ROLE PLAY

Role Play in Education
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Introduction
Role play is a useful method used in the learning and teaching process. It is a strategy that promotes learning through enhancing thinking and creativity among learners. Role play helps students to develop and practice new concept in language and desirable behavioral skills in a relatively non-threatening learning environment. Researchers argue that it creates motivation among learners and hence promotes self-efficacy as learners get fully involved in the learning process. This paper analyzes theoretical overview of this topic, its justification, and the findings that will provide us with an argument about role play.
Role Play as a Simulation Method (A Theoretical Overview)
According to Rogers and Evans (2008) role play is a vital training aid in the process of acquiring knowledge, values, skills and attitudes among learners of different ages. According to Barrett (2003) role play is defined as a particular form of simulation that analyzes the interaction of people with one another. In this situation, the learner is either asked to think of themselves or another person in a given situation. The resultant effect will enable the whole class to learn new concepts about that particular situation. In this case, Rogers and Evans (2008) noted that role play act as a simulation that is fundamental to learning new language and ideas. For the simulation to be successful, all learners should accept their duties and roles in every situation.

However, for those students who may not involve themselves in role play, simulation can be a barrier to success. Barrett (2003) examines the theoretical overview of role play as a simulation in learning languages. This aspect is in respect to the interactional view that sees language as the impetuous factor for personal relations and performance between individuals. Role play as simulation posits that for learning to happen all learners must participate and accept their duties in the learning process.
In justification of this topic, Rogers and Evans (2008) depicted that role play can get used in an ordinary classroom. It can get applied synergistically for children that have special needs or those emotionally disabled so as to perform better in the traditional classrooms. It is a strategy that ensures teacher’s goals get attained since it promotes emotional intelligence in the process of teaching and learning.
Findings: role play/simulation is a learning methodology that gets attributed to socio-drama and geared towards helping the student to perform in areas of literature, sciences, and social studies. It helps learners to be more involved and interested in learning how to integrate new ideas by addressing issues and exploring alternatives (Barrett, 2003). Ideally, role play is the best learning strategy in developing new concepts, problem-solving and creating awareness among learners as both the teachers and students work within a cooperative learning environment to attain success and better performance.

References
Barrett, R. (2003). Rim Sim a role-play situation (Version 1.0. ed.). Menlo Park, Calif.: U.S. Dept. of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
Rogers, S., & Evans, J. (2008). Inside role-play in early childhood education: Researching young children’s perspectives. London: Routledge.