Teaching Social Skills Through Role Play

Author : Colleen Awbrey
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 99 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (16 download)

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Download or read book Increasing Social Skills of Elementary School Students Through the Use of Literature and Role Playing written by Colleen Awbrey and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 99 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Four teacher researchers focused on the lack of students' proper social skills for this action research project report. In the classes of four teacher researchers, the students were coming to school lacking proper social skills. Because of this, teachers were spending time allocated for the curriculum, on discipline and the instruction of social skills. Therefore, the teachers instituted a project whereby the students would receive social skills education through the use of literature and role playing. This study was completed in two 1st grade classrooms with a total of 46 students, one 3rd grade classroom with 23 students, and a fourth/fifth gifted class with a total of 20 students. There were a total of 89 participants in the study from January 22nd to May 18th, 2007. The teacher researchers found that their students were displaying unfavorable behaviors such as; being disrespectful to both adults and peers, not being responsible for daily work, making poor choices, and being uncooperative. The three ways the evidence was documented was through a student survey, a teacher survey, and an observation checklist. Based on the student survey, observation checklist, and teacher survey, it was found that the majority of the students in the teachers' schools and classrooms needed to improve on the social skills of integrity, respect, cooperation, and responsibility. The teacher researchers decided to incorporate literature and role playing to help encourage their students use positive social skills. With clearly defined goals, literature can be a highly effective aide in social skill development (Cartledge, 2001). The teacher researchers collected children's literature that coincided with the four social skills that needed to be improved upon. Along with literature, it was found that role playing can also promote communication and teach acceptance of each others differences (Harriott, 2004). Teachers should always model, practice, and role play expected behaviors (E; Frey, 2000). The teacher researchers instituted role playing into the classroom after the literature on a specific skill was taught. The results of this study were varied. Little to no positive change was found by the teacher researchers from pre- to post-observation. However, a minimal decrease in the frequency of disrespectful and uncooperative behaviors was found. On the other hand, there was a dramatic increase in the occurrences of poor integrity and irresponsibility. The teacher researchers felt that had the intervention occurred at the beginning of the school year rather than towards the end, the results could have been different. (Eight appendixes are included: (1) Student Survey; (2) Observation Checklist Pre-Documentation; (3) Observation Checklist Post-Documentation; (4) Teacher Survey; (5) Students Journals; (6) Students Plays; (7) Student Stories; and (8) Rubric for Student Stories. Contains 8 figures and 13 tables.) [Master's Thesis, Saint Xavier University.].