The Effect of Creative Drama on the Therapeutic Communication Skills and Empathy Levels of Pediatric Nursing Students: A Randomized Controlled Study

2.040 This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of creative drama workshops on the therapeutic communication skills and empathy levels of nursing students. Therapeutic communication is a fundamental skill-particularly in pediatric nursing-for establishing trusting relationships with children and their families and for enhancing the quality of care; however, existing literature indicates that nursing students often lack the desired level of proficiency in this area and that traditional teaching methods may be insufficient for developing these skills. Furthermore, it is reported that empathy development is frequently addressed primarily at a theoretical level, with limited opportunities for experiential learning. In this context, experiential learning approaches, such as creative drama, are considered potentially effective for improving therapeutic communication and empathy skills. The study employs a randomized controlled experimental design. The study population consists of third-year nursing students; based on a power analysis, a total of 52 students (26 in the experimental group and 26 in the control group) are planned to be included. Participants will be assigned to the experimental and control groups via randomization. The experimental group will participate in creative drama workshops once a week for four weeks, while the control group will receive no intervention. Data collection will utilize a Personal Information Form, the Therapeutic Communication Skills Scale for Nursing Students, and the Jefferson Scale of Empathy for Nursing Students. A pre-test/post-test design will be used, and the data will be analyzed using the IBM SPSS 31.0 software program. Statistical analyses will evaluate descriptive statistics, parametric and non-parametric tests, as well as group, time, and group-by-time interaction effects. This study is expected to provide evidence regarding experiential learning-based educational approaches aimed at developing therapeutic communication and empathy skills among nursing students and to contribute to the improvement of nursing education programs.