GROUP ROLE-PLAY AS A METHOD OF FACILITATING STUDENT TO STUDENT INTERACTION AND MAKING THEORY RELEVANT

Daiga Kamerāde

Salford Business School

University of Salford

THE RESEARCH/PRACTICE PROBLEM/S

Large group teaching more and more common

Limited opportunities for peer to peer interaction in large classrooms

A teaching/learning method successfully used before in small group settings but how to adapt it to large groups?

From: Morgan (1997) Images of Organisations, p.352

WHY PEER TO PEER INTERACTION?Learning is a social process (especially important when learning about organisational behaviour)

Influences cognitive processes- can see different points of view, interpretations – helps to elaborate the content develop criteria according to which can judge their performance

Increases metacognitive awareness

Co-construction of knowledge

Provides peer support

Social and motivational benefits

From http://bit.ly/oaGOMK

ACTION: GROUP ROLE PLAY

Work in small

groupsRole play Group

role play

RESEARCH METHODS

The intuitive proactive action research approach- knew what might work, implement it and evaluate it (Wragg, 1994)

Qualitative research strategy A mini-survey with two open-ended questions:

In your opinion, what were three main benefits of the group role play?

What were the three things that should be done differently if the group role play is used again in a similar session?

Participants: 40 students (out of 50 present) Data analysis: Data categorising and coding

strategy (Stinger, 2007) used: indentified units of meaning, organised into themes and categories.

RESULTS: PERCEIVED BENEFITS

•Interactiveness & engagement •“...was very interactive”•“very engaging”•“activeness in questioning and answering questions”

•“the level of communication between students”

•“encouraged active involvement”

•Group work:•“Liked working in groups”•“Enjoyed working un groups. Enjoyed listening to others”

•Social benefits•“Group work helped me to know more people”

Peer interaction

&active engagemen

t

•Aids understanding•. ...aided understanding of the complexity of studying organisational behaviour”

•“It is easier to understand some theoretical views because we have to prepare on session”

•“the preparation helped me to understand better the topic”

• Social learning•[group work]: could share knowledge”

•“I learned about many different ideas and opinions from different people “

• “...like to hear how other colleagues think”

• “Easier method of learning; able to argue and debate on ideas”

•Helps to put theory into practice•“With the practical case we had the opportunity to put theory in real life

• “What I learnt from these seminar is by using different approaches in tackling problems and solve them”

Learning benefits

RESULTS: SUGGESTED CHANGES

•“It’s good to participate but I think it is possible to participate in a lecture too, because there are a lot of questions to be answered too. Therefore I prefer a lecture! I learn more from a lecture!”

•“Lecturer should introduce the theory at the beginning”

•“We didn’t get the theoretical views”

•“Only learned in depth about one approach, didn’t learn in depth from others presentations”

Mixing teaching methods

•“Less group work outside the class please, because some people do not participate or show up/plus it takes a longer time to do the work “

•“Unable to digest quickly as some presenters tend to talk quickly”

•“Maybe some student should say their opinion rather than just read on their copies or notebook”

Improving students’

contribution

•“too many groups”

•“smaller groups”

•too small time for the group preparation”

•“more time” •“could be boring if too long”

Time and group size

management

CONCLUSIONS AND DISCUSSION

Group role play encourages peer to peer interaction and can facilitate social learning in large group settings

However, it should be mixed with a lecture. Also it has to be organised so that students’ are encourage to engage and prepare good quality presentations.

Group role play also might be used in teaching other subjects (e.g. psychology, sociology, politics, education) where the objective of the session is to teach/learn to compare and contrast and to apply to real life situations different theoretical perspectives that are often seen by students as “too theoretical” or irrelevant to practice