DOI: 10.24106/kefdergi.1923551 ISSN: 1300-8811

Creative Drama and Peer Relations: A Case of Migration

Büşra Tombak İlhan, Zeynep Rana Yıldız
Show PDF Cite
Friendship is one of the strongest social bonds fostering students’ sense of school belonging. However, developing positive peer relationships can be challenging in complex contexts shaped by migration and increasing ethnic diversity. Existing literature tends to focus on students with migrant backgrounds in terms of academic underachievement, language deficiencies, or behavioral issues, while largely overlooking the role of peer relations—particularly cross-ethnic friendships—in their integration into educational systems.This study aims to examine the potential of a creative drama–based intervention to enhance peer relationships in a multicultural classroom setting. The research was conducted in a public school located in Zeytinburnu, Istanbul, an area characterized by a high migrant population. The study group consisted of a class of 20 students (n = 20), including 13 students whose families had migrated from Syria, Afghanistan, and the Uyghur region.Sociometry was employed as the primary data collection tool, and peer relationships among students from different ethnic backgrounds were analyzed before and after the implementation of the creative drama program. The data were analyzed using the sociometric status classification framework developed by Coie, Dodge and Coppotelli. The findings indicate that creative drama activities increased social interaction among students, reduced patterns of exclusion, and contributed to the development of positive relational networks, particularly among students from diverse backgrounds.Overall, the results highlight the importance of pedagogical approaches that support social integration in multicultural classroom environments and provide evidence that creative drama can serve as an effective tool within inclusive education contexts.

More from our Archive