REWRITING CLASSIC FAIRY TALES THROUGH CREATIVE DRAMA: A QUALITATIVE CASE STUDY ON GENDER AWARENESS AMONG PRESERVICE TEACHERS

Abstract

This study examines pre-service teachers’ awareness of gender roles, their questioning of fairy tale characters, and their production of egalitarian alternative narratives during a six-session creative drama process focused on gender equality in classic children’s fairy tales. Designed as a holistic single-case study, the research involved 20 volunteer pre-service teachers from early childhood education, elementary education, and Turkish language education programs. Conducted in November–December 2025, the process addressed Cinderella, Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty, Hansel and Gretel, and Rapunzel through creative drama. Data were collected through written narratives, creative products, focus group interviews, and researcher observation notes, and analyzed using thematic content analysis. Findings showed that creative drama helped participants recognize gendered patterns such as silence, waiting, obedience, beauty, and being rescued for female characters, and power, movement, decision-making, and rescuing for male characters. Participants restructured characters, plotlines, and endings in more equitable ways, while resistance to traditional endings, romantic structures, and familiar symbols also emerged. The findings suggest that creative drama provides a strong pedagogical opportunity for engaging with classic fairy tales in teacher education through gender-sensitive, critical, and creative perspectives.