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Socioscientific issues (SSIs) can provide a context to address societal decision‐making processes in school. In recent years, studies have demonstrated that one effective way to deal with these topics is through role play. However, role plays may induce an unreflected attitude change based on the roles the participants take on, which raises ethical concerns about indoctrination. To explain this change of attitude, we applied the Transportation‐Imagery Model. We asked if transportation into a role play would bring about a change of attitude and behavior. Furthermore, we investigated whether the perspective of the prepared or performed characters affected transportation and the direction of an attitude change. The research was conducted in Germany with a sample of 256 secondary‐school students (Mage = 16.9 years, SDage = 1.5, 68% female). We found that transportation affected neither attitude change nor behavior. There was also no effect of the prepared or performed characters' perspective on transportation or attitude change. This suggests that role play does not constitute a form of manipulation and can be used as a learning method for SSIs without reservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Comprehensive and interprofessional undergraduate teaching and training in special care dentistry (SCD) could influence future dentists' attitudes towards patients with disabilities. The aim of the study was to assess the influence of role play as part of SCD training on the attitudes of undergraduates towards patients with disabilities. Method: The students attending the SCD module during the autumn semester of 2019 comprised our target population. A quasi‐experimental design was used to compare the attitudinal scores between three groups of students exposed to different modalities of SCD teaching: group 1 – didactic teaching (N = 92), group 2 – didactic teaching and clinical training in the dental treatment of children or elderly patients with disabilities (N = 142), group 3 – theoretical teaching and clinical training, accompanied by role play sessions featuring persons with disabilities (N = 20). The contact rate was 100%. The outcomes of the intervention were measured using the altruism scale, which forms part of the International Association for Disability and Oral Health (iADH) Toolbox for measuring attitudes and intended behaviors towards persons with disabilities. Results: The analysis revealed the two‐factor structure of the nine‐item altruism scale. The first factor was described as the acceptance of oral health care as a universal human right, while the second was the perception of the contribution of marginalised groups, including people with disabilities, to the community. The students participating in the role play scored higher on both factors in comparison to those attending other modes of SCD training. Conclusion: The presented findings suggested role play as a powerful tool in fostering positive attitudes towards persons with disabilities in the education of dental students and highlighted the importance of multidisciplinary training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using Mary Shelley's Frankenstein as inspiration, this paper presents a Frankenstein‐themed transmedia storytelling experience, which encompasses simple hands‐on activities and an online narrative experience that allows students to model scientific work and engage in various science activities. The study aimed to test whether students can develop higher science and creative self‐efficacy beliefs, and a stronger science curiosity, by engaging in the transmedia experience that combined hands‐on and online narrative activities compared with participating in only hands‐on or online narrative experiences. Our paper presents findings from two classroom studies using survey findings. Results show that all three conditions (hands‐on, online game experience and transmedia) had a significant positive impact on learners' self‐efficacy beliefs and curiosity, but there was no additional benefit for the transmedia condition. Nevertheless, our work has various implications for learning sciences about the potential benefits and drawbacks of transmedia storytelling experiences. Our findings can help educators and researchers design and run transmedia storytelling projects. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic Transmedia storytelling is a popular and adaptable learning application.Transmedia storytelling can be beneficial due to transfer of learning.Transmedia storytelling may foster learners' engagement and knowledge acquisition.What this paper adds The paper presents a Frankenstein‐themed transmedia experience that combines digital and hands‐on activities and borrows several themes from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus.Findings from this study show that transmedia storytelling can boost learners' science and creative self‐efficacy beliefs and science curiosity.However, transmedia storytelling combining digital and hands‐on experiences is not more effective in bolstering self‐efficacy beliefs and curiosity than digital or hands‐on experiences alone.Implications for practice and/or policy Transmedia storytelling might have unintended consequences for learning because it may exhaust learners' cognitive resources.Learners' transliteracy skills and competencies may influence what benefits they gain from partaking in transmedia storytelling experiences.Educators need to take learners' transliteracy skills into consideration when they wish to design and/or use transmedia storytelling experiences for learning purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patient involvement is a prominent policy aim in modern health care. Today, mental health services employ peer workers (PWs) who have personal experiences with mental illness. Based on 22 interviews with PWs and 26 audio recordings of real‐life consultations, we show how PWs talk about their personal experiences as professional qualifications. Furthermore, we demonstrate how in real‐life encounters, PWs and patients convert personal experiences into a professional approach through an interactionist role play that balance PWs role as former patients and current professionals. Our analysis shows that PWs combine the personal pronoun 'I' (stressing that it is personal) with the indefinite pronoun 'one' (referring to generalised patient experiences) when they recount illness experiences. This convey that PWs engage with mental illness as both a personal and professional topic. In addition, the analysis shows that PWs (and patients) use professional clues to manifest PWs' positions as professionals. Overall, the article demonstrates that instead of focussing on authentic patient relationships, as previous research has done, it is beneficial to investigate peer work from a symbolic interactionist approach revealing how PWs and patients skilfully manoeuvre the contradictions embedded in the PWs' dual role as former patients and current professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digitalisation and the accompanying transformation processes, involving data, technology and people, are part of children's life and will shape their future. Competences, such as digital skills, as well as creativity, communication, collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving are crucial to these transformation processes. In early childhood, these competences are essentially acquired through play, especially pretend play. The project 'we play the future' draws on the potential of pretend play to enable young children to be actively engaged in imagining themselves shaping digital transformation in the roles of inventors, developers and users. Drawing on an analysis of fields currently undergoing digital transformation, eight inputs for pretend play were developed to areas of digital transformation (eg, robotics, autonomous vehicles and Internet of things). Fifteen kindergarten teachers implemented the pretend play on digital transformation in their kindergarten after taking a half‐day introductory professional development course. The children's play was filmed and analysed using qualitative multimodal interaction analysis in order to examine the ways in which the pretend play encourages the exploration of digital transformation amongst the children. The results reveal the potential of pretend play for children to explore digital transformation and to acquire the digital competences needed in the future. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic? Children integrate imaginative digital technology in their play.Guided pretend play is important for children's learning in kindergarten.What this paper adds Ideas for pretend play in kindergarten to enable children developing an understanding of digital transformation in a playful wayThe paper presents findings from video analysis which indicate that children are using competences needed for the digital future during pretend playImplications for practice Digital education should not just be focused on using and programming digital devices but include pretend play to explore digital transformation; through the inputs for pretend play suggested in the project, the kindergarten teachers support the children developing an understanding of digital technology.The inputs for pretend play enable children to develop competences such as technical and digital skills, as well as creativity, communication, collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hadoop is a well‐known big data system and a subject covered in many big data courses. This article describes two role play games for teaching the two fundamental components in the Hadoop framework, MapReduce and Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS). In the games, students form teams and play different roles as a part of a Hadoop cluster. The games are designed to let students collaborate with peers in the same way as MapReduce and HDFS components collaborate to perform computing jobs in a Hadoop cluster. Utilizing a computer communication channel, the games are designed to let students quickly and effectively understand typical MapReduce and HDFS operations. Survey results from students in two big data classes show that the games effectively improve learning outcome in understanding MapReduce and HDFS workflow and the Hadoop framework in general. Students appear more engaged in class activities and communicate with peers more often. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Negotiation exercise design is a skill that, such as negotiation itself, is rooted in certain core principles and can be refined with practice. How writers approach the design process is the key to producing effective exercises and powerful learning experiences. This article addresses five core principles that can be used to curate both simple and moderately complex negotiation exercises, including games, role plays, and simulations. These core principles are (1) define the purpose, (2) determine the format, (3) maintain focus, (4) test the function, and (5) plan for a debrief. These principles can be used as a general framework to help writers overcome the challenges inherent in exercise design and empower them to create and deliver their own tailored negotiation exercises. The principles are a tried‐and‐true method developed from the authors' own experience designing the material for university curricula, executive education, and workshops for government, military, and private clients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Debate and role play for learning critical thinking and communication skills are being increasingly used in various undergraduate medical schools worldwide. We aim to compare students' views about effectiveness of two teaching strategies; debate and role play to exercise critical thinking and communication skills during problem‐based learning (PBL). This is a comparative, cross‐sectional, and questionnaire‐based study. Our subjects were second year undergraduate female medical students enrolled in Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University (IAU), College of Medicine from September 2014–2016, divided into 10 small PBL groups (10–13 students/group/year). Students rated role play and debate as equally effective in improving communication skills. Debate was rated superior to role play in “opening new avenues of thinking” (p‐value is 0.01), whereas in “integration of knowledge of basic medical sciences with clinical skills” and “reflection of real life experience” students rated role play being superior to debate (p‐value 0.01 and 0.00, respectively). Both role play and debate are well accepted by the students in PBL curriculum as an effective teaching methodology. Both are perceived equally good in improving students' communication skills. Few aspects of critical thinking are improved more by role plays compared to debate and vice versa. © 2018 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 46:336–342, 2018. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Literature that addresses young children's learning in galleries and museums typically concentrates on what is already offered and discusses what has proven to be effective, or not, in accommodating their needs. This article offers insight into how objects can be explored with early years children at school, to create greater understanding of galleries, museums and their collections. I argue that through an exploration of curation as a meaning making process, children transfer experiences to make meaning in other contexts that place high value on learning in and through art and artefacts. I present a case study carried out in a Tower Hamlets primary school where children, aged 4–5, were invited to collect and display objects in a role‐play ‘museum’, with the aim of presenting artefacts typically used in their classroom. They were encouraged to make new meaning from familiar objects through a curatorial process involving creative display and role play. This project enabled young children to address their own ‘heritage’ rather than the more typical situation in which children are taken to museums in order to learn about that of others. The findings of this study highlight values that young children place upon museums, emphasising the need for greater interaction and play when engaging with objects in educational contexts. When young children are allowed to assign their own meaning to objects by transforming their purpose, they are more likely to develop an understanding of the intentions of museums and develop more curiosity towards the curatorial decisions made by others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eight professional counselors who routinely role-play as clients in 1 counselor education program participated in a focus group investigating their portrayal experiences. Data were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis, which resulted in 3 superordinate themes: missions, influential factors, and repercussions. Findings reinforce instruction of idiographic and person-centered care in counselor education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses five college students' experiences in a simulated full-immersion, Arabic-speaking language village and the impact of that experience on learners' beliefs about the power of collaborative learning, the critical importance of cultural awareness, the efficacy of learning languages within a functioning community of practice, and the utility of role play and experiential learning. The article also shares students' insights into the value of both classroom and unstructured language learning opportunities and the contribution that such immersion scenarios can make as a stepping-stone into a full-immersion, long-term study abroad experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose To discuss the teaching/learning strategy of customized role play to enhance psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) students' entry level competency. Conclusions Customized role play facilitates application of new content, understanding of the patient's experience, and assessment of skill deficits. Practice Implications New PMHNP graduates have entry level proficiency across the life span with a range of psychotherapeutic interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel, it has generally been assumed, was from its very beginnings a literary form designed to be read by solitary, silent individuals. One consequence of this assumption is that the class novel, read amid all the noise and sociality of the classroom, tends to be treated as a preparation for more authentic, private reading, or even as a poor substitute for it. This essay argues that the history of novel reading is more complicated and more varied than has been assumed; it goes on to explore, through the story of a single lesson, the possibilities for meaning-making that are the product of particular pedagogic practices as well as of the irreducibly social process of reading the class novel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Negotiation educators have long considered the use of role-play simulations as an essential classroom teaching method, and have had high expectations regarding their suitability and efficacy for teaching. In this article, we review the literature to examine the degree to which simulations deliver on these perceived benefits, finding that simulations enjoy only limited advantages over other teaching methods. We note three trends that have developed as part of this reevaluation process: improving the way simulations are conducted, deemphasizing the use of simulations as a teaching tool while seeking new methods, and finding paradigm-changing uses for simulations. With regard to this last trend, we describe our own experiments assigning students to design their own simulations, rather than participate in them as role players. Among other benefits of the design method, we found that designers showed greater improvements in concept learning and motivation than did role players. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We evaluated a behavioral intervention for a 9-year-old girl with selective mutism. The intervention consisted of role play and video self-modeling. The frequency of spoken initiations, responses to questions, and communication breakdowns was measured during three social situations (i.e., ordering in a restaurant, meeting new adults, and playing with new children) and in three community settings. Results demonstrated increases in spoken initiations and responses and decreases in communication breakdowns across all situations and settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to develop, implement and evaluate critical thinking strategies to enhance critical thinking skills in Middle Eastern nurses. Critical thinking strategies such as questioning, debate, role play and small group activity were developed and used in a professional development programme, which was trialled on a sample of Middle Eastern nurses ( n = 20), to promote critical thinking skills, encourage problem solving, development of clinical judgment making and care prioritization in order to improve patient care and outcomes. Classroom learning was transformed from memorization to interaction and active participation. The intervention programme was successful in developing critical thinking skills in both the nurse educators and student nurses in this programme. This programme successfully integrated critical thinking strategies into a Middle Eastern nursing curriculum. Recommendations are as follows: (1) utilize evidence-based practice and stem questions to encourage the formulation of critical thinking questions; (2) support the needs of nurse educators for them to effectively implement teaching strategies to foster critical thinking skills; and (3) adopt creative approaches to (i) transform students into interactive participants and (ii) open students' minds and stimulate higher-level thinking and problem-solving abilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Social Stories™ intervention package was used to teach 2 students with autism to read Social Stories, answer comprehension questions, and engage in role plays. Appropriate social behaviors increased and inappropriate behaviors decreased for both participants, and the effects were maintained for up to 10 months. This intervention package appears to be useful in inclusive classroom environments and does not require intensive supervision of the child's behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land degradation is the result of the intersection of a complex set of biophysical and socio-economic factors. The capacity of an individual or community to address land degradation is likewise constrained. While it is quite possible for professionals and learners to grasp the main issues around land degradation from a theoretical perspective, internalising the reality of what it means to be the resource degrader is more difficult. We have developed two active learning methods that aim to address this problem. The first is the African Catchment Game, a role-playing game based on Graham Chapman's Green Revolution Game, adapted for the southern Africa context and incorporating a land degradation component. In this game participants play out the complex dynamics of rural-urban-global linkages against a background of environmental hazards. The second is based on Save the Children Fund's RiskMap computer simulation that models risk in terms of rural livelihoods for different income groups. Ethiopia is used as the example. This paper evaluates the two active learning techniques as tools for exploring the relationships between land degradation and poverty through an evaluation of participants’ experiences. The analysis shows clear potential for developing alternative teaching curricula that are aligned to our theoretical understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is ongoing concern among mental health professionals regarding the recruitment of newly graduated nurses to this specialist nursing area. Many reasons for the problem have been identified, including the perceived inadequate preparation by the tertiary sector, students' prejudices and anxieties about mental illness, a perceived lack of support while undertaking clinical placement, and the quality of the clinical placement itself. This paper describes a collaborative response to these issues undertaken in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The implementation of preclinical undergraduate workshops using problem-based learning and role plays were undertaken. Mental health nursing scenarios were developed in association with experienced clinicians to introduce core concepts in a supportive learning environment. Quantitative and qualitative evaluation data were collected immediately following the workshop and again after the students returned to the university following a mental health clinical placement. A further survey of one cohort was undertaken 12 months after initial state registration and the beginning of a career in mental health nursing. Results showed that both students' and clinicians' attitudes to the workshops were consistently positive and indicated that the workshops were beneficial in preparing students for their clinical placement. Importantly, since the implementation of the workshops and other collaborative initiatives, an increasing number of newly graduated nurses from the region are choosing to work in mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper summarizes the design and evaluation of an instructional approach aimed at improving the writing skills of a group of undergraduate engineering students. We sought to determine whether student performance in difficult writing skills such as argumentation and synthesis could be improved by integrating a single writing exercise into an upper level engineering course. In designing the exercise, we relied heavily on recommendations for best practices from the learning science community, specifically those codified in the National Academy text How People Learn [1]. We found reliable improvement in student performance in many of the areas targeted, demonstrating that the approach taken was effective. Since we modified the exercise a few times before meeting our objectives for student learning, we could compare the effectiveness of different implementations of our approach. Our success and failures provide guidance for others seeking to improve the competence of engineering undergraduates in writing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses aspects of ‘third space’ theory to support the use of site-based classroom role play as a means of ensuring continuity of text construction between home and school. A hypothetical continuum of text construction between home and school is described, and it is suggested that schools wishing to support this continuum might consider incorporating some home-type contexts and pedagogies into classroom practice. A model of site-based role play is described that aims to do this by setting up an actual third space in primary classrooms, together with some of the educational outcomes of the model's implementation. Implications for schools and family learning programmes are briefly discussed. In conclusion, the paper argues that if we want curriculum continuity between home and school, we need to create ‘third spaces’ in schools that bring together the experiences and pedagogies of both. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]