Developing Creativity and Adaptability Skills in Junior Secondary School Students in Sri Lanka

Creative arts subjects such as Drama and Theatre provide a productive context for developing 21st-century skills. However, in Sri Lanka, the teaching of aesthetic subjects is still based on a traditional lecture- and exam-oriented approach aimed at providing notes. This exploratory article presents the evaluation results of a drama-based intervention programme specifically designed to develop creative thinking and adaptive skills in junior secondary school students in the Sri Lankan context. The study involved 128 Grade 7 students aged 11–12 and 6 Drama and Theatre teachers. The study was conducted as a non-randomized control trial with an intervention group, a control group and an active control group, addressing the main research question: Does including process drama techniques in the teaching-learning programme in drama improve creative thinking and adaptability skills of junior secondary school students? The programme was implemented by Drama teachers trained in the process drama teaching approach for two hours per week for twelve consecutive weeks. The Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT) and Martin's Adaptability Scale were used to assess the intervention through pre and post tests of the students. Classroom observations, teacher interviews and student discussions were conducted to ensure the fidelity, feasibility and acceptability of the intervention. The results showed that when an appropriate environment and opportunities for active engagement are provided, students engage energetically in creative experiences, processes and developments, and their creative thinking and adaptive skills improve significantly. This article suggests new dimensions in Sri Lankan drama teaching and learning.