A creative drama prevention program for easing early adolescents' adjustment to school transitions

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Social-Emotional Learning
• Drama Therapy

Background:

• Transitioning to junior high presents social challenges for students.
• Developing social skills is crucial for a positive school experience.
• Creative drama offers a unique approach to social skill development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a creative drama program for enhancing social skills in rural junior high students.
• To assess the program's effectiveness in facilitating school transition and strengthening peer relations.
• To determine the utility of creative drama groups for primary prevention.

Main Methods:

• A social skills curriculum based on creative drama in small groups was piloted.
• An intervention was implemented and evaluated using student/teacher interviews and satisfaction measures.
• Teacher and parent ratings were used for comparison data.

Main Results:

• Pilot work suggested success in strengthening peer relations.
• Intervention demonstrated positive findings through interviews and satisfaction measures.
• Creative drama groups showed usefulness for individual-centered primary prevention.

Conclusions:

• The creative drama program effectively supported students' transition and social skill development.
• The intervention positively impacted peer relations and overall student well-being.
• Creative drama is a valuable tool for primary prevention in schools.