelling in science. In Metaphor and analogy in science education, Edited by: Aubusson , P. J. , Harrison , A. G. and Ritchie , S. M. Vol. 30 , 93 – 104 . Dordrecht : Springer.
• Aydın, Ö., & Aykaç, N. (2016). The effect of education given with creative drama method on environmental awareness of preschool students. Journal of Creative Drama, 11(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.21612/yader.2016.001
• Aykaç, M., & Adıgüzel, Ö. (2011). The Effect of Using Creative Drama as a Method In Social Studies Class On. Kastamonu Education Journal, 19(1), 297-314.
• Aykaç, N., Ulubey, Ö., Çelik, Ö., & Korkut, P. (2019). The effects of drama on pre-service teachers’ affective traits about teaching. International Journal of Contemporary Educational Research, 6(2), 338-351. https://doi.org/10.33200/ijcer.587566
• Başbuğ, S., & Adıgüzel, Ö. (2019). The Effect of Creative Drama Activities in the Museum on the Success of the Students in the Social Studies Class. Journal of Creative Drama, 14(1), 1-32. https://doi.org/10.21612/yader.2019.001
• Baselga, V., S., Garrido, O. M., & Burón, H. G. (2022). Drama-based activities for STEM education: encouraging scientific aspirations and debunking stereotypes in secondary school students in Spain and the UK. Research in Science Education, 52(1), 173-190. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-020-09939-5.
• Batdi, V., & Batdi, H. (2015). Effect of creative drama on academic achievement: A meta-analytic and thematic analysis. Educational Sciences: Theory and Practice, 15(6), 1459-1470. https://doi.org/10.12738/estp.2015.6.0156
• Biesta, G. (2009). Good education in an age of measurement: On the need to reconnect with the question of purpose in education. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability (formerly: Journal of Personnel Evaluation in Education), 21(1), 33-46. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11092-008-9064-9
• Borlat, G. (2018). The effect of creative drama method on math anxiety and motivation. [Unpublished Master's Thesis]. Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Institute of Educational Sciences.
• Brouillette, L. (2012). Advancing the speaking and listening skills of K-2 English language learners through creative drama. Tesol Journal, 3(1), 138-145. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.8
• Çelik, M. (2022). Drama Research in Education: 1975-2022. Journal of Anatolian Cultural Research (JANCR), 6(2), 135-148.
• Çokadar, H., & Yılmaz, G. C. (2010). Teaching ecosystems and matter cycles with creative drama activities. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 19, 80-89. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-009-9181-3
• Coleman, C and Davies, K. (2018). Striking Gold: Introducing Drama-Maths. Wilf Malcolm Institute of Educational Research, 18(1), 9-18. http://dx.doi.org/10.15663/tandc.v18i1.324
• Danckwardt-Lillieström, K., Andrée, M., & Enghag, M. (2018). Creative drama in chemistry education: a social semiotic approach. Nordic Studies in Science Education, 14(3), 250-266. https://doi.org/10.5617/nordina.5869
• Danckwardt-Lillieström, K., Andrée, M., & Enghag, M. (2020). The drama of chemistry-supporting student explorations of electronegativity and chemical bonding through creative drama in upper secondary school. International Journal of Science Education, 42(11), 1862-1894. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2020.1792578
• Dawoud, L. K., Hasim, Z., & Saad, M. R. M. (2020). Creative drama in teaching English language: A systematic review of the literature. PalArch's Journal of Archaeology of Egypt/egyptology, 17(7), 11752-11768.
• Demir, A., & Aslan, O. (2025). The Effect of Creative Drama Method on 5th Grade Students' Life Competencies and Environmental Sensitivities: Example of Human and Environment Unit. Buca Faculty of Education Journal, (63), 882-903. https://doi.org/10.53444/deubefd.1574734
• Dere, Z. (2019). Analyzing the Effects of Drama Education on Pre Service Teachers' Communication Skills. Başkent University Journal of Education, 6(1), 59-67.
• Donthu, N., Kumar, S., Mukherjee, D., Pandey, N., & Lim, W. M. (2021). How to conduct a bibliometric analysis: An overview and guidelines. Journal of business research, 133, 285-296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.04.070
• Dorion, K. R. (2009). Science through drama: A multiple case exploration of the characteristics of drama activities used in secondary science lessons. International journal of science education, 31(16), 2247-2270. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500690802712699
• Duran, S. (2022). The effect of the creative drama method in math lesson on the academic success and permanence of the knowledge of 3rd graders, primary school. [Unpublished Master's Thesis]. Kırıkkale University, Institute of Social Sciences.
• Eyüp, B. (2023). The Effect of Creative Drama on the Creative Self-Efficacy of Pre-Service Teachers. Journal of Pedagogical Research, 7(4), 48-74. https://doi.org/10.33902/JPR.202321418
• Felek, P. (2023). The effect of creative drama activities on problem solving skills in preschool children. [Unpublished Master's Thesis]. Çankırı Karatekin University, Institute of Social Sciences.
• Freeman, G. D., Sullivan, K., & Fulton, C. R. (2003). Effects of creative drama on self-concept, social skills, and problem behavior. The Journal of Educational Research, 96(3), 131-138. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220670309598801
• Goodwin, J., Bradley, S. K., Donohoe, P., Queen, K., O’Shea, M., & Horgan, A. (2019). Bullying in schools: an evaluation of the use of drama in bullying prevention. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 14(3), 329-342. https://doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2019.1623147
• Hendrix, R., Eick C. & Shannon, D. (2012). The integration of creative drama in an inquiry-based elementary program: The effect on student attitude and conceptual learning. Journal of Science Teacher Education. 23(7), 823- 846. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10972-012-9292-1
• İncesu, G., Güney, M., & Çakmak, A. (2025). The investigation of the effect of science education program-dramatic activities (sep-da) on the science process skills of 60-72 month old children. Bartın University Journal of Faculty of Education, 14(1), 251-264. https://doi.org/10.14686/buefad.1405930
• Kılınçaslan, H., & Özdemir Şimşek, P. (2015). Effects of Curriculum Layered and Creative Drama Methods on 6th Grade “Force and Motion” Unit on Achievement, Attitude and Retention. Education and Science, 40(180). https://doi.org/10.15390/EB.2015.4380
• Korkut, P., & Çelik, Ö. (2021). Developing pronunciation through creative drama. The Language Learning Journal, 49(2), 147-159. https://doi.org/10.1080/09571736.2018.1491058
• Llige, A. S., & Escuadra, C. J. T. (2024). Mapping the terrain: a systematic review of drama research using data mining. SAGE Open, 14(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241285341
• Mages, W. K. (2008). Does creative drama promote language development in early childhood? A review of the methods and measures employed in the empirical literature. Review of Educational Research, 78(1), 124-152. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654307313401
• Malinina, I. (2024). Interactive drama in initial teacher education: developing pre-service teachers’ empathy. Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance, 29(1), 142-147. https://doi.org/10.1080/13569783.2023.2274608.
• May, R. (1988). The Courage to Create. Translation. Alper Uysal. Metis Publications. Istanbul.
• O'Neill, C., & Lambert, A. (1982). Drama structures: A practical handbook for teachers. Nelson Thornes.
• Ong, K. J., Chou, Y. C., Yang, D. Y., & Lin, C. C. (2020). Creative drama in science education: The effects on situational interest, career interest, and science-related attitudes of science majors and non-science majors. EURASIA Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 16(4). https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/115296
• Ormancı, Ü., & Şaşmaz Ören, F., (2010). Classroom teacher candidates’ opinions related to using drama in primary school: An example of Demirci Faculty of Education. Ankara University Journal of Faculty of Educational Sciences (JFES), 43(1), 165-192. https://doi.org/10.1501/Egifak_0000001195.
• Öztürk, T., & Sarı, D. (2018). The effect of creative drama use on success, attitudes and retention levels of students in social studies. Journal of Theoretical Educational Science, 11(3). http://dx.doi.org/10.30831/akukeg.342704
• Pinciotti, P. (1993). Creative drama and young children: The dramatic learning connection. Arts Education Policy Review, 94(6), 24-28. https://doi.org/10.1080/10632913.1993.9936938
• Rosenberg, H. S., & Pinciotti, P. (1983). Imagery in creative drama. Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 3(1), 69-76. https://doi.org/10.2190/MCXG-0RR1-E9F1-G515
• Sağlamel, H., & Kayaoğlu, M. N. (2013). Creative drama: A possible way to alleviate foreign language anxiety. RELC journal, 44(3), 377-394. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688213500597
• Şahin, B., & Aykaç, M. (2018). The effect of creative drama method on teachers' views on mathematics basic skills. Mersin Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 14(3), 896-911. https://doi.org/10.17860/mersinefd.479419
• San, İ. (1990). Creative drama in education. Ankara University Journal of Faculty of Educational Sciences (JFES), 23(2), 573-582. https://doi.org/10.1501/Egifak_0000000781
• Şengün, Y., & İskenderoğlu, T. (2010). A review of creative drama studies in math education: aim, data collection, data analyses, sample and conclusions of studies. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 9, 1214-1219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.12.309
• Şeren, N., Çetinkaya, F. Ç., & Yıldırım, K. (2025). Promoting gender equality in preservice teachers through creative drama activities integrated with children's picture books: a mixed‐methods research. European Journal of Education, 60(1), e70039. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.70039
• Turkish Language Association (TDK). (2025, January 01). Turkish Language Association dictionaries. https://sozluk.gov.tr/
• Tuxtasinova, S. (2025). Developing Student’s Speaking Skills Through Drama. Spanish Journal of Innovation and Integrity, 38, 202–205. Retrieved from https://sjii.es/index.php/journal/article/view/206
• Ünlüer, A. A., & Özcan, O. (2013). Mime-based creative drama implementations for exploring gestural interaction. Digital Creativity, 24(4), 275-290. https://doi.org/10.1080/14626268.2012.752752
• Ünlüer, A. A., Baytaş, M. A., Buruk, O. T., Cemalcilar, Z., Yemez, Y., & Özcan, O. (2018). The Effectiveness of Mime-Based Creative Drama Education for Exploring Gesture-Based User Interfaces. International Journal of Art & Design Education, 37(3), 353-366. https://doi.org/10.1111/jade.12136
• Walan, S., & Enochsson, A. B. (2019). The potential of using a combination of storytelling and drama, when teaching young children science. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 27(6), 821–836. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350293X.2019.1678923
• Yeterge, H. T., Demirtaş, V. Y., Coşkun, U. H., & Kacar, G. V. (2024). The effects of creative drama-based sensory integration training program on preschool children's self-regulating skills and visual perceptions. International Online Journal of Educational Sciences, 11(5), 73-91. http://dx.doi.org/10.15345/iojes.2019.05.005
• Yildirim, E. (2023). What Do Basic Education Teachers Participating in Creative Drama Instructor/Leadership Program Think about the Creative Drama Method?. In Elementary School Forum (Mimbar Sekolah Dasar) (Vol. 10, No. 1, pp. 192-209). https://doi.org/10.53400/mimbar-sd.v10i1.50997
• Zhang, J., Yu, Q., Zheng, F., Long, C., Lu, Z. and Duan, Z. (2016). Comparing keywords plus of WOS and author keywords. Journal of the association for information science and technology, 67(4), 967-972. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.23437