We encounter with unplanned role-playing when we take the role based on the relationship towards the person we are communicating with. With planed role-playing teacher and pupils have numerous benefits, such as active integration in the role, connection of theory and practice, expressing feelings, developing moral skills, social relations and communicative abilities. The master´s thesis deals with the usage of role-playing in connection to comprehending dietary habits (food processing) at Science and Technology classes in the 5th grade of primary school. In the theoretical part, the method of role-playing and case studies of its usage in school with the emphasis on science contents are described. Different kinds of role-playing, didactic principles upon its usage, phases of execution and the effects on the knowledge of pupils and social relations between them are also described. The empirical part has two parts. In the first one, the attitude of primary school teachers towards the use of role-playing in the class has been established. The research sample consisted of 228 primary school teachers, who answered the questionnaire about their knowledge of integration of the role-playing method in the classroom. The second part researched how the use of the role-playing method affects the understanding of individual concepts, permanence of knowledge and discovering the wrong understanding of concepts. The social relations between pupils were also been defined. Pupils were divided into an experimental and control group, based on the pre experiment. 46 pupils participated in the research; 23 pupils in the experimental group and 23 pupils in the control group. The subject matter was delivered according to two approaches. The pupils in the experimental group were introduced to the subject matter with the role-playing method, and the pupils in the control group with the explanatory method. The data was gathered with the help of a written exam that the pupils took after the delivery of the subject matter, and a written after exam that they took one month after the delivery. The exam and the after exam had identical exercises. The pupils in the experimental group also took a questionnaire about their feedback regarding the role-playing method. The results of the first part have shown that the teachers surveyed are familiar with the role-playing method and use it often, although only rarely at science classes. In the second part, we have discovered that the use of the role-playing method affects the understanding of individual concepts and sustainability of knowledge. It is also very popular among pupils.
Based on the findings it would be reasonable to introduce the role-playing method in science classes as well. With this method of work pupils develop various competences and skills. It would be meaningful to present in greater detail the method of role-playing during the regular education of didactics of science subjects.
|
