ISSN:
2181-3906
2023
International scientific journal
«MODERN SCIENCE АND RESEARCH»
VOLUME 2 / ISSUE 9 / UIF:8.2 / MODERNSCIENCE.UZ
75
THE IMPORTANCE OF ROLE PLAYING ACTIVITIES IN IMPROVING
LEARNERS’ LANGUAGE SKILLS
Berdiyeva Sitora Utkirovna
Lecturer of “History and Philology Department”
at The Asia International University
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8340797
Abstract.
The article provides information on traditionally recognized skills such as
listening comprehension, speaking, reading and writing as a number of difficult skills in English
language learning.
Key words:
student, language, language learning process, acquiring skills.
ЗНАЧИМОСТЬ РОЛЕВЫХ ИГРОВ В УЛУЧШЕНИИ
ЯЗЫКОВЫЕ НАВЫКИ УЧАЩИХСЯ
Аннотация.
В статье представлена информация о традиционно признанных
навыках, таких как понимание аудирования, говорение, чтение и письмо, как ряде сложных
навыков в изучении английского языка.
Ключевые слова:
студент, язык, процесс изучения языка, приобретение навыков.
Learning English language involves a number of difficult skills: For instance, the
traditionally recognized skills like listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing. But
many students hesitate to speak in front of the class or others as they are not sure of the correctness
of language. The process and the method of learning the language should help one to acquire
fluency as well as proficiency. In this context, role playing activities become an effective tool and
strategy.
Studies have shown that role-play can be used effectively to improve students not only
language skills, but also interpersonal and communicative skills. The different roles designed in
role-play offer the students opportunities to practice their oral skills in various types of behavior
and give life and immediacy to academic descriptive material. So, implementation of role playing
activities in language teaching process plays a pivotal role in improving students’ communicative
skills.
Role plays provide students with the opportunity to take part in activities which mirror
career-related scenarios. To help students understand the use of role playing sessions, role plays
should be content-focused, match learning objectives, and be relevant to real-world situations.
Role playing exercises encourage students to think more critically about complex and controversial
subjects and to see situations from a different perspective. When properly employed, role plays
can motivate students in a fun and engaging way.
According to Harbour and Connick’s opinion
1
using the following guidelines can be helpful for
teachers in planning role playing exercise. So, teachers should:
-
Use role playing as a graded exercise, introduce small, non-graded role plays early in and
during the semester to help students prepare for a larger role play which will be assessed.
-
Determine how the role play will be assessed: will observers be given an assessment rubric?
1
Harbour, E., & Connick, J. Role playing games and activities rules and tips.2005
ISSN:
2181-3906
2023
International scientific journal
«MODERN SCIENCE АND RESEARCH»
VOLUME 2 / ISSUE 9 / UIF:8.2 / MODERNSCIENCE.UZ
76
Will observers’ remarks and scores be shared with the role players? Will the observers’
scores be included with the instructor’s scores? Will the role players be given the opportunity to
revise and present the role play again? Will observers be taught how to properly assess the
performance?
-
Instruct students that the purpose of the role play is to communicate a message about the
topic and not focus as much on the actual person acting the role.
-
Tie role plays to learning objectives so students see their relevance to course content.
-
Allow time for students to practice the role play, even if it is spontaneous, so they will be
able to think deeply about the role and present it in a meaningful way.
-
Reduce large chunks of content into smaller sections which can be more effectively
presented as a role play.
-
When assigning a role play, explain its purpose and answer questions so students are able
to properly prepare the exercise.
-
Challenge all students equally when assigning role plays so everyone will be assessed on
equal ground.
While doing role-play, the students have an opportunity to interpret their roles in the target
language creatively. The teachers seldom interfere when the students make mistakes and this will
decrease the anxiety of most students, especially shy ones. Also since role-play is much like doing
a mini-drama, the students know that they are not displaying their own personalities. Therefore,
the use of role-play provides a mask for students and encourages them to feel liberated in
performing. Moreover, while doing role-play, the students who are better at acting than speaking
can have a chance to participate. They can express themselves by both words and actions, which
will allow them to engage in the class activity instead of sitting or standing still in a normal
classroom. This can release their anxiety of being different and isolated in class and could increase
their self-image.
Of all the four skills, speaking seems intuitively the most important: people who know a
language are referred to as ‘speaker’ of that language, as if speaking includes all other kinds of
knowing and many foreigners are primarily interested in learning verbal interaction skills.
Classroom activities that develop learners’ ability to express themselves through speech
would, therefore, seem an important component of a language course. In addition, role-playing
activities can also provide the readers with exposure to a wide range of texts (such as letters, flyers,
posters and even telegrams), to which they are not often exposed in class.
For instance,
the teacher can ask the students to play the role as sales representatives and
customers at a supermarket.
The students have to collect the flyers from the supermarket, read each catalogue and then
interact with each other within the different roles about the information on the flyers. Both sales
representatives and customers have to read the flyers carefully in order to play their role
successfully.
The main question that a teacher may ask when considering the use of determined teaching
method is why used or wanted to use. The main point is that how the teaching method fits into the
all learning process. The teacher will organize the process with the help of number of activities
and resources planned to be used in particular order to achieve a series of objectives. For this case,
an appropriate teaching method or appropriate methods must be determined to meet the objectives.
ISSN:
2181-3906
2023
International scientific journal
«MODERN SCIENCE АND RESEARCH»
VOLUME 2 / ISSUE 9 / UIF:8.2 / MODERNSCIENCE.UZ
77
Conventional methods such as lectures, reading, discussions and writing are used
successfully in order to help students gain the knowledge of factual material and the essential
theoretical framework on the other hand they lack in two major respects. They are not effective to
help to change the student’s attitude or behavior is the first one. Reading or hearing in the lectures
is not same as the experiencing. When they have experienced in the disappointment of being in
similar situation whatever they feel, they will have more sympathy and understanding towards it.
Role-play is one of the experiential techniques that help the student to manage the idea of
uncertainty. Counseling, interviews, customer service, personal relationships, committees,
negotiations, public meetings or team working are individual and group situations to develop
interpersonal skills. The role-play is ideally coping with the development of interpersonal skills.
Role playing can often create a sense of community within the class. Although at first it
may seem a threatening method, once the class learns to share a mutual confidence and
commitment to the learning process, the sharing of analysis over the role situations will develop
students’ communicative skills.
So, role playing can be used with students of most ages. The complexity of the role
situations must be minimized in using the method with children. But if we keep it simple for their
limited attention spans, role playing can be used even in teaching preschoolers.
Role-play is any speaking activity
2
when you either put yourself into somediv else's
shoes, or when you stay in your own shoes but put yourself into an imaginary situation!
Imaginary people
- The joy of role-play is that students can 'become' anyone they like for
a short time! The President, the Queen, a millionaire, a pop star …….. the choice is endless!
Students can also take on the opinions of someone else. 'For and Against' debates can be used and
the class can be split into those who are expressing views in favour and those who are against the
theme.
Imaginary situations
- Functional language for a multitude of scenarios can be activated
and practised through role-play. 'At the restaurant', 'Checking in at the airport', 'Looking for lost
property' are all possible role-plays.
While participating in role playing activities the language students need is fundamental. By
doing so, they will learn new vocabulary and structure in a natural and memorable environment.
It is a chance to use real and natural language, but here we must mention that students make a lot
of mistakes and teacher must know “when” and “how” to correct them.
Role play exercises give students the opportunity to assume the role of a person or act out
a given situation. These roles can be performed by individual students, in pairs, or in groups which
can play out a more complex scenario. Role plays engage students in real-life situations or
scenarios that can be “stressful, unfamiliar, complex, or controversial” which requires them to
examine personal feelings toward others and their circumstances.
The involvement of the role playing participants can create both an emotional and
intellectual attachment to the subject matter at hand. If a skillful teacher has accurately matched
the problem situation to the needs of his group, the solving of realistic life problems can be
expected.
2
Van Ments, M. The effective use of role-play: A handbook for teachers and trainers. New York: Nichols Publishing. 1989
ISSN:
2181-3906
2023
International scientific journal
«MODERN SCIENCE АND RESEARCH»
VOLUME 2 / ISSUE 9 / UIF:8.2 / MODERNSCIENCE.UZ
78
So, a good and successful role-play depends upon the quality of the students involved and
seriousness which is shown by the students acted in the role-plays.
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Bang, Y.J. Developing communicative competence through role-play activities in an EFL
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Chesler, M.,
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Fox, R. Role-playing methods in the classroom. Chicago, Science Research
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