Role-Playing

Element · All elements
Evidence · 7 claims (4 for, 3 mixed) · 7 studies (2 review, 2 qualitative, 1 causal, 1 associational, 1 theoretical), q1–q2 · 2 of 7 report an effect size · 7 claims rest on one study

Description

Role-playing is the element in which learners adopt roles and act through a scenario, interaction, or decision process from that perspective. It is useful when learning depends on situational judgment, empathy, communication, or applied decision-making.

Design Implications

Context

Requirements

• A role with meaningful constraints or goals
• A scenario that makes the role consequential

Constraints

• Shallow roles can turn the activity into performance without reasoning

Target Learning Goals

• Support perspective-taking, communication, and situated decision-making.

Affordances

• Perspective-Taking
• Experiential Learning

Claims

• Adult learners expect AI to support transformative and experiential learning through assumption-challenging simulations, role play, and authentic virtual contexts [+W]
• Combining tangible puppets as mediating manipulatives with 3D manipulable animations fostered immediate transfer of imaginary students' perspectives in microteaching role-plays [+W] — attached 2026-10-18 from Sanna Järvelä · Carolyn P. Rosé (2022), which proposed "Combined tangible puppets and 3D manipulable animations as perspective-taking manipulatives for CSCL role-play".
• Tangible puppetry role-play shifted microteaching discourse from formal planned utterances toward informal student voices, and the shift persisted into a subsequent self-performed role-play [+W] — attached 2026-10-18 from Mochizuki et al. (2022), which proposed "Tangible puppetry tabletop role-play system with LED mood indicators and recorded bird's-eye animation".
• Children aged 6–8 combining augmented reality with socio-dramatic play make significant progress toward explicit physics discourse [+W]
• Role-playing in a ship simulator constitutes an activity context whose ephemeral resources can collapse [~W]
• Role framing shifts toward non-use in team contexts, with non-use more than doubling [~W]
• Shifts among self perspectives are locatable moments of learning in which the self develops and expands [~W]

Related Elements

• Decision-Making
• Scenario-Based Learning
• Group Work

Patterns That Use This Element

• Goal-Based Scenarios
• Discussion-Based Learning

Examples

• Learners take stakeholder roles and negotiate a policy or case decision.
• Five characteristics of effective law-related education programs — role-play, simulations and mock trials for civic participation skills

Key Sources

• Yardley-Matwiejczuk, K. M. (1997). Role play: Theory and practice. Sage.

Page metadata

Field	Value
type	element
id	role-playing
title	Role-Playing
description	Role-playing is the element in which learners adopt roles and act through a scenario, interaction, or decision process from that perspective.
status	review
canonical	True
generated	by codex/unspecified on 2026-04-08
trust	unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content

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