“Arab tili globallashuv
davrida: innovatsion yondoshuvlar
va
o‘qitish metodikasi”
mavzusidagi xalqaro ilmiy-amaliy anjuman
320
THE ROLE-
PLAYING METHOD… FROM PSYCHOLOGY TO
TEACHING LANGUAGES
Dr Belmehdi Fatiha
The institution: The Teachers’ Training School of
Bouzareah Algeria
The axis: 3
لاخدإ
بولسأ
سيردتلا
يراكتبلاا
اقلطنم
نم
براجتلا
ةيملاعلا
يف
اذه
لاجملا
belmehdi.fatiha@ensb.dz
Introduction
The modern trends in education aim to provide good conditions for learning
in order to achieve learning outcomes and desired changes in student behavior. It
relies on the use of teaching methods and strategies that help learners developing
different thinking communicative and social skills. therefore The good choice of
the appropriate method for each teaching
–
learning practice can have a great
impact on Students educational and intellectual level.
Role-playing is among those strategies and methods of teaching that
develop language skills and personal potentiel of students. It is also called
psychodrama and Scenario-based learning (SBL). It is an educational approach
which uses scenarios to achieve discipline-specific learning intentions (Errington,
2005). Role-playing is indeed one of those teaching strategies that foster critical
reflection, self-understanding, and address social issues as well. Through role-
playing, individuals immerse themselves in different perspectives, allowing them
to understand diverse viewpoints and think critically about various situations. It
encourages self-reflection by prompting individuals to emdiv different roles,
(Ruiter et al 2012; Nikolaos Tsergas )
In fact, Role-playing strategy is considered as one of the techniques used in
psychotherapy.it was Created by the Austrian scientist (Moreno) in 1921 and
introduced as a therapeutic model which was widely used in Europe in private
and public health settings, including hospitals and mental health services. (Cruz A
et al 2018 ). It enables patients to express emotions, practice coping strategies, and
develop problem-solving skills in a supportive environment.
According to Alexander and Scriven 1977, role-playing serves as a great
method for psychosocial intervention. It allows individuals to actively engage in
scenarios, mimicking real-life situations, which can be particularly effective in
therapeutic settings. It is also an effective research tool for data collection across
various disciplines such as psychology, social ans educational sciences.
It was introduced in teaching
–
learning field by Moreno, where he applied
it for the first time in Austrian schools. This method helps students ingage in
deeper and more enjoyable learning experiences. By encouraging them to create
scenes and integrate characters with the original theme, it promotes more
immersive understanding of the subject matter. This strategy not only enhances
“Arab tili globallashuv davrida: innova
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va
o‘qitish metodikasi”
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writing skills but also encourages creativity and critical thinking. (Fatima Asghari
Shafi
’
i Suhail hamsani Nejad 2018). Blatner 2009 points out that skills cannot be
learned by reading a number of books. The best way of leaning all skills is through
role- playing.
Tis Intervention aims to highlight the importance of role playing method in
enhencing learning languages skills and provide explanation about the use of the
roleplay method in learning Arabic to improve students skills.
The definition of roleplay method:
Duxbury and Ling, 2010 define role-play as a creative technique involving
participants taking on different personas. It serves as an engaging method for
improving speaking skills, allowing students to assume different roles and interact
in English. Through role-play, teachers aim to motivate learners to perform
without undue intervention, fostering a conducive environment for spoken
English practice (Duxbury and Ling, 2010)
The objectives of role-playing:
Role-playing aims to help individuals to prosper and develop different
strategies during growth. Fadwa Salem barqan 2009 sums up the different
objectives of role-playing as follow:
–
Developing students
’
social skills by allowing them to work together to
analyze and reproduce social situations.
–
Enhancing students
’
exploration skills and curiosity about how people
interact and explore new facts and experiences.
–
Reinforcing learners
’
experiences and increasing self-confidence through
their involvement in role-playing experiences.
–
Boosting students
’
self-assurance and reducing fairs by encouraging
positive interactions.
–
Cultivating students
’
investigative skills through problem analysis,
proposing alternatives, testing and analyzing results for decision-making.
–
Enhancing analysis and comparison among students regarding
information, facts, and knowledge exchanged during role-playing.
–
Applying the principle of learning by doing through role-playing, utilizing
these roles to understand various professions and roles in life in a practical and
experiential manner.
Guidance for teachers in making a Role Play:
There have already been some attempts to introduce a guide to making a
successful role play:
1-Introducing the topic.
2-Stimulating student interest 3-Presenting new vocabulary.
4-Reading a story that clearly identifies a problem. 5- Stopping the story at
the climax.
6-Discussing the dilemma.
7-Selecting students to play the roles.
8-Preparing the audience to listen and later to offer advice. 9- Acting out the
rest of the story.
“Arab tili globallashuv
davrida: innovatsion yondoshuvlar
va
o‘qitish metodikasi”
mavzusidagi xalqaro ilmiy-amaliy anjuman
322
10-Discussing alternative ways of dealing with the problem.
11-Replaying the plays using new strategies if necessary. (Bouaziz Souhila
2015)
Classroom Needs and Role-Playing Strategies:
The role-playing technique is best integrated into a comprehensive teaching
plan rather than used in isolation. Teachers should select and adapt role-playing
situations based on their professional judgment and understanding of their
students
’
educational needs. These situations can stem from real-life or fictional
scenarios relevant to students
’
lives. To ensure relevance, involving students in
planning role-playing exercises can be beneficial. Teachers might ask for
suggestions or experiences from the class, fostering student engagement.
However, it
’
s important to consider certain guidelines. The chosen topic
should be clear, specific, and manageable for the students without overwhelming
them. Teachers and students both improve their role-playing skills through
positive experiences, but it
’
s essential not to introduce overly tense or
emotionally challenging situations too early, especially with a new class. As the
class develops comfort and familiarity with this learning style, they can gradually
tackle more complex or emotionally charged issues. The teacher
’
s understanding
of their learning goals and the classroom
’
s social dynamics helps construct role-
playing scenarios that are particularly relevant to the students
’
needs.
(Mark Chesler and Roberts Fox.17 )
Studies review:
The study of Mohammed Al-Shammari 2017 aimed to assess the
effectiveness of role-playing strategy in enhancing dialogic skills in Arabic
Language for third- grade middle school students. The researcher utilized a quasi-
experimental approach, creating two equivalent groups and employing a dialogue
assessment developed by Ahmad Bin Abdulrahman Al-Abis.. The sample
consisted of 51 students, with 26 in the control group and 25 in the experimental
group. Statistical analysis using SPSS revealed the following results:The level of
dialogic skills in both the experimental and control groups, was moderate.
Expressing opinions was the most dominant skill, followed by good listening and
attentiveness. Self-esteem estimation ranked third, while respect for others
ranked fourth.Statistically significant differences (were observed in all dialogic
skills self-esteem, good listening and attentiveness, respect for others, expressing
opinions) after adjusting the pretest in favor of the experimental group. Based on
these results, the researcher provided several recommendations.
Bouaziz Souhila 2015 aims at shedding the light on improving learners oral
proficiency by acting in role plays as a good model for bringing real-life situations
into the classroom. The researcher adopted a qualitative method that consists of
administering questionnaires directed to second year students LMD at
Mohammed Kheider University of Biskra. The results have shown that teachers
and students hold favorable attitudes towards using Role play techniques.
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Jehan Alawi 2009 aimed to study the impact of using role-play in teaching
reading on enhancing critical thinking among students. The research was based
on the experimental approach (control and experimental groups) in Palestinian
schools. The study found that the approach contributed to the development of
critical thinking, especially in reading skills. The previous study was applied to
reading skills.
Fadwa Samal Barqan 2009 studied the effect of role-playing strategies on
academic achievement and inferential thinking among third-grade students in the
subjects of social and national rank in schools in Aan Asalh. The study aimed to
examine the impact of role-playing strategies on academic achievement and
inferential thinking among students. The study included 106 students from two
schools, using a quasi-experimental approach (control and experimental groups).
The results indicated positive effects on academic progress and development in
inferential thinking. The previous study
’
s application on inferential thinking
demonstrates the efficacy of this approach.
Conclusion:
In short,Role play implementation enhances the 4 language skills and
boosts active participation among students and teachers. It fosters lively
interaction, encouraging more sharing and discussions. Besides,,Role play
reinfonces social and communicative skills that helps students to gain self
confidence and self esteem.
Recommendations:
–
Training students on how to utilize role-playing strategies in enhancing
conversational skills.
–
Incorporating curricula that include linguistic activities and exercises
based on role-playing strategies and other activities such as games.
–
Holding training courses, educational seminars, and workshops
accompanied by practical sessions to train teachers in utilizing diverse teaching
strategies that foster critical thinking and creativity
References:
1.
Alexander, C. N., & Scriven, G. D. (1977). Role playing: An essential
component of experimentation. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 3(3),
455-466.
2.
Blatner, A. (2002). Drama in education as mental hygiene: A child
psychiatrist
’
s perspective. Youth Theatre Journal, 9(3), 92
–
96.
3.
Chesler, M., & Fox, R. (1966). Role-Playing Methods in the Classroom.
Center for Research on Utilization of Scientific Knowledge, Institute for Social
Research, University of Michigan, Science Research Associates, Inc.
4.
Cruz et al. (2018). The Core Techniques of Morenian Psychodrama:
A Systematic Review of Literature. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 1
–
12.
5.
Duxbury, J. G., & Tsai, L.-L. (2010). The Effects of Cooperative Learning on
Foreign Language Anxiety: A Comparative Study of Taiwanese and American
Universities. International Journal of Instruction, 3(1), 3-18.
“Arab tili globallashuv
davrida: innovatsion yondoshuvlar
va
o‘qitish metodikasi”
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6.
Fatima Soghra Shafiei, Soheila Hamzehnejad, 2018. "The Role of Role-
Playing Strategy in Enhancing Arabic Conversation Skills among Undergraduate
Students at Al-Imam Al-Sadiq University Using Teaching Strategies for Teachers."
Journal of Studies in Arabic Language Education and Learning, Issue 4, 105-128.
7.
Fadwa Salem Barqan, 2009. "The Impact of Role-Playing Strategy on
Achievement and Inferential Thinking of Third-Grade Students in Social Studies
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’
s Thesis, Middle
East University for Graduate Studies in Curricula and Teaching Methods.
8.
Jehan Ahmed Al-Amawi, 2009. "The Impact of Using Role-Playing in
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’
s Thesis, Islamic University - Gaza.
9.
Khaled Mohammed Al-Juhmani, 2016. "The Effectiveness of a Teaching
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Third-Grade Students and Developing Their Attitudes toward Reading." Doctoral
Dissertation, Damascus University.
10.
Mohammed Majed Al-Shari
’
a Al-Shammari, 2017. "Effectiveness of
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among Third-Grade Intermediate School Students in Hafar Al-Batin." Arab Journal
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11.
Mohammed Maqabla, Nasr Ahmed Batah, and Abdullah, 2015. "The
Impact of Role-Playing Strategy on Enhancing Some Speaking Skills Among Ninth-
Grade Students in Jordan." Open University of Jerusalem Journal for Research and
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12.
Massar, K., Ruiter, R. A., van Vugt, M., Kok, G., de Zavala, A. G., & Cichocka,
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13.
Riofrio, G. (2019). The use of Role-Plays as a teaching technique to
improve Elementary Learners
’
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’
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14.
Sellers, S. C. (2002). Testing Through Theatrics. Journal of Nursing
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15.
Tsergas, N. (2021). Role-Playing as a Method of Teaching Social Sciences
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