Theatre Education and Creative Thinking Development Among Secondary School Students in Enugu State

This study examines the relationship between theatre education and the development of creative thinking skills among secondary school students in Enugu State, South East Nigeria. As educational policy increasingly emphasises the development of twenty-first century competencies, theatre education has been identified as a discipline particularly suited to fostering imagination, divergent thinking, problem-solving, and collaborative creativity. The research investigates how drama and theatre activities in selected secondary schools in Enugu contribute to measurable improvements in students' creative thinking capacities. A mixed-methods design combining standardised creative thinking assessments and qualitative interviews was employed in ten secondary schools, five of which had active drama programmes. The study finds that students in schools with structured theatre education programmes score significantly higher on divergent thinking and originality measures compared to those without access to drama instruction. Drama educators report that improvisation exercises, character creation activities, and script analysis tasks are particularly effective in stimulating imaginative thinking. The research concludes that theatre education contributes meaningfully to broader cognitive development beyond artistic training. It recommends the reinstatement of performing arts as a compulsory subject in Enugu State secondary schools. Keywords: theatre education, creative thinking, secondary education, Enugu State, cognitive development.