The Effects of Drama Activities on Nursing Students' Attitudes Towards Pain Assessment

May 6, 2026 updated by: Gulden Basit, Necmettin Erbakan University

The Effects of Drama Activities on Nursing Students' Attitudes Towards Pain Assessment: A Randomised Controlled Trial

Title:

The Effect of Drama-Based Education on Nursing Students' Attitudes Toward Pain Assessment: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract:

This randomized controlled trial aims to investigate the effect of drama-based education on nursing students' attitudes toward pain assessment. The study will be conducted during the 2025-2026 academic year at Necmettin Erbakan University, Faculty of Nursing. A total of 52 second-year students who meet the inclusion criteria will be randomly assigned to intervention and control groups.

The intervention group will attend a one-day drama workshop involving role-play, improvisation, and reflection activities focused on pain assessment. The control group will not receive any intervention. Attitudes will be measured using a validated scale at three points: before the intervention, one month after, and six months after.

Data will be analyzed using SPSS with a significance level of p < 0.05. It is anticipated that the intervention group will show improved attitudes compared to the control group.

This study may provide evidence for integrating drama-based methods into nursing education to enhance students' sensitivity and competence in pain assessment.

Keywords:

Nursing education, pain assessment, drama, student attitudes,

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This study is designed as a randomized controlled trial using a pretest-posttest design to examine the effect of drama-based education on nursing students' attitudes toward pain assessment. The research will be conducted during the 2025-2026 academic year at the Faculty of Nursing, Necmettin Erbakan University (NEU), which offers education in nine nursing departments. The study population consists of second-year nursing students (n=160). The sample will include students whose native language is Turkish, who have not received any formal education in pain management, and who volunteer to participate. Sample size was calculated using G*Power 3.1.9.2, based on Cohen's conventional effect size (d=0.80, power=0.80, two sided), resulting in a total of 52 students (26 in each group), allowing for potential attrition.

Participants will be randomly assigned to intervention and control groups via random.org by an independent statistician. Data will be collected face-to-face using a Descriptive Information Form and the Attitudes of Nursing Students Toward Pain Assessment Scale. The intervention group will participate in a one-day drama-based workshop designed by a certified drama leader, focusing on pain assessment. The attitude scale will be administered before the intervention, one month later (November 2025), and approximately six months later (at 2025-2026 academic year). The control group will complete the same data collection tools at equivalent time points without receiving any intervention.

Drama activities will follow the preparation, enactment, and reflection phases, utilizing techniques such as role-play, improvisation, and pantomime. The dependent variable is the mean attitude score toward pain assessment; the independent variable is the drama activity, while control variables include age, gender, knowledge of pain assessment methods and tools, prior education in pain management, and clinical experience with patients in pain. Data will be analyzed using SPSS software, applying descriptive statistics and appropriate parametric or non-parametric tests based on normality. Significance will be set at p<0.05.

Ethical approval will be obtained from the NEU Scientific Research Ethics Committee and the Faculty of Nursing. Written and verbal informed consent will be collected from all participants. Permission to use the attitude scale has been granted by the original authors. After data collection, the drama intervention will also be offered to the control group to ensure ethical balance.

Keywords: Nursing education, pain assessment, drama-based intervention, student attitudes

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
52

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
      • Meram, Turkey (Türkiye)
        • Necmettin Erbakan Üniversity
    • Konya
      • Meram, Konya, Turkey (Türkiye)
        • Necmettin Erbakan Üniversity

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria: The study group will consist of second-year students

  • the study sample will consist of students whose native language is Turkish,
  • who have not taken a course on pain management,
  • and who volunteer to participate in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • students who wish to withdraw from research

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Basic Science
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
No Intervention: control
no intervention, usual curriculum.
Experimental: Drama
will take drama activities
Behavioral: Drama activities
iintervention group will paticipate drrama activities aabout pain assessment of a patient.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
pain assessment attitudes of students
Time Frame: Day 0, month 1., and month 6.
Students will be randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups. Students in the intervention group will fill out the introductory characteristics form and the nursing students' attitudes towards pain assessment scale after being assigned to the group and will then participate in drama activities prepared for pain assessment for one day. The students' attitudes towards pain assessment scale will be filled out again by the students one month after the intervention (November 2025) and approximately six months later (at 2025-2026 academic year). Students in the control group will fill out the introductory characteristics form and scale on the same dates as the experimental group without any intervention.
Day 0, month 1., and month 6.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Necmettin Erbakan University

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Study Chair: Gülden Basit, Necmettin Erbakan Üniversity

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
October 23, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
May 6, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
May 6, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
April 11, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 18, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
April 23, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
May 7, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 6, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • NEU-GB-OB-1

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings