Improving the Social Adjustment of Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder by Expanding the Zone of Proximal Development in the Context of Creative Drama

The present study aimed to examine the effectiveness of creative drama on the social adjustment of children with attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) by expanding the zone of proximal development.
This controlled quasi-experimental study used the pretest-posttest design. The sample included 30 participants selected through convenience sampling and based on medical conditions (whether they took medications or not) with their parents’ permission and then randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (n=15 each). The experimental group was taught using creative drama and the control group was instructed using lectures. The data collection instrument was a researcher-made 28-item social adjustment questionnaire scored on a Likert scale. The questionnaire measured four areas of social adjustment in children, including a) participating in group work, b) respecting the rights of others, c) belief in the values and ethics of the group or community, and d) commitment to and respect for family and friends. ANCOVA was applied for data analysis.
Results indicated that there is a significant difference between the effects of lecture and creative drama in favor of creative drama on all four areas of social adjustment in children with ADHD (p It is better to use creative drama compared to lectures in order to improve the social adjustment of children with ADHD.